ABSTRACT
In the last decade, a number of real estate companies in large Japanese cities have begun to find it profitable to retrofit individual apartment or condominium dwelling units in well-situated multifamily buildings. They ‘gut’ out the old interior, and in a matter of a few weeks, completely ‘refresh’ the interiors with new floor plans, including all of the piping, wiring and other technical equipment included, without disturbing other occupied units in the building. This chapter discusses why this is happening and gives examples of companies providing this service, while also discussing why this trend is slow to take hold.
