‘SNL’ star Rachel Dratch gives her New York apartment a teen makeover

“Saturday Night Live” alum Rachel Dratch has prepared her New York City apartment for a new phase of life as her son has entered his teenage years – and a more grown-up room.

Dratch, 60, first settled into a “white brick” apartment building 23 years ago when she starred in the legendary sketch comedy show, where she created her iconic “Debbie Downer” character.

The Emmy nominated comedian and mother of Eli Benjamin15, upgraded to a two-bedroom unit in the same building about eight years ago. She tells Realtor.com® that the space has since served as the family’s joyful retreat from the stresses of city life.

“Living in New York is kind of a sensory overload, so I think everyone has their own little cave that they crawl into at the end of the day, living in New York City,” Dratch explains.

“I have a teenage son, so he’s a lot of fun. He’s not like the stereotypical teenager who slams doors and stuff like that. We laugh a lot. That’s what I associate my house with. Laughs, and I try to cook.”

Dratch says her apartment is “pretty small” and “ordinary,” and that it’s a house where you’re likely to see “a big pile of papers that need to be put away.”

However, Dratch says she recently made some renovations, including replacing the kitchen floors that were worn out by her dog Ruffles. She also replaced light bulbs.

But the biggest transformation that will take place is the rearrangement of the rooms after son Eli outgrew his childhood bedroom and moved into a more grown-up room.

“My son’s room was for a little kid. It was really cute, but now I’ve moved it into what was the playroom, and now I’m trying to navigate the upgrade from, like, a kid’s room to a teen’s room,” Dratch reveals.

“I’m kind of trying to figure out what that will be.”

In addition to reconfiguring room assignments, Dratch takes charge at home by keeping chores and maintenance under control while also juggling show business gigs, including hosting her podcast “Woo Woo with Rachel Dratch” and returning to Broadway for the revival of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“Stars, they’re just like us!” she jokes. “Yes, I do my laundry. I run errands, all that stuff. I don’t have people. I don’t have employees. Some people do, I guess. But I’m a do-it-yourself person, except for repairs. I can’t repair.”

While Dratch reports that “everything is working fine” right now in her relatively “break-free” home, as a partner of the home warranty company American home shield for the third year in a row, the funny woman knows who to call for help solving serious problems.

“If there are appliances that need repairs, American Home Shield steps in,” she says.

“They have a video chat component that if something is broken you can show them for troubleshooting, and that’s really easy,” she says. “If you buy an old house and you inherit the old appliances, it also gives you peace of mind because if something breaks, you can have it repaired or replaced.

“For example, if you’re having a dinner party and your oven breaks, we’ve all had moments like that.”

When it comes to hosting at her home, Dratch says ‘SNL’ costar Ana Gasteyer is the cast member she invites most often.

“She and I hang out a lot, and we write together,” Dratch says.

And because they often work together, Dratch also spends a lot of time in Gasteyer’s admirable abode.

“Anna has very good taste,” says Dratch. ‘Her apartment is great. By Christmas she has all the little things ready and everything.”

Staying close to former cast members and becoming familiar with the fellow residents of her apartment complex has helped Dratch gain a sense of community despite being based in the Big Apple.

“When you live in an apartment, you know your neighbors a little bit. You know all the dogs in the building and the characters – there are some grumpy characters and some not so grumpy characters,” she says.

“It’s almost like communal living, living in a building, so that’s part of it, for better or for worse. I mean, you’re never alone, let’s put it that way.

“You step outside and there’s your doorman, there’s the guy who feeds the pigeons, whatever it is.”

But as Dratch’s living situation with her son evolves, the longtime New Yorker can’t say for sure whether her current unit will be her forever home. Although she seems to guarantee she will stay in Manhattan.

“I love my neighborhood, so possibly, yes, maybe [my forever home]—unless I try to upgrade somehow. I like living in the city.”