2009 March
2009 March Vol. 29, No. 3
Focus on...Exterior Maintenance
Positive Impacts of Local Law 11
There’s more than enough to worry about living in a major American city without having
to worry about being conked on the head by falling debris. That’s the kind of urban hazard Local Law 11 was created to address, requiring all
buildings more than six stories in height—including co-ops, condos, hospitals, and commercial buildings—to conduct regular inspections of their exterior facades.
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Running a Water-tight Ship
Residential buildings are constantly under attack—not by barbarians or marauding bandits, but by a force far more subtle and
insidious. The most tenacious enemy of a residential building is not fire or
structural collapse—though a building obviously should be protected from such catastrophes. It’s water. Left unchecked, simple moisture can quietly infiltrate your building
envelope and wreak havoc throughout.
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New Pool Safety Mandate in Effect
It sounds like an urban legend—something that supposedly happened to your cousin’s friend’s cousin. A little girl was at a barbecue party at a friend’s house, frolicking in the pool with friends. She swam to the drain at the
bottom of the pool and sat on it. The drain’s suction was so strong, it sucked the girl onto the aperture, trapping her
under the water. Once the adults on the scene realized what was happening and
rushed to help, it took two grown men 10 minutes to free her from the drain—which broke in the process—but it was too late to save her.
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Fighting Grime Brick by Brick
New York City’s co-ops and condos might vary in their architectural styles, but over time
every exterior—from the ornate historic landmark to modern glass-and-steel fishbowl—experiences exterior wear due to the elements and the simple passage of time. As
years go by, most facades and exterior surfaces will begin to lose their
luster, and require occasional deep-cleanings, with regular maintenance to keep
things looking good in between.
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Stopping the Usual Suspects
Years ago, when I babysat for a young boy, I watched him create a multi-story
building out of empty cardboard boxes. The lad then ran around his proud
creation, flexing his muscles and crowing, “My house is indy-structible!” (He then proceeded to crash bodily through the cardboard doors, kick the walls
in and lob toys at the roof. It took him a while to destroy his structure, but
he enjoyed every second of it.)
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Historic Buildings Need TLC
In November of 2008, New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated seven new properties with
landmark status—New York University’s University Village, the Guardian Life Insurance Co. annex, the Morris B.
Sanders House, the New School’s former Baumann Bros. store, Pratt’s Manhattan Campus, an ex-FDNY firehouse, and a New York City Parks Department
pool complex. The new additions make bring the total number of landmarks in the
five boroughs to an impressive 1,212.
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Preparing Your Local Law 11 Report
Local Law 11 inspection is a requirement of the New York City Department of
Buildings that every owner of a building higher than six stories must retain an
architect or engineer to inspect their façades. Based on this inspection, a report must be filed documenting findings and making
recommendations of any required repairs in order to maintain a building’s exterior in a safe condition. As part of the investigation, the architect or
engineer must perform at least one scaffolding drop on a street façade, which may require the assistance of a contractor. This inspection and
report is required every five years; the next cycle (Cycle 7) starts in
February 2010.
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A Life in Exterior Maintenance
Wayne Bellet, of Manhattan-based exterior maintenance firm Bellet Construction, is getting a dose of his own medicine. At the time of this interview, it’s his own office that’s under construction, he explains over the racket of dueling hammers in the background. The commercial condo building that houses his company is currently experiencing gas line issues, and the repair efforts have made Bellet acutely aware of the inconvenience such work can impose on the tenants of the building, the majority of whom are medical professionals. Read More
Q&A: Seniors and Increased Maintenance
I live in a co-op in the Lower East of Manhattan. We have an entrenched board, which is under the control of our building manager. Over the past few years, our building has made some ‘improvements’ to the tiles, windows, lobby, etc. that have all been very costly. There are many seniors in the co-op, and we suspect that the board and our manager are planning large increases in maintenance fees. Being on fixed incomes, any large increases will probably end up in our eviction. Is there anything we can do to protect ourselves? Read More
Q&A: Absentee Owners Not Pulling Weight
We are in a small condo building of 3 units, hence we do not have (quite frankly, can’t afford) a management company, with the intention that the 3 owners share in building upkeep and responsibilities. One owner has since moved out and away and that unit is now rented. Hence the two on-site owners do it all—all the time. The absentee owner’s tenants don’t participate—I wouldn’t either in their shoes. Read More
Q&A: Purchasing Co-op Shares Under Holding Company
Our co-op has a prospective purchaser who refuses to buy the shares in his own name. He wants the shares to be purchased by a holding company or limited liability corporation (LLC) that was created specifically for that purpose. How can a board approve the sale of shares to a corporation? We thought the whole idea of co-ops was to keep apartments out of the hands of companies. Read More
