Q. My co-op recently approved my alteration agreement but is requiring an independent plumber to oversee the work of my contractor’s licensed (and bonded) plumber, and at my expense. My contractor has told me that this is quite unusual an…
Q. I live in a condominium that consists of seven individual buildings, all three- to four-family, that is co-joined by another condominium on the same block. We are sharing a private sewer line with one connection out to the city sewer; …
Indoor plumbing is a minor miracle: clean water on demand, at the temperature one chooses, right out of the tap. What would have been the height of luxury just a couple of generations ago is now considered a bare necessity. Miraculous as it…
As cities and states begin the measured process of reopening and (hopefully) restarting their economies after the initial shock of the coronavirus pandemic, the boards and managers of multifamily buildings are doing the same -- and running …
Most of us don't think much about the pipes that deliver water to our homes (and carry waste far away from them), but your building's plumbing health is a crucial part of basic maintenance.
Plumbing. It’s one of those things for which we all should be grateful, but about which we rarely ever give a thought – at least not until we see water seeping out from under the bathroom door. Fortunately, if and when things go wrong, ther…
While Flint, Michigan may have been the highest profile case of water being contaminated with lead in recent years, lead is an issue that water systems across the country have to navigate and monitor closely. Earlier in the year, there wer…
From the outside, the structure of a condo or co-op building may appear to be monolithic; just one big piece of brick and steel, punctuated with some glass here and there. That's an oversimplification, however. A multifamily building is pe…
Cleaner skies, healthier lives and a shinier Big Apple are some of what the much-talked-about changeover from No. 6 and No. 4 fuel oil is intended to accomplish. Under New York City's “Clean Heat” mandate (part of former Mayor Michae…
While they may seem like archaic pieces of urban art—if they’re noticed at all—rooftop water tanks serve a vital function to countless high-rise buildings in New York City. Whether made of wood or steel, the care and maintenance of these a…