Page 12 - CooperatorNews March 2022

12 COOPERATORNEWS —
MARCH 2022
COOPERATORNEWS.COM
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walls. Little bits of plaster or joint compound and as quickly as possible.”
that cover nails can pop, and the result is an
indentation on the wall. They have to be re-
paired and repainted. Residents must also things. “Pre-COVID,” he continues, “it was
take all items off the interior walls that could fairly easy to arrange interior access and get
get knocked off due to vibrations and bang-
ing and may be damaged. The most impor-
tant thing to do is to communicate to resi-
dents what to expect—full disclosure.” He unit where the job is underway, the rest of
adds that major construction projects are the job has to be delayed until negative tests
by their nature disruptive, and while dam-
age or breakage is never intentional, it’s in-
evitable—but proper notice and preparation have to quarantine and that would also delay
ahead of time can reduce the risk.
Windows
Another major undertaking in any com-
munity, large or small, high-rise or town-
house, is the replacement of windows.
Window replacement is almost always a
community-wide
project; both for
reasons of economy
of scale in purchas-
ing and labor, and
to maintain a uni-
form look through-
out a property, it’s
very rarely done on
a single unit basis.
The first ques-
tion is whether win-
dow
replacement
should be consid-
ered an exterior
or interior job. In
many ways it’s both,
even though most
people think of it
as exterior work, since windows protect us and wind.” Alimonti recalls an instance
from the elements outside our homes.
Alimonti differs. “Window replacement is walls with tarp while waiting on the delivery
really an interior job, because it requires in-
terior access,” she says. “Removal of old win-
dows, prep for the new ones, and reinstalla-
tion are all done from inside—so it’s crucial and a lawsuit.
to coordinate with tenants. Have them re-
move everything from at least six feet from
the windows so contractors can do work stresses the importance of working with
without damaging anything. The nightmare competent, reliable, experienced contractors
scenario is when a resident doesn’t do that, as a major factor in successful exterior main-
and then accuses the contractor of damage. tenance projects. “First of all, the contractor
In some apartments there can be a problem must have a good crew. No swearing, yelling,
if the walls adjacent to or under the windows screaming, music playing. That’s simply not
are mirrored, or covered with marble, be-
cause those surfaces are prone to damage. trol that noise, because the noise from saws,
Another item to consider is radiator cabi-
nets, which should be removed before win-
dow replacement, and may require alteration 7:00 a.m. to prep for the day, but wait to start
after. The best policy is to do a thorough sur-
vey before beginning the project.”
Mackey concurs. “Interior access is noise from small tools is to be expected and
needed to remove and reinstall windows must be accepted, but from large tools like
and doors, etc.,” he says. “The contractor jack hammers, no. Those can also cause ac-
will have to reinsulate and seal casings. The tual damage. In New York, controlling dust
process can cause interior damage. Just to is mandated by the Department of Buildings
get the old window out, you need access to (DOB), but it’s impossible to eliminate it
the interior of the units. Anything near the completely. Handheld tools must have vac-
windows must be removed. The installers
also must have a work area. Furniture of any
kind, curtains, shades, etc. must be out of the
way so that the installers can work effectively
And like pretty much everything else,
Mackey says the pandemic has complicated
work done quickly. Now, not so much. Frank-
ly, it’s dramatically more difficult. Everyone
has to mask up. If anyone tests positive in the
are obtained from everyone exposed.” And
if a worker tests positive, “contractors would
the entire project.” That’s where management
plays a critical role. “Managers must contact
the owners and act as the traffic cop to keep
things moving smoothly,” says Mackey.
Water, Water, Everywhere
Water and weather pose an additional
threat
to
interior
spaces during exteri-
or maintenance proj-
ects. “Water leakage is
a problem when work
is ongoing and bricks
or other exterior ma-
terials are missing,”
says Alimonti. “At
the end of each day’s
work, the workmen
should cover every
exterior wall with
removed bricks or
other open spaces
with plastic tarp [to]
prevent infiltration by
water. This also helps
block cold weather
when work crews didn’t protect the exterior
of some terracotta replacement tiles, and the
building’s interior pipes froze and burst on
a very cold night, causing terrible leakage—
Noise
Along with communication, Mackey also
acceptable; these are people’s homes. Con-
etc., can’t be controlled. Crews can also start
noisy work a little later. They can arrive at
using noisy machinery until 8:00 a.m.”
Alimonti adds that “for exterior work,
EXTERIOR...
continued from page 1
“We feel it is always
best to try to amicably
work out the issue
before terminating a
contractor and believe
that many issues
can be resolved with
communication.”
—Mark Hakim