Page 8 - CooperatorNews New York 2022

8 COOPERATORNEWS —
AUGUST 2022
COOPERATORNEWS.COM
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Façade Problems & SWARMP Certification
Crucial Steps for Boards
BY WAYNE BELLET
In an ideal world, every New York City a costly installation of the ubiquitous side-
building owner, manager, condominium walk shed, and then actual repairs made DOB charges monthly leasing rates that are tween six and 18 months, depending on the
association, and co-op board issued a Safe over a protracted period of time. All of this often three times higher than private com-
with a Repair and Maintenance Program could have been avoided by implementing panies!
(SWARMP) notice for exterior defects dur-
ing their previous Façade Inspection and giving five-year period to determine costs,
Safety Program (FISP)—also known as. assessments, and best procedures.
Local Law 11—cycle would repair those de-
fects within the five-year interval before the ahead actions that can help, as well as some
next required filing cycle.
But for dozens of reasons, many of those
in charge of building operations decisions
see a SWARMP certification as a five-year
pass, rather than a call to action. By the time spection, start vetting exterior consultants. types of brick and other façade materials to
the inspection cycle rolls around again, en-
vironmental elements, thermal expansion rated by industry associations and has a by the LPC. This agency has been known to
and contraction, predictable simple wear-
and-tear, and old age often exacerbate those maintenance, and preservation. A good repair programs if they do not meet land-
relatively minor façade issues, turning them rapport is important, too, since you will be mark standards.
hazardous.
Façade problems don’t go away—they You are the client, so it is critical for boards contractor to provide multiple samples
simply get worse, and more expensive to and associations to feel comfortable asking of façade materials, including pigmented
fix. So what could have been a series of rela-
tively inexpensive repairs made over time tract is equitable for all parties.
are now urgent, and require additional in-
spections from a licensed engineer who has
to carefully access the challenged façade(s)
on a suspended scaffold, accompanied by a
contractor and staff, all of whom are being
paid on an hourly basis. Their mission will
be to conduct a hands-on inspection and
take photos of the façade, spanning every
60 feet horizontally—think selfies against
brick backgrounds, inevitably followed by
repairs and maintenance within a very for-
The following are some six-month, plan-
possible processes.
Consult with an Experienced
Engineer/Architect
Six months before your next FISP in-
You want to select someone who is highly be used in the repair will need to be vetted
specific history with façade restoration, require actual do-overs of completed façade
working with them throughout the project.
tough questions and making sure the con-
Choose a Reputable Exterior Contractor
Once the engineer and/or architect is contractor to help guide these decisions and
retained for the façade inspection—and order all the needed materials in a timely
the inspection only—ask for references to fashion.
contractors. Before making a final selec-
tion, take the time to evaluate the contrac-
tor’s certificate of insurance listed on the sheds at buildings 100 feet tall and higher
ACCORD form and make sure they have to extend along the property line and 20
the appropriate insurance coverage. At the feet into adjacent properties, the buildings
same time, start getting cost estimates for neighboring yours are going to be impact-
the scaffold rigging and hourly rates. It is a ed. Sidewalk sheds are an inevitable part
highly competitive landscape.
Apply for Work Permits Early
Immediately after the inspection, reach loss of light and other impediments sheds
out to the exterior consultants and make can cause, especially for ground floor retail
sure they start the permit filing process tenants.
pronto! The Department of Buildings
(DOB) is a bureaucratic agency that is in-
undated with requests, as is the Landmarks tor’s team will need access to the neighbor-
Preservation Commission (LPC), if your ing roof to install protective measures on
building additionally holds that designa-
tion. The sooner the paperwork is in, the repairs on the contiguous walls. It is not
sooner the work may begin.
Unsafe? Get a Sidewalk Shed Up Fast!
In the event your exterior consultant has
identified unsafe conditions on your prop-
erty, obtain written proposals for the over-
head sidewalk shed protection through the
contractor—and make a decision quickly!
If the DOB deems you are not moving
fast enough, they will erect their own side-
walk sheds, which will add approximately done in temperatures below freezing, dur-
30% to your costs. And not only will you ing high winds, or under very wet condi-
be paying for installation and removal, the tions, you can count on repairs to take be-
Brick, Mortar Color, &
Caulking Matching
Once the scope of the work has been
determined, blueprints for the repairs pre-
pared, and permits filed, the next step is to
match the new bricks and other façade ma-
terials to the existing ones in order to main-
tain the aesthetic integrity of your building.
If your building has landmark status, the
At the very earliest stages, require your
mortar and caulking colors. Keep in mind
that texture is critical too, so lean on your
property manager, engineer, architect, and
Be a Good Neighbor!
Because the DOB requires sidewalk
of life in New York City, but nevertheless,
many neighbors do not take kindly to the
In addition, if the building next door is
lower in height than yours, your contrac-
the property before they can begin making
uncommon for the owners of neighboring
buildings to charge hefty fees for roof ac-
cess, and there are no rules limiting those
fees. In these circumstances, the sooner
your neighbor is apprised of the impending
work, the more time for equitable negotia-
tions.
Green Light!
Since exterior repair work cannot be
size of the building and nature of the repairs.
Once completed, make sure your engineer
contacts the DOB immediately to schedule
the final inspection, which itself can take
four to six months. When you have received
a green light for final inspection, and the
work has been certified by a qualified en-
gineer or architect, you can start making
arrangements with the sidewalk shed com-
pany for removal of the shed—which may
also take a few weeks or months, depending
on their schedules and availability.
At this juncture, your building should
be deemed ‘safe’—but be prepared for the
cycle to begin again in five years. Next time,
if by some unfortunate chance you again
receive a SWARMP notice, don’t wait for
the inevitable. Rather, set up a long-term
repair program, scheduling interim façade
repairs incrementally. Doing so may save
your community a considerable amount of
money, as well as a lot of unnecessary aggra-
vation. The fact is: you can’t ‘re-SWARMP!’
But the folks in charge of your building still
have the opportunity to make better choices
to alleviate existing façade problems and,
hopefully, mitigate the costs of repairing
them.
n
Wayne Bellet is president of Bellet Construc-
tion, a firm based in New York City since 1918
specializing in exterior construction, including
roofing, waterproofing, concrete repair, and
façade restoration.