Twice a week whether it is on Tuesday and Thursday or Monday and Friday, in every neighborhood throughout the city, you can hear it. Usually before first light you are roused from a sound sleep by the rumbling, beeping and crushing sou…
Who wouldn’t want to be on the board of directors of their co-op or condo, watching over their most precious possession and probably their most significant investment—their home? Most people, actually. It’s a rare co-op or condom…
Most co-op and condo buildings in the city have a laundry room for residents to use that is more than just an amenity; it’s practically a necessity. Nearly all of these co-op/condo laundry rooms are maintained by laundry contractors who…
You may live in the most well-run and self-sufficient building in the city, but no building is an island, not even in developments from the sprawling Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village in Manhattan to Co-op City in the Bronx to the s…
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker, the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.” Certain…
Purchasing a co-op in New York City can be a real odyssey. Even with thousands of options on the market, securing a place that fits your lifestyle and budget can leave you with only a handful of viable choices. Factor in each building’s…
While essential to the successful operation of all cooperatives or condominiums, the contents of governing documents are often only glossed over by otherwise well-intentioned boards members and managing agents leading to potential pitf…
On July 1st, about 10,000 New York City buildings must start phasing out their use of high-polluting fuel oil. Under the city's “Clean Heat” mandate (a part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s Greener, Greater Buildings Plan New York initiat…
Whether indoors or out, few design elements are as dramatic and arresting as a waterfall or fountain. According to the blog The Bowery Boys, the very first decorative fountain in New York City was the City Hall fountain, unveiled on Oc…
The signs “Post No Bills,” “Active Driveway” and “Alternate Side Parking” are all fairly common and relatively self-explanatory in urban settings. Other equally common signs we see in suburban communities throughout the U.S. related to p…