Walls are the only separation between you and your neighbors when you live in a densely-populated area like Manhattan, and sometimes, it feels like privacy goes out the window. People hear their next-door neighbors talking, footsteps f…
People living along the Gulf Coast have long accepted hurricanes as a fact of life—one that brings with it torrential rain, howling winds, and devastating hailstorms. The Mid-Atlantic has been hit with a few big storms over the past tw…
Management of any property requires a varying degree of resources and skills. Materials, capital, and personnel are required for everything from ordering supplies to the complete overseeing of a multi-unit, high rise co-op or condomini…
For some, stairwells are the dark little secret places between floors, where the kids go to drink beer at night, or where others go to do who knows what. While residents of most buildings will have few reasons to use their building’s in…
Mention “problem residents” in the context of a co-op or condo building, and chances are most people will think about the noisy kids upstairs, the perpetually grumpy /litigious guy on the third floor, or the lady down the hall with 12 c…
Call it the Ikea-fication of America. It seems that more and more people are getting interested in design, especially when it comes to their own home. In decades past, household furniture and decorations didn't vary a whole lot. Growin…
It many circles it’s considered socially or politically correct to “go green” when embarking on new construction projects or updating an existing property. Cost-saving initiatives include solar roofs, energy-efficient lighting and appli…
The earliest windows were literally holes in walls—maybe covered by animal skins, if the owner was ambitious, or the weather was chilly—and were useful only for allowing a little air and light into the living space. Eventually,…
Not everybody on a co-op or condo's board is an accountant (or can even balance their own checkbook, for that matter.) No doubt, handling large amounts of money for an entire building is a huge responsibility. Residents, therefore, rely…