Whether it affects a small portion of one unit or the entire association, a fire is easily one of the most devastating and destructive events that can happen in any multifamily building. New technology and current regulations have made …
Jane Jacobs, the late, legendary urban planner whose grassroots activism prevented Robert Moses from turning Battery Park into a series of bridges, highways, and on-ramps, wrote at great length of the importance of well-used sidewalks …
New York City has long been defined by the wide array of ingredients and seasonings thrown into its cultural pot. Though the flavor of the Big Apple has changed and evolved constantly over the years, at the city’s center are the deep-ro…
From paying $15 to travel 10 gridlocked blocks in a taxi to shelling out about $10 for a kosher deli sandwich, New Yorkers are used to paying through the nose for the privilege of living in their beloved city. But the dollars really add …
Taking the plunge and renovating an existing multi-family building to be more energy-efficient is an important and exciting endeavor. The long-term financial payback from increased energy efficiency in a building is well documented. Th…
When you live in a Manhattan co-op or condo, one of the things that you need to be aware of is what sort of building systems exist on the property, and more importantly, which of these you are accountable for. When it comes to most bui…
No matter how conscientious your residents, no matter how dedicated your super and support staff, it’s inevitable: your building’s common areas are going to take a beating. Foot traffic can damage flooring, and everything from luggage to pe…
Building a successful enterprise from the ground up involves the talent and commitment of dozens—if not hundreds—of people. It’s no different with a co-op or a condo, especially in the earliest days of its existence when it makes that t…
The co-op we owned in Astoria was a huge brick prewar building. Three of its sides were either attached to other buildings or else sealed off by high barbed-wire fencing. The only way into the building was the front door, and that meant …
Whether a building is old or new, built of stone, brick, glass or some other material, trouble with or damage to its façade is a serious emergency. Telltale signs of building breakdown on the outside—a growing crack or crumbling mortar f…