Category: Building Operations

 There are a few things that New Yorkers just take for granted as part of life in  Gotham: Traffic is one. Noise—whether from the street outside or the neighbors upstairs—is another.    And so are swarming, fluttering, cooing, pecki…

 While recent reports point to signs of economic recovery, many co-ops and condos  are still feeling the financial burden that has accumulated over the last few  years due to increased operating costs, residents in arrears, defaults, and n…

 Residential buildings are constantly under attack—not by barbarians or marauding bandits, but by a force far more subtle and  insidious. The most tenacious enemy of a residential building is not fire or  structural collapse—though a build…

 It’s true that a building is as only as strong as its foundation—and while New Yorkers don't have as much active concern about the foundations of  their buildings as residents of an earthquake-prone area like California might  have, it's …

 After the four walls of a given structure, the roof is sometimes referred to as  the “fifth plane”—and just like the walls that hold it up, the roof is an all-important structure  that can make or break a building’s performance. The tri-s…

 There are a number of consultants out there that are “pretending” that they can prepare the energy audit and energy efficiency reports required  by Local Law 87.    Local Law 87 of New York City's Greener, Greater Buildings Plan re…

 While residents may breathe a sigh of relief when winter and its piles of snow,  slushy puddles and blasts of arctic air finally exits the scene, co-op and  condo buildings can’t always shake off the ravages of the season so easily.   …

 Time was, if you said that a co-op or condo building was 'going to the dogs,' it  was a bad thing. These days however, that's not always the case. According to  the American Pet Products Association, 39 percent of all U.S. households own …

 It’s the same dilemma that single-family households across the U.S. are facing:  What bills need to be paid immediately and what bills can wait? And should we  stretch ourselves thin, taking more out of our bank accounts to pay for privat…

 With multifamily buildings, who is in charge of the property and how well those  people are trained are critically important factors in the successful operation  of the community. Board members are a part of this management class, which i…