2016 November
Focus on... Building Maintenance

Hector and Hedy Johnson bought a new condominium in Queens in 1995 and lived there for 19 years. In 2014 they sold the apartment to Leonard and Lena Smith. A year later, the condominium association’s board of directors voted to replace the …

There are a lot of moving parts that contribute toward the functionality of a residential complex, whether said property is a condominium, cooperative, or a homeowner’s association. And these parts vary in complexity, to the extent that no …

Plumbing. It’s one of those things for which we all should be grateful, but about which we rarely ever give a thought – at least not until we see water seeping out from under the bathroom door. Fortunately, if and when things go wrong, ther…

Whether interior or exterior, well-built, properly-maintained woodwork can last for centuries but if wood-boring pests like beetles, termites, and carpenter ants find their way into the wood, they can wreak all kinds of havoc. Wood-destroyi…

Whether you live in a suburb or in the heart of the city, life is expensive. Sometimes it can feel as though everybody from the barista at your favorite coffee shop to the kid who bags your groceries is trying to nickel-and-dime you half to…

In New York, they are called superintendents. In Florida, they are called maintenance supervisors. Other places call them supers or building engineers. No matter which title they answer to, these are the employees who are responsible for th…

Since before recorded history, people have celebrated events, often decorating homes and public spaces to mark this or that special day or event. We still love to adorn our doors, windows, and other areas with festive décor at different tim…

Alyssa and her fiancé are on the hunt for a condo in Brooklyn. They came into the process with their wish list (in-unit washer and dryer, hardwood floors, lots of light) and their must-have list (two bedrooms, one bath and something more th…

Approximately one year ago in response to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at five buildings in the Bronx, New York City passed the most comprehensive and toughest law in the country for the monitoring of cooling towers and their mandat…

In a metropolis of 8.5 million residents, it’s not surprising that it takes an awful lot of people in a lot of departments and organizations to keep New York City government running smoothly. Some of those people (the mayor, for instance) a…

With its plethora of major cultural and educational institutions like Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, General Grant National Memorial (a.k.a. Grant’s Tomb), Barnard College, Un…

Q. At our annual meeting, the membership voted to allow all children to swim any time during the week of a holiday and all summer. We are a 55-plus community. All the homeowners just received a notice that the board took in upon themselve…

Q. I live on first floor apartment in a co-op building. Next to the building is a bakery and the owner and his employees smoke all the time in front of my windows .The smoke is coming in my house (I have to paint one of the wall got dark …

Q. In the 23 years that I have been a resident shareholder, the building has used my terrace cumulatively for facade work for over five years. In addition to the severe strain on my health, well being and work, these scaffolding installat…