The key is to know the single-source company has inspection, review and design\/remediation capabilities in-house. <\/p>\n\n\n
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2. Study the fees and services.<\/strong> Fa\u00e7ade engineers and architects tend to lowball their initial fees. Later on in the Local Law 11 process, they team up with contractors, which adds time and cost. Sometimes the project scope keeps expanding with additional, unanticipated expenses that may surprise owners and break the budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As an example, I had a client\u2014a prominent real-estate developer and building owner\u2014who recently asked me to handle a fa\u00e7ade inspection in Brooklyn. BDB Construction\u2019s inspection cost was more than the quote from a fa\u00e7ade engineering firm, but I had already laid out a path for completing not only the QEWI tasks but also to show how to plan for needed upgrades and determine the entire project schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Avoid violations.<\/strong> To further avoid costs and frustrations, seasoned providers get ready for FISP examinations by city officials by proactively offering key information and access: from original construction dates to records of renovations and upgrades, all fa\u00e7ade documentation is on hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My firm will make the site ready for city officials to visit. The building perimeter is cleared, and any exterior fixtures or window air-conditioning units and the like are checked for stability and adherence to code. I myself guide property managers or superintendents through the inspection process with the city inspector, providing resources and answering questions as needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are filing fees that cost hundreds of dollars, even for simple amendments and for requesting extensions. However, the fees for violations are what really hurt: thousands of dollars for lateness or lack of filing, and delays in correcting unsafe conditions incur fines of thousands of dollars per month including up to $50 per linear foot of fa\u00e7ades.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally the fa\u00e7ade inspection will determine the fa\u00e7ades are safe. A second determination known as SWARMP\u2014safe with a repair and maintenance program\u2014means that critical repairs and renovations must be completed by the next deadline cycle or risk being classified as unsafe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Experience matters.<\/strong> Find an experienced partner who can work in challenging markets, like Midtown Manhattan, and has extensive training and knowledge of tools and techniques for such common fa\u00e7ade challenges as aging masonry, brickwork and historic terra-cotta panels, as well as the joint assemblies, sealants and grouts employed for proper functioning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My team’s recent works include the adaptation of the former New York Marriott East Side Hotel into student housing for a major national developer, the 150-unit Brooklyn Watchtower project, renovations of a Midtown Manhattan building for Baruch College and New York University, the lobby transformation of the Peter James Building, and a 53-unit building conversion into residences leased by Hunter College for student housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In New York City, the Fa\u00e7ade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP)\u2014also known as Local law 11\u2014requires buildings over 100 feet or 10 stories in height to be checked every five years, at which time remedial work needs to be performed.\u00a0There are cities, such as San Francisco, with similar laws. The following are my key tips<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":97287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[215],"tags":[50782,50779,50778,50780,50781],"ppma_author":[50777],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n