Some lucky apartment owners can come home from work on a cold winter’s night and warm their feet by a roaring fire while drinking a hot toddy. A working fireplace is a coveted amenity for many, adding a dash of vintage charm to prewar apar…
Anytime you have hundreds, or even thousands of people living in close quarters – in a multifamily co-op or condo building, say – certain challenges will inevitably arise. One of the bigger ones is how to maintain the flow of fresh, hygieni…
No matter how well-constructed and carefully maintained, no mechanical system lasts forever – and that goes for elevator cabs and equipment just as much as it applies to roofs or boilers. At some point, your building’s vertical transportat…
Security is always a primary concern for homeowners. In a multifamily building without a doorman, the first line of defense is the front entrance – which more often than not features some sort of intercom system to enable visitors to announ…
Do you remember when you were a kid, and the closest thing you had to a cell phone was two cups with a string pulled taut between them, speaking into one cup to see if your friend holding the other could hear you? That long-ago game worked …
When you close your eyes and picture any building, you are quite likely imagining its facade – the outer shell which protects and contains all of the hustle and bustle that goes on within. In a residential property, the facade is what separ…
Home is where the heart is, sure – but it’s also where most of where any given owner or shareholder’s money is. For most people, their home represents their single biggest investment. And in a community association, both individual units an…
Whether it’s a balcony, terrace, patio or roof deck, outdoor space is many an apartment owner’s dream. Desirable – and valuable – as they are, these spaces do present specific maintenance considerations for individual owners, co-op corpora…
Cities are crowded. That’s a simple fact. In the best of circumstances, there’s noise, dirt, dust, and the usual urban pests. Add to that the construction of a new building next to or nearby yours, and annoyance can quickly become overwhelm…
A condo is only as strong as its metaphorical foundation – the people who live there, in other words – and their dedication to building a vibrant, functional community. But the literal, physical components that comprise the structure are v…