IDing Leak Source


In our 5-story apartment building, we are suddenly experiencing water problems at several different places on a common wall. In three different spots it’s manifested as paint blistering out from the wall; in two places a moderate amount of water has dripped down from the ceiling. We also see drip stains on 2 floors of a perpendicular interior wall that may or may not be related. After checking our roof and the neighbor’s roof (which sits below ours), there are no obvious problems, though some of our sealant has flaked off and an exterior wall that gets pounded during rains has some small patches of exposed brick. it could be pipes, but that would mean two completely unrelated systems are leaking (the only similarity is age!). One thing that seems unusual is the amount of condensate we get on our cold-water pipes: this leaves puddles in the basement but our plumber has told us it’s normal.

I am stuck on what we do now: bring in a roofer, a contractor, or a plumber to help us ID the problem / next steps? Any advice would be much welcome!

Categories: Waterproofing
By eliz | 06/01/2011 10:45 AM | Comment

How to Clear a Sidewalk Lien?


Hi, our coop is refinancing and the title search discovered a sidewalk lien from 8/05. I never received the original notice, and can’t get much clarification from the nyc.gov DOT site, except that if you don’t fix the defect within 45 days of notice then DOT can send their own folks out and bill you. that apparently didn’t happen, as the lien is still sitting there. Any one have any idea how i can access the original notice that describes the defect etc.? and, how to deal with resurrecting this and then closing it?

thanks in advance!

Categories: Sidewalks
By eliz | 06/12/2009 9:47 AM | Comment

ISO accountant recommendation


Hi, we are considering changing CPAs for our coop’s annual audit and financial statements (looking for more attentive service and/or better fees). Anyone have a recommendation? thanks in advance!

Categories: Taxes
By eliz | 05/19/2009 1:59 PM | Comment

metal door repair / replace advice?


Hi Brownstoners,

We have a small coop building with an interior lobby door that does not close and lock on its own. After years of encouraging residents to pull the door shut (to no avail), we think it’s time to repair or replace the door to make it self-closing. Any advice? I’d appreciate any referrals for handymen/door vendors.

Also, I know most folks on this forum are single-family owners — does anyone know of a similar group for coops or multi-families?

Thanks!
eliz

Categories: Doors
By eliz | 09/18/2007 1:03 PM | Comment