perhaps you have the subway running under the building? That's the way with my house, you feel the shaking and can sometimes hear the wheels bumping over stuff.

If you haven't notice any large gaps from wall/ceilings then you should be fine. Another way to do it is get an engineer report to confirm if seomthing wrong with the foundation.

Posted by: cinnybuns at February 12, 2009 1:45 PM in response to My co-op building is shaking

It's common, you have to account for reprinting/binding fees etc. Depending on the thickness of the Offering plan they can go up to as high at $175 for buildings in manhattan.

Posted by: cinnybuns at February 12, 2009 9:30 AM in response to Having to "Buy" Offering Plan

Not sure about #1, but the answer to #2 would be anything to do with the exterior: i.e. New windows (needs landmark approval) through wall AC, Exhusts etc are usually not permitted unless it is grandfathered in and/or if it's exhausted through the back of the building that is not easily visable to the eye. It just requires more filing/approval from the city in addtion to your Board.

Posted by: cinnybuns at February 2, 2009 1:16 PM in response to Landmark Status

If the budget is too high how about gift cards to Starbucks or something? It's also good to take into consideration if some of the doorstaff has previously assisted you more so than others? I had a Unit Owner who sublets her apt. and she gave a minimum of $25 for the newer staff and more for those who have been at the building longer. I'm sure that she also accounted for the renters to tip as well.

Posted by: cinnybuns at December 24, 2008 9:33 AM in response to Tipping in rental buildings

Have you confirmed with the DOB website if you have a TCO? There is always the chance if you do report it to the dob they will place a stop work order on the building and evict everyone out until the sponsors can produce a TCO.

Posted by: cinnybuns at October 2, 2008 3:30 PM in response to Tenant in building with no C of O

Agree with Troll,

It's not a concidence, at times some things are out of the coop's control such as the aformentioned price of fuel.

Also it would have been diligent of your RE lawyer to ask this question after reading the minuets etc.

Posted by: cinnybuns at September 29, 2008 4:44 PM in response to Common Charges Increase on Coop

Speak to the other Unit Owners, as a collective you should request to hold an annual meeting, within the meeting you can nominate a Board of Managers consisting of President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary, and I'm sure the Sponsor will hold a seat. From there you can conduct business.

Posted by: cinnybuns at September 25, 2008 5:30 PM in response to Any advice on Setting up a new condo homeowners association?

Do you have a managing agent? either way look into a J51 Abatement Lawyer they are able to provide you with all the info you must comply with esp. if there are open HPD violations and/or DOB violations which always seem to delay things.

Posted by: cinnybuns at September 7, 2008 2:04 PM in response to J-51 Tax Abatement Nightmare

Yeah our Hot Water heater is about 4 yrs old, I'm just concerned with the whole rumbling noise, I don't want it to jeopardize any of the internal piping etc, I can hear it from the back yard and the front porch.

Posted by: cinnybuns at September 7, 2008 1:06 PM in response to Hot Water Heater Issues

You could be hit with DOT fines, etc. also you have to be careful about hitting underground electrial, gas/steam pipes, and also it has to comply with Handicap rules/regulations if applicable.

If you are just filling in a small hole by slapping on some concret it's not such a big deal to avoid a trip hazard, but if you are replacing a larger section try calling 311 they will send someone out to determin the condition and many of times they fix the problem on their penny, tho there may be a wait.

Posted by: cinnybuns at September 4, 2008 1:50 PM in response to what's the worst that can happen?

Bootsey78, if you're too young to know much about landmarking, you're surely too young to *know* the hard work of your neighbors, or what efforts have sustained and increased the value of the community you've moved to. You're probably also too young to recognize the contempt you hold for many of your new neighbors, or the various ways you communicate it. Landmarking was made for people like you, and more power to it.

Posted by: vinca at February 3, 2009 12:00 PM in response to Landmark Status

Hello vinca,

"Landmarking was made for people like you" Exactly who are people like me? I'd be interested in knowing what I am from you since the only thing you know about be comes from two posts on this site. Please do enlighten me.

I am NOT (nor did I say I was) new to Bed-Stuy. What I said was that I am a new homeowner. So yes I have known most of my neighbors for nearly all of my life. I also know that many of the brownstones that have recently sold have had to be nearly gutted due to the poor condition. So if a resident can't afford the price of basic upkeep then how can they be expected to front $3000 to pay an architect for drawings before they are even allowed to do maintenance? I'd be willing to bet that most people that go around the LPC do so because of exorbitant costs and not to break the law. (My theory alone of course).

Is gentrification a bad word to you? Many American communities have been created by by gentrification and its opposite. What's the big deal about calling it what it is? Gentrification has many benefits (I am a strong proponent of cultural and economic diversity as opposed to segregated communities) yet it also has a downside.
Yes I do believe that the reason for the increased property value was a result of gentrification. The area has been landmarked for decades yet home values didn't explode in this area until recently.

FYI...most of the younger (ie. 35 and under) residents do not have "contempt" for the "new" neighbors. But try asking one of the older Bed-Stuy residents on their thoughts of the "new" neighbors and THERE you will find the contempt!
It's ironic that your contempt comment came out in a discussion about landmarking neighborhoods(aka forced homogeny). Do you really think that many of the older residents who support landmarking homes really draw the line at making only the homes look the same, and not the homeowners as well? (Rhetorical question of course) Maybe we should be careful at how we look at "neighborhood pride" and I for one don't feel that it has to come from keeping everything (buildings, residents, etc.) the same.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion (I think!)

Thanks!

Posted by: bootsey78 at February 3, 2009 3:53 PM in response to Landmark Status

B78: Yesterday you wrote that you didn't know your neighborhood was landmarked. Today you've got a full-blown story of having spent most your life there, and a full-blown theory about what constitutes neighborhood pride, how landmarking turns neighborhoods homogenous, and why good people avoid bad permits. Do yourself a favor: print out a copy of your posts and store them away for 10 years. Hopefully, you'll gain enough wisdom to enjoy a laugh and feel some humility at your scattershot foolishness.

Posted by: vinca at February 3, 2009 5:53 PM in response to Landmark Status

Hello Vinca: in response to your presumtuous and erroneous foolishness here is the exact quote from me:

"Thanks for the referral brooklyn_chicken. Acutally the house has been mine for all of 3 months and the area has been landmarked for longer than I've been alive. So it wasn't a matter of skirting landmarks, it was a matter of not being informed."

I never said I didn't know the area was landmarked! What I WASN'T informed about was the restrictions that landmarking placed on your home and I definitely didn't know that I couldn't do something as (in my opinion) "minor" as replacing windows! So THAT is what I wasn't informed of! I also didn't know how much architects made for drawing some pictures and after I found this out due to my circumstances YES that certainly does make it clearer as to why folks either don't get permits or don't bother getting the work done...

Hope you still have enough time left to gain the wisdom to completely read through someone's posts and think before judging them and jumping to conclusions ;)

Posted by: bootsey78 at February 3, 2009 6:46 PM in response to Landmark Status

Thanks, Susan.

Posted by: mopar at February 3, 2009 10:44 PM in response to Landmark Status

You're welcome, mopar.

Posted by: Susan Elkins at February 4, 2009 11:45 AM in response to Landmark Status

mopar, fyi, Citibank also has a Community Works type of program but there are income restrictions that HSBC does not have.

Posted by: Susan Elkins at February 4, 2009 11:47 AM in response to Landmark Status

Landmarking can in fact be a pain in the ass because of the hoops that the homeowner has to go through to do things; however, it has been proven pretty conclusively, that over time, landmarked neighborhoods appreciate at a faster rate than non-landmarked neighborhoods. There are exception: BedStuy being one of them: landmarking plus relative poverty helped to preserve housing stock (at least on the outside!). Now that genrification, etc. is bringing up the value of the neighborhood, you'll reap the benefits. Let me ask you: why did you buy a Brownstone in the neighborhood? Was it because it was in your old neighborhood (if I understood your post correctly), or because it was a brownstone? Would you have bought one of the Fedders crap buildings? Or a brownstone on a street where there were numerous Fedder's crap building? On a side note, I've always found it interesting that relative wealth AND relative poverty can both add as preservatives to "character" in housing.

Posted by: Minmin at February 5, 2009 8:15 AM in response to Landmark Status

you can get a free copy of the offerring plan. call the attorney generals office and ask which record room has it.
Go there bring lots of change and start photocopying.

if not just read the offerring plan there like you are at the library.

Hope this helps.

Posted by: Ysabelle at February 12, 2009 9:41 AM in response to Having to "Buy" Offering Plan

Dont Offering Plans get filed on Acris as well?

Posted by: newsouthsloper at February 12, 2009 10:05 AM in response to Having to "Buy" Offering Plan