Renovation Advice
I have a coop apartment in an 8 unit building in Park Slope, and i’d like to relocate the existing kitchen to a different larger room in our apartment, in a manner similiar to almost all the other units in the building. Already have coop approval. Furthermore, i’d like to create a 2nd spacious “master”…
I have a coop apartment in an 8 unit building in Park Slope, and i’d like to relocate the existing kitchen to a different larger room in our apartment, in a manner similiar to almost all the other units in the building. Already have coop approval. Furthermore, i’d like to create a 2nd spacious “master” bath out of the old kitchen space, since it has some plumbing hookups already. Can anyone recommend a good, reasonably priced plumber? I did get one estimate already from a plumber who seemed very uncreative in terms of solutions and said it would be about $17,000 and in addition we’d have to hire an architect to pull permits for us (read: another $2-3k). This leads me to my second point, ignorance on whether we in fact do need a permit. As much as we’d like to get it done as quickly and cheaply as possible, if we need permits, I need to figure out what kind -building permits (we’re not moving walls, just moving pipes) or plumbing permits? Whenever we sell, the last thing i want is some buyer’s attorney asking me for permits that i don’t have. Lastly, generally speaking, should the plumber be expected to pull/organize any necessary permits associated with his work, or will i need to hire an architect/engineer to do all this like i was told??
Thank you in advance for any advice!
Regards,
Plumbing Novice
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To plumbing novice – I agree with your lawyer: you don’t have to worry in your case. Typically, a buyer will not go asking about filed plans (never heard of that happening). Also, the only time I heard of the bank caring is when the # of units in the C-of-O doesn’t match the actual number, and even in that case, a good mortgage broker can find a bank that will ignore the issue.
Pulling the permit might not be your biggest problem – if I were you you, I would talk to an architect to figure out what else you be impacting. Even though you’re ‘only’ moving pipes, it will probably affect your cabinetry, finishes, etc…If $17k is only for the plumbing, an architect can help you budget what the rest of this will cost…
Yes, you most definitely need permits for what you want to do. And to get the permits you will need drawings from an architect or interior designer. From what you’ve explained, you’ll need to do some plumbing, electric, cabinets & appliances (whether new or reusing existing), maybe flooring & walls, cap off plumbing in existing kitchen and do repair work there on walls & floors. Get an architect and a GC.
if you move/install a waste line, you have to have a permit.
Are you going to be your own G.C.? It sounds like you are about to start a major construction project. Waste lines, gas lines, water supply lines, new electric, venting….hire an architect. Start baking those cookies for your downstairs neighbor!
We added two bathrooms to the lower duplex of a brownstone, requiring running all new plumbing up from the basement. The cost of the plumbing work was $15K alone. Although we were able to trim lots of other project costs in lots of ways, we could not for the life of us find a plumber who would do the plumbing for less than the $15K we ultimately paid. Your project sounds quite different from ours, but the moral of the story is that running new plumbing can be very expensive.
Regarding permits, I would guess that the issue is not so much what you want but rather what the coop board will allow. Though I have never lived in a coop, I cannot imagine that the board will allow you to do a fairly large and obvious renovation, including extensive plumbing, without having permits. In some situations you can roll the dice and do things on the QT, but I doubt that is possible with a coop board in the picture.