DIY - Local Law 126 Parapet Inspections

o.k. – so maybe “DI with a handyman”, rather than DIY. I’m wondering if anyone out there is using a handyman or super to do their Local Law 126 Parapet inspection. (And if so, can I throw them a few bucks to do mine?)

Looking at the statutory requirements, this seems like the kind of thing that you don’t need to be a structural engineer, or even a mason, to accomplish… Check for plumb, cracks, mortar condition.

Context: I have a tiny roof (40’x25′), on a new (10 year-old) building. $500-1000 a year is is a significant cost for me. Especially for a visual inspection I could probably do myself, which doesn’t need to be filed with DOB.

meeotch

in Dept. of Buildings (DOB) 6 months ago

7

Please log in, in order to post replies!

7 replies

Newest Oldest

meeotch | 5 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5109 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4930 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "181973"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(7) "meeotch"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$B54urkODkPpFJUQnKhtswnESmvI07d0"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(7) "meeotch"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(21) "mitch@houseofpain.org"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2014-05-01 23:35:21"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(7) "meeotch"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(181973)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

@mind1218 – I can’t make a recommend yet, as I haven’t had it done. It was pretty easy to google up places doing it for around $500, though.

In the end I hired Steve (poster below), because I wanted not just the report, but to learn to do it myself – at least some years when there are no changes, to keep the cost down. I’ll post here again after he comes out.

mind1218 | 5 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5108 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4933 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "213254"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(8) "mind1218"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BMV8HtwaIrIYH/vCKgJc1SeLIxrdFS."
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(8) "mind1218"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(22) "michaelhyu18@gmail.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2024-09-04 16:50:47"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(8) "mind1218"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(213254)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Does anyone have recommendations of companies to do this inspection? See in this thread some discussion of what “qualifies” someone to do the inspection, but wasn’t sure what some owners are doing.

Brownstone Home Inspection | 5 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#4930 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#4936 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "191038"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(26) "Brownstone Home Inspection"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BJ3VGOQehURWl5p/rAASFRl7Lr.R4X/"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(26) "brownstone-home-inspection"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(29) "stevehomeinspection@yahoo.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2021-01-20 15:12:39"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(26) "brownstone home inspection"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(191038)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["participant"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [1]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["participant"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

i have been thinking about something here (with respect to who the city wants doing this). i am thinking they may really want a “hired” person to perform these inspections because if that person fails to report something that should have been reported, they have a third party to go after or in the case of someone getting injured, the injured party might have someone to sue (along with the homeowner).

it gets very different for those of us who own businesses and sometimes the understanding that we can be sued if something were to go wrong or knowing that our insurance companies might not approve of something is often far stronger than the laws themselves, especially in a city like this were most of the laws on the books go unenforced anyway (or unenforced until a crane collapses or a fire breaks out and kills people; this city is reactive, not proactive).

BobMarvin | 6 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5109 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#5111 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(3) "802"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(9) "BobMarvin"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(63) "$wp$2y$10$vXcETAGfbklfbxLqBuZOwe9SvZukjLn11bfJ4K5tk7sYEGuWi6OGW"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(9) "bobmarvin"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(17) "marvbej@gmail.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(31) "http:///forums/users/bobmarvin/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2006-09-08 23:16:42"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(10) "Bob Marvin"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(802)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

That Curbed article by Kim Velsey is the best thing I’ve read so far. An architect on the Lefferts Manor Association board has written a very comprehensive article for our newsletter. I’ll post a link after it’s published and put up online. There was something on the Brooklyn Heights Association email newsletter, but it wasn’t very detailed.

meeotch | 6 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5110 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#5112 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "181973"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(7) "meeotch"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$B54urkODkPpFJUQnKhtswnESmvI07d0"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(7) "meeotch"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(21) "mitch@houseofpain.org"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2014-05-01 23:35:21"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(7) "meeotch"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(181973)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(1) {
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Thanks for the replies. I definitely have a parapet (it’s not a brownstone). But your post made me take a second look at the statute. It specifies “superintendent” and “handyman”, but then at the end of that paragraph:

” any other individual capable of identifying hazards on the parapet”

Which seems broad enough to include a building owner who’d been coached about what to look for.

The Curbed article seems to confirm that there’s no penalty for not doing the inspections, in and of themselves – and that it might only become an issue if there’s an incident. Which makes sense… If a chunk of your building falls off and crushes someone, you’re going to want to show that you were maintaining it properly in any case.

BobMarvin | 6 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5108 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#5113 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(3) "802"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(9) "BobMarvin"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(63) "$wp$2y$10$vXcETAGfbklfbxLqBuZOwe9SvZukjLn11bfJ4K5tk7sYEGuWi6OGW"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(9) "bobmarvin"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(17) "marvbej@gmail.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(31) "http:///forums/users/bobmarvin/"
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2006-09-08 23:16:42"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(10) "Bob Marvin"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(802)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

My comments were mainly to the effect that many, perhaps most, brownstones don’t actually have parapets and that there don’t seem to be civil penalties for not doing inspections/observations.

Brownstone Home Inspection | 6 months ago

string(1) "1"
object(WP_User)#5112 (8) {
  ["data"]=>
  object(stdClass)#5109 (12) {
    ["ID"]=>
    string(6) "191038"
    ["user_login"]=>
    string(26) "Brownstone Home Inspection"
    ["user_pass"]=>
    string(34) "$P$BJ3VGOQehURWl5p/rAASFRl7Lr.R4X/"
    ["user_nicename"]=>
    string(26) "brownstone-home-inspection"
    ["user_email"]=>
    string(29) "stevehomeinspection@yahoo.com"
    ["user_url"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_registered"]=>
    string(19) "2021-01-20 15:12:39"
    ["user_activation_key"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["user_status"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(26) "brownstone home inspection"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(191038)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["participant"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(1) {
    [1]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["participant"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Bob Marvin has written several posts on this subject over the past two months, see if you can locate them.

you can do this yourself, if you even have a parapet. they want a record kept by the owner that it was looked at. they do put it on the contractor though to report an issue (which is really why i might not want to do these), so maybe you can’t do it yourself.

i do roof inspections and i do the parapet walls as i do the roof inspection (if needed). every time i do a roof inspection, even on newer roofs (i did a five year old roof last week that was a disaster), i find some maintenance item that must be attended to before it becomes something else. i charge $600 for the parapet and roof inspection on a standard size brownstone – which is less than what others are charging for just the parapet.

i coach homeowners on how to maintain their own roofs.

Steve
brownstonehomeinspection.com