Swapping Rental Unit From Top To Basement Floor
Here’s an open ended question for Brownstone owners who may have swapped a top level rental unit into their LEGAL (in terms of: height, egress, ventilation, window area, etc) basement:
What roadblocks does the city throw up when this type of renovation (re-configuration) is under way? And just how tough is it to obtain a NEW CofO for a property which has no CofO? And what is the approximate DOB costs associated witgh the swap?
Plus, if anyone can chime-in about the “proper strategic” way (as far as the DOB is concerned) to do the conversion– That would be helpful.
We have a 3 level, 2 unit brownstone in Bay Ridge without a CofO, which has been surveyed to include a LEGAL Basement. Currently the property has TWO gas meters and TWO electric meters, and the building is configured for TWO apartments with a common basement area.
We had hoped to do the conversion in 6 months or less– But several architects have told me– more likely a year.
jjq
in Garden 12 years and 3 months ago
6
Please log in, in order to post replies!
6 replies
jjq | 12 years and 3 months ago
Well Im certain the DOB needs to OK the work piecemeal, as we undertake each part of the renovation– But I was/am uncertain as to what they will need to issue a new CofO. As we are moving all mechanicals to upper floors (on-demand water heating, central air) we free up the area in the basement that needed a firewall. So I dont think fireproofing is an issue. We will also remove the steps from Floor one to Basement. We reclaim aprox 300 sq/ft of our 1,100 sq/ft basement creating a full floor rental.
slopegirl | 12 years and 3 months ago
Jim Hill is obviously the expert here but don’t you need to fireproof between units? I would think that’s at least one reason you’d need the city to ok the new work.
dazednconfused2 | 12 years and 3 months ago
If you are changing the configuration of units from single floor over duplex to duplex over single floor, you will need to get a new C of O. It stays the same use group so you shouldn’t have to do sprinklers. The good thing is that once you’ve done the work you’ve described, assuming you’re filing and doing it all to code, you’ll already be 95% of the way to the new C of O. The only additional work will be the architect providing exterior elevations and a basic building section, to demonstrate that the whole building meets code. After that, the C of O is just a matter of a couple more pieces of paperwork by the expediter. Again, keep in mind that a new C of O is mandatory for signoff on this kind of reconfiguration, so assume from the start that it’s just part of the job. On a job like this, it should be very easy to get the C of O if all of the work is done properly.
jjq | 12 years and 3 months ago
Well my thought is that when Con Ed comes in to hook the existing meter up to the sub-panel which feeds the new basement unit (and disconnect the meter from the top rental floor subpanel), they will need to see the CofO which confirms the basement rental as legal and conforming to code. Although I agree, do the basement renovation in SMALL, permittable chunks– It just seems plausible that somewhere along the line we will have to have the CofO updated to show the new configuration of the building.
jeanmarine2 | 12 years and 3 months ago
PS – we did cover a staircase to our ground floor, and put a door on the bottom, so it’s a partition now between floors 1 and 2 – that isn’t something that needs permitting either but is key to our renting out the ground floor instead of the top floor, all legally. (and we’re using our legal 3-family as a 2-family, which by the way poses problems with appraisals and getting financing – but made no sense to us to change our CofO from legal 3 to legal 2, for $10,000 or so, when breakeven is after 5-7 years in terms of tax savings, unless we know we’re not selling before the breakeven time)
jeanmarine2 | 12 years and 3 months ago
I don’t think the city cares about where your rental is so long as it’s legal. We are currently swapping a top floor rental for a ground floor rental – we have a legal 3-family (3 meters etc.) with an actual cellar (unfinished) below the ground floor, CofO is seriously old and I also don’t know how to update ours. But we didn’t worry about permitting the rental unit conversion so much as permitting the pieces of what we are doing to actually convert, that require permitting. So for example we’re converting a window to a door and adding stairs and a deck – so that our future main unit has backyard access – that requires permitting and we are getting a permit. We are adding back a kitchen that the CofO shows as there already – being permitted probably unnecessarily but the electrical/plumbing upgrades probably need permitting. Moving or removing structural walls requires permitting. stuff like that. so consider what you need to get to your conversion and ask the questions about the pieces individually.