Problem Solved! For Co-ops and Condos

It’s not just unsightly — the brown water coming out of the taps in your building contains particles and sediment that can damage everything from your basement boilers all the way up to your rooftop water tank. In this episode, Spencer Kraus,  vice president of Fred Smith Heating & Plumbing , explains how to stop brown water at the source before it damages your building’s plumbing systems. Spe...

Location is everything, as they say, and that includes doorman stations. In older co-op and condo buildings, they are often situated in places that make the doorman's job a lot harder, especially when the doorman is also responsible for accepting packages. In this episode, Marilyn Sygrove, president of Sygrove Associates Design Group , shares how one co-op renovated its old, dysfunctional doo...

If you’re concerned about your building’s energy use, and particularly if you want to lower it, you’ll need to pay attention to its systems. Not just when something breaks, but all the time. Technology can do that, allowing data to be collected so that systems can be adjusted and monitored for performance. Darren Johnson, account manager at Bright Power, an energy management company, explains how...

To meet the high cost of maintaining condo properties, boards often have to make the hard choice between borrowing money or imposing assessments on unit-owners. Either way, there are decisions of fairness to consider and important operational details to work out. In this episode, Mohammed Salyani, a principal at the accounting firm WilkinGuttenplan , explains the ramifications of various options. ...

Roof space can be a lovely amenity in a co-op or condo, but it can also be used for solar to reduce your building’s carbon emissions. Tina Larsson, co-founder and CEO of the Folson Group , a business consultancy for co-op and condo boards, shares how an Upper East Side co-op in Manhattan managed to do both by making every square foot count.  Tina Larsson is interviewed by Bill Morris for Habitat M...

One of the most controversial projects a co-op or condo can do is to redesign its lobby. One person likes green, another likes blue. One likes marble, another likes wood. Even if everyone can agree on the redo, last minute changes can cause tumult. On today’s episode, Louis Lipson, senior associate at the architecture firm Ethelind Coblin , shares the story of a lobby project at 785 Fifth Avenue i...

In New York City, Con Edison steam is the most expensive form of heating and cooling buildings. Co-ops and condos are choosing to go from steam to natural gas and electricity not only to slash their energy bills, but also reduce carbon emissions and avoid paying fines under the city’s Climate Mobilization Act. Michael Scorrano, managing director and founder of En-Power Group , explains how one co-...

Whether it’s caused by aging facades, construction defects, faulty pipes, or a roof that needs replacing, water leakage is a common problem for many co-op and condo buildings. Repairs need to be done quickly, but what’s a board to do if the leaks are caused by more than one issue? In this episode, Douglas Lister, president of the architecture firm Douglas J. Lister, explains what fixes should be t...

As part of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act, Local Law 97 places carbon caps on most buildings. Co-op and condo buildings are taking a close look at how to reduce their building’s energy consumption and carbon footprint — without going broke in the process. In this episode, James Hannah, managing director at Parity , an AI-driven energy management platform, shares how an Upper East Side co...