Riverdale co-op Briar Oaks is undergoing $2.4 million worth of exterior work, which includes replacing roof railings and repairing balconies.
When the board at Briar Oaks, a two-building cooperative at 4525 and 4555 Henry Hudson Parkway in Riverdale, decided to replace the buildings’ original roof railings, it seemed an obvious decision. The 60-year-old railings were deteriorated and pulling away from their anchor points, creating an entry point for water into the building.
To stop the leaks, the board of the 145-unit co-op hired RAND to design and administer the railings replacement project. The old railings were anchored via hollow posts that were pocketed into the roof perimeter spandrel, which allowed water to infiltrate into the building interior. RAND specified solid post railings that were surface mounted to the spandrel to prevent water penetration.
As it turned out, replacing the railings was not the only work needed. The roof-level railings did not provide a suitable tie-back for safety lines, so the roof and structural deck had to be penetrated every time a temporary anchor needed to be installed for performing exterior repairs on the building. To avoid excessive roof and concrete deck penetrations, permanent safety line anchors were designed to make future facade maintenance more convenient.
With the roof railing work underway, the board decided to tackle another item on their to-do list: The reconstruction of the co-op’s 184 balcony curbs. Although the balcony work was a requirement for filing a safe status report for the building under the 7th Cycle Facade Inspection and Safety Program (Local Law 11/98), the cooperative will also benefit from the aesthetic improvement of the balconies. The financial feasibility of this project was improved by reusing the balcony railings, which were in good condition and did not have to be removed for the balcony repairs.
The board understood it would be much more efficient to do all the work at the same time while the contractors were on-site. It would also be less disruptive to residents than undertaking separate construction projects, which would require successive set-ups and tear downs of scaffolding and a constant stream of construction-related noise and workers over an extended period.
The balcony renovations ended up being more complicated than predicted. We found asbestos in one terrace and lead paint on others. Overall, 113 of the 184 existing terraces required lead paint removal. The asbestos abatement and lead removal were incorporated into the project scope, pushing the estimated completion date from November 2013 to May 2014.
With total estimated construction costs of $2.4 million, the co-op board decided to take a second mortgage at an even better rate than their first one and repay the loan over the course of five years by adding a line item to the budgets. This will minimize the impact on shareholders by avoiding a huge upfront assessment by May. Residents haven’t fussed about the ongoing construction, and so far the projects have had only a minimal intrusion on their daily lives.
Thanks to the direction of Board President Mary Ann Dowling and property managers Marshall Kanter and David Guerrero of Garthchester Realty, Briar Oaks has taken on its necessary repair work with the proper planning and foresight needed. RAND looks forward to seeing the projects through to their successful completion.
