310-312 West 122nd Street consists of two five-story brownstones built in 1900, each with 10 apartments.
A moldy basement, leaking roofs, and oatmeal-like mortar are scary things no one should ever encounter in a newly renovated building. Unfortunately for one cooperative in Harlem, a less than stellar gut renovation, which included a new roof, windows, and joist replacement, left the cooperative's two buildings with all of the issues above and in some respects in worse condition than before.
When complaints about severe leaks began to pour in and mold was discovered in the basement, the board at 310-312 West 122nd Street, including board president Donna Parks and four other board members, turned to RAND for help.
Our Forensics Team first performed a Physical Condition Survey (PCS) and discovered that the parapet walls had been coated with a heavy application of stucco; probes revealed that the underlying masonry had significantly deteriorated. Mortar was loose, crumbling, and moist, and had the consistency and integrity of oatmeal.
New roof, new parapet walls.
Our survey report listed short-, mid-, and long-term recommendations for repair, replacement, and restoration. Short-term items included stucco and terra cotta repair and restoration, skylight refurbishment, new entranceway stoops and partial stair replacement, restoration of water-damaged finishes, and upgraded baseboard heating controls. We also recommended new roofs and parapet walls, as well as upgraded mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for a new laundry room. Based on our PCS report, the board subsequently hired RAND to design and administer the repair program needed to address damaged areas in the building, including the leaky roof. Traditional Waterproofing & Restoration was hired to perform the construction work.
The roof and most of the other jobs have been completed under the direction of James Carbone of Finger Management. RAND is currently working on retrofitting the laundry facility in the basement of one of the buildings, and mitigating basement leaks. The cost so far, which was paid for out of the reserve fund, is $400,800.
For more on this project, see the article in Habitat magazine.
Ivan Mrakovcic, RA is Forensics Team Leader and Construction Phase Director at RAND.
