Are pressure walls illegal?

Maybe walling off the dining area in that particular line would result in a not-to-code room. Or maybe the landlord just doesn't want them. They do lend a squat air to the place, not that anybody'd see them.

If it's a true flex three and you're not just dividing a living space into two it would be uncommon for a wall to be against code.

I don't know a lot about this but firefighters want/need to know the geography before they go into a burning building; that's why you'll sometimes see building plans in a vault near the entrance of a building. I wonder if that is the issue? If they were illegal or that dangerous, though, I doubt they would be available.

drdrd, i believe it is a fire issue. in st/pcv tishman marketed and/or put up pressurized walls in the one bedrooms creating living spaces that had no windows, and was forced to officially remove and disallow them as they weren't up to fire code. but a real flex three shouldn't be a problem, plenty of coop owners turn that space into a bedroom.

Very much building by building. In my experience, the majority allow them, but a meaningful minority do not. Ask someone authorized from the management company (i.e. not broker), and then if you need one, make sure your lease, or a rider, reflects that.

thanks for the help...im still a little confused....we're wondering if we can rig a set of bookcases and/or heavy curtains to achieve a level of visual and sound isolation, so that a guest could sleep or someone could work at a desk behind the barrier...i doubt there could be any legal issues with curtains

There's no law that says pressurized walls are illegal per the NYC building code. A lot of buildings who don't allow it will allow a free standing wall which is essentially the same thing but doesn't go floor to ceiling, giving you the wall you want without the dispute with your building. I started a blog about the use of them for my summer journalism class. Feel free to check it out http://pressurizedwallsguide.blogspot.com

Thanks Sylvan21!

No problem, I just posted a new article about the legality as well. Check it out!

The darn real estate industry and their high pressure walls.