Putting in a fireplace

Yes. Unless money is no object in which cas you should move to a place that already has aFP

Don't know, but Ive seen a recent apartment appraisal that gave a value for an exact same type fireplace and situation as yours $5,000.

Buy an electric fireplace from those clever Amish men. Many styles to choose from.

I thought of that, Alan (or perhaps the ventless gas variety) but it's just not the same as having that wonderful crackle and pop of a real fireplace.

@ Truthskr--appraisal value's one thing, cost of doing quite another...

Absolutely.... at least you 'll know it's worth regardless of your cost :)

But we're talking proper wood burner, not one of those made in Amish City, China.

I'd be surprised if you could install a proper one for less than $3500 though.

BTW, you just missed out on up to $1500 in tax credits for installing one.
http://ndlhearth.com/BlogRetrieve.aspx?BlogID=7875&PostID=169757

Call David Watt - he is THE Manhattan wood-burning fireplace guy. He has >30 years of experience, if he hasn't seen it ... He'll tell you if any co-op has ever approved what you're talking about.

http://www.yellowpages.com/new-york-ny/mip/david-watt-fireplace-chimney-specialists-459132412

I also like remote-controlled gas fireplaces. I'm not sure if you can change the color of the flames from your remote, though.

bramstar, not only co-op will reject your fireplace plan but if you put it in surreptitiously, they will make you dismantle it, sue you for violations and very likely make your life miserable for a long time.
Also, the Fire Department has the right to issue a vioulation to the building (that will be passed to you) if/when they as much as see a smoke or a chimney where there was none before.
Believe me, it's not worth it.

Truth--I believe that credit was only applicable for folks switching to a fireplace as their main source of heat--wouldn't work in a multi-unit where heat is supplied from a common source. I'd be very very surprised if this wouldn't cost a small fortune, especially considering one might need to rent roof rights from the co-op. I'm hoping someone here has done it before and can weigh in on their experience. Each time I see a top-floor apartment I think, hmm... wonder if a fireplace would fly with the board?

Well the one I know of (coop) owns the roof space, so it CAN be done for sure.
THat the the roof is not your space is an extra hurdle, and a big one.

bramstar, it's not just the board : the city ABSOLUTELY forbids new fireplaces and even shuts off the existing ones. But in a co-op, especially a pre-war, even a gas one will not fly.

Commoner--that makes sense. I do know, though, that certain penthouses are able to install a chimney. My biggest concern would be a board nixing the idea of breaking the roof envelope. And no, I would never consider doing anything so dumb as to try to go behind the board's back. That would mean certain eviction.

I think a co-op board would be nuts to allow installation of a fireplace, especially if none currently exist in the building. I live in a building where every unit has a fireplace. They cause nothing but problems -- smoke smells traveling into the hallway or other apartments, severe inexplicable draft issues, etc.

bramstar, right. I know someone who was ready to go the farthest distance to get a fireplace, and even bought the partial roof rights. But it's an absolute, non-negotiable NO with the city. So now he's stuck with a really huge maintenance for the roof he can't physically use and a dream.
By the way, most of pre-war buildings don't have a sprinkler system. Food for thought.

I know for sure this fireplace was installed 06/07.
However to be fair I can't say it wasn't replacing an old one.

What do you think about a fire 'pit' on a large set back terrace? Does it qualify as ok with the same guidelines as a non-propane grill (10 ft away from building with water/hose accessible)?

I don't see where it's forbidden - http://law.justia.com/newyork/codes/2006/new-york-city-administrative-code-new/adc027-848.07_27-848.07.html.

People in brownstone Bk convert non-usable gas fireplaces into WBFP all the time. I don't see how that's different from installing a new one.

I don't know of any pre-war co-ops who allow anything involving fire on a terrace, much less a fire pit. From a friend's terrace (Riverside Drive at the high 80s) I could see NO grilling devices on highrises. Just one on a brownstone, and it seems to be electric and, should I say, camouflaged.

* any pre-war co-ops who=any pre-war co-ops THAT

Sorry it was 2005. Here is the language on propertyshark in the job description for the permit

RELOCATE EXISTING FIREPLACE NO J_JOB_DESCRIP_3 CHANGE TO OCCUPANCY, USE OR EGRESS
so it was a relocation not a new one.

The firm that handled it appears to be FB Consultants. It may be worth giving them a call.
Sorry Im being cryptic, It's just that I'm in contract but not board accepted yet.

nyc10023, "I don't see how that's different from installing a new one."
But you should. Just as you should see a difference between a Brooklyn brownstone and a Manhattan prewar highrise co-op.

I like the idea of one, but stopped using mine after the first few years, enough to justify all the work I put into stripping the paint from the inside.

To get a good draft, I'd have to open a window. Without an ash pit, which I've never seen in a NY fireplace, there was always that funky cold-ash smell.

It does look pretty, though. The decorative kind don't cut it, as they hardly ever have real firebrick inside.

From our terrace in the 70s on UES I see plenty of grills. Illegal propane, charcoal, and electric. I also see clay 'chimineas' outside on some of them. Mind you, they are all big 'legal size' terraces, for the most part, for grills. The chimineas threw me off but maybe that's how people get away with having a firepit. They enclose it in something like this and no one knows the better.

Two issues.

Can you install a new fireplace in Manhattan? Of course you can. It is done all the time. You must have the right conditions (inside and outside), meet building and fire codes and have an MEA number if you use a manufactured fireplace unit and/or flue. And you of course must file plans with all of that stated. There are several installers in NYC who do this. They can tell you if your situation is workable and get an architect to file the plans. Commoner is just plain wrong/uninformed on this.

As far as your coop board goes, don't bother talking to them until you have had a professional look at your situation. You want to be able to represent that you've done your homework, and you can describe exactly what the impact will be to the building. If the impact is just a roof penetration and three feet of chimney/flue, you'll have a chance if you have a good managing agent and reasonable board. If you have an adjacent building and want WBFP and need to cross the roof of the building with a long angled strand of flue pipe to meet required clearances, then don't bother asking.

If you're looking for numbers, I recently replaced a wood burning fireplace and it cost $7,000 for just the prefab unit and an electric fan at the top of the flue that's supposed to help pull the air up and out. We reused our old flue (which was a metal tube) so that saved money and of course, the roof was already pierced. I also had to pay extra for an electrician to run a conduit from the fan. If you don't want to use a pre-fab wood burning fp, I got quotes in the $10-12,000 range to build a new one (no fan included) but you may incur consequential costs. I don't think it's impossible, esp if you live in a smaller, laid back type of coop. It will be expensive though and time consuming to jump through all the hoops. I would casually run it by a board member to get their thoughts on the matter.

Other cosiderations -
1. Landmarking. If your building is landmarked or you live in a landmark district, the addition of flues which might be visible from the street has to be approved;
2. Engineering costs. You may need to pay for structural engineering costs to bust a hole in the roof. Also, if you don't want to use a pre-fab kind, expect to get a structural engineer to assess the weight load of your floors for all the brick to build the fireplace.
3. Co-op. You would probably have to buy additional shares from the co-op for the space the flue takes up. Plus, if the flue is located in a common roof deck space, I wonder if the board would want smoke there... even if it's just used during the winters.
4. Other costs. Other costs to consider are building out the wall around the flue and putting a decorative mantel, etc... unless you plan on leaving it open.
5. Gas fireplace. Even if you were to go with a gas fireplace, you need to get a non-venting kind unless you can get permission to poke a hole through the building's wall as opposed to the roof. Also, running a gas line to the fireplace would require a DOB permit and costs several thousands. The simplest, but not as cozy option, is one of those ethanol type burning fireplace. Not entirely sure they're legal in NYC, but a much much better option than a electric fp, which in my opinion isn't even worth it.

NYC building and fiire codes generally limit outdoor cooking appliances on buildings to a very narrow set of situations. A fire pit is by definition a device that produces an "open flame" and are not permitted. If you are considering this, seek help.

A fire pit's got a bit too much risk for reward. Remember last summer's fire on Houston?
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Fire-Rages-at-East-Village-Apartment-Building-98063614.html

And Im sure that wasn't a fire pit, at worst, a grill.
And forgetting the lives ruined by neighboring homes catching fire, the liability would ruin you, unless you've got Lloyds of London type coverage...... even that may not be good enough.

Yeah. I meant seek mental help, not an architect. I should have said, if you are considering a firepit, then please move away from the city.

Reno makes good points. I don't agree that the coop will necessarily make you buy more shares. That totally depends on what up there near your flue. If it's a shitty or distant part of the roof, or nobody uses the area, they probably won't. Non-vented fuel-burning fireplaces (gas) are not allowed in NYC, so you could not file that. You do not want an illegal fireplace.

"The New NYC Construction Codes are Now in Effect. __Updated: October 16, 2008.

As of July 1, 2008, the New NYC Construction Codes are in effect. The first major revision and modernization of the city's building codes in nearly 40 years. The New NYC Codes are an important achievement for New York City. For the first time the city's code is modeled after the International Building Code. Remember that all factory-built chimneys and liners installed in NYC must be listed by nationally recognized testing and evaluation services as compliant with national standards (Standards for Listed Factory Built Chimneys and Liners), and shall be installed in accordance with the New NYC Construction Codes. The New NYC Building Codes require all listed flue lining systems for masonry chimneys (including corrugated and rigid liners) for use with residential-type and low-heat appliances to be listed to the UL 1777 Standard.
Additional important changes: The classifications of low-heat, medium-heat and high-heat chimneys have been modified. Factory-built chimneys for medium heat appliances shall comply with the UL 959. In addition, the requirements for chimney footings, foundations and fireplace smoke chambers have been established."

http://chimney-pro.com/news_chimney-pro_chimney_fireplace_specialists_nyc.htm