adding a bedroom

Oh jesus christ, give it a rest. Don't torture those rooms down to crap.

? poorishlady. Some people need to make a nursery. Not unreasonable. Or want a segregated home office to be able to get a tax deduction. On the OP question: I don't know.

If you are building a wall for your own convenience, I don't think you'd need to change the C of O. You are merely reconfiguring your own space, not changing the number of apartment units in the building.

You should, however, 1) make sure your renovations are approved by the board. Some boards are not going to allow permanent walls, but you can make something nice and functional with temp walls. Notify your board and follow their rules. Just make your building happy, for reasons of fire code if nothing else.

and 2) if you are doing this for resale, you need to make sure that you can *honestly* advertise the room as having another bedroom. While we know that sellers violate this rule all the time -- by building rooms without closets, or claiming lot-line windows as windows -- there was a case in Tribeca where the seller was sued for advertising a loft as having more bedrooms than it did.

There are issues of ventilation, minimum room size, etc, so I would check in with an architect to read the building code for you.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

so if we are buying two one bedroom apts and covnerting it to a two bedroom with a home office apt, the only approval we woudl need is to knock the wall down to open up the two apts? right ? does anyone know how long it takes to get those approval and how much it would cost us ?

sfo, I'm no conversion expert, but I'm pretty sure it's required by law that you remove one of the kitchens.

yeah that's true,we have to get rid of the 2nd kitchen.

OP, issue is less about a Certificate of Occupancy then it is to get a Construction Permit. I imagine you will need to do some electrical work in the newly created bedroom and this will require city inspection of the completed work.

SFO what you are proposing (combination of units) I believe requires a new CofO.

Here is the standard process for renovation projects.

1) Architectural Design - Figure a month for something easy

2) Coop Board Approval - Figure at least two months. Board is going to hire an architect to review the proposed changes who will generate a written report and recommmendation for the board's consideration. Then they will consider it during one of their regularily scheduled monthly meetings. Coop board will charge you for their architect's cost (probably $1 - $2k). Managing agent will charge you as well probably $500. Coop board will also ask for a deposit, mine was $2,500 but I think that is on the low side of things.

3) Construction Permit Approval - You hire an expediter for $3 - 5 k who shephards your proposed alterations through the mess called the city's building department. Figure two - three months best case assuming work is vanilla. You cannot begin city approvals until you have the board's approval.

4) Actual Construction - Runs the gamut depending on your contractor, architect and scope of work. For a gut renovation on the low end about $300 PSF. Just subdividing a bedroom -- I have no idea.

5) Inspections - Assuming the work is good this is the easiest part of the process. Your GC just arranges for an inspection with the city. City then notes satisfactory completion. You send this notice to the coop board and get your deposit back. My apartment was completed in November final inspection was about February and completion notice was March.

Now if you are simply throwing up a a wall to subdivide the space... I recommend you give the super $100 not to say anything about you hauling the door and drywall up to your apartment. Buy a case of beer, order some pizza and get three of your best qualified friends to do the work with you over a course of a weekend.

realestatejunkie: Best. Advice. Ever. Doing things "by the book" in nyc construction is for suckers.

realestatejunkie, for a condo then it should be an easier process by the sounds of it, so if i'm only knocking down a wall to combine, all i will need is the city's approval for that right ?

sfo, your situation is different from the OP's. You DO have to change the C of O, because you are changing the number of units in the building.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

sfo, your situation is different from the OP's. You DO have to change the C of O, because you are changing the number of units in the building.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

SFO,

Generally speaking, you will have to run the same process with a Condo as you will with a Coop. Condominium will have the same approval rights as Coop boards and like their coop cousins they are not going to give you carte blanche on how you can redesign the apartment.

The two biggest things that tend to get caught up at the Condo or Coop approval process are:

1) Penetrations Through An Exterior Wall - Usually done for ventilation or Air Conditioning. Many Pre-War buildings do not allow you to do this. Even if other units in the building have done it, many buildings are now not allowing.

2) "Wet Over Dry" - The most common frustration in the design process and most limiting. Basically the rule protects your neighbor below you. You can not introduce a water element (kitchen, bathroom, washer dryer) if the space below you is a dry area (living room, bedroom etc.)

so if the bulidng is going through a conversion and there is no condo board, this request should go to the sponsor correct ?

I would approach the sponsor.

thanks, i will make sure that before i sign the contracts that this is all set and there are no problems.

which departmentt do I need to approach regarding Cof 0 ?and get approvals etc ?

Talk to an expediter. You pay them in the renovation to get all your approvals and tell you what is allowable under NYC building code.

You will need to lay out a retainer probably in the $1,500 range.

If you try to do the filings and navigate city hall on your own you will have a fool for a client.

great, do you know any expediter's ?

I do.

If you want to post your email address I can give you the name and number of the guy I used.

Word of warning, getting an expediter first is a little bass akwards. Usually you get an architect to come up with a rough concept and then the architect has an expediter that they like to work with.

i just need a wall to be knocked to open the two apts, im not changing much in terms of lay out, just knocking walls to open up the space

you will definitely need to file building permits for the job

realestatejunkie if you can send me the info to sarahbuynyc@gmail.com that woudl be great

Hi,
Realstaejunkie
I would also appreciate the info on the expediter
My email is yayibazo@hotmail.com
Thanks!