Roof decks

I hope your building would consider surveying your shareholders rather than make this decision solely by the board. Also, your building should perform a survey of competing buildings to compare amenities (roof decks, exercise rooms, storage rooms, etc.). If your building has a lot of units, I suspect that the cost of a roof deck spread over the # of apts. would be fairly minimal. As for noise, roof decks generally close after dark so noise shouldn't be a problem for anyone.

It really depends on the makeup of the building. In a lot of buildings people use the roof decks twice: the day they are looking to buy the unit and the day they are looking to to show the deck off to potential purchasers.

Noise from a roof deck is a concern for top-floor shareholders. You would need to make sure the deck is built to be sound-proofed and also not allow any recreational activities (kids running around, parties with music, etc).

As far as being a value-add, it really depends on the space and whether (and how)it is actually going to be used. The 'this isn't that sort of building' argument is actually plausible, if, for example, it's a small building with few shareholders who have any interest in using a deck. The idea of a roof deck is often more appealing in thought than in reality. I agree with the previous poster that this needs to be a building-wide dialogue, not just a decision put through by the board.

Coopowner, Will the elevator go to the roof? If not, do bother. Only top two floors will use it.

I mean ‘if not do not bother’. Yes there will be noise for top floors.

People who live in buildings with roof decks... how often do you use it? I love the idea of having one during warmer months and sometimes regret not having bought a co-op that had a huge roof deck with outstanding views of the city... but in actuality I suspect I wouldn’t use it much

do you really want the expense of a roof deck ? sure it might make the building more desirable to some, increase property values, etc. but is it worth it? our building put one in, and within a season we have lost important bits of our view into manhattan. plus it's a bureaucratic nightmare with permits and liability insurance, etc. expect long delays unless you are lucky and are dealing with expediters and professional architects who do this in their sleep, etc. it's nice, but expensive. i'm not sure it was worth it. i'm not really the kind of person who wants a roof deck a this point (that could change), but some people are. it should be voted on by your membership not just the board.

We use our deck all of the time and eat out there at least 3 times a week in summer/read books etc on weekends - but its more a balcony than an entire roof and its just for our apartment (plus its over the downstairs of our duplex so no issue about noise complaints)

.....however yep it will be detrimental to the people who live on the top floor....so if I lived in a coop where people wanted to put a roofdeck on top of our apartment I'd be voting it down as well :)

If you want an outdoor space ....why not buy an apartment with your own outdoor space......
- http://www.collins.net.pr/Photo/House%20photos/135%20Henry%20St%2C%20Brooklyn/6%20-%20Deck%20Renovation/photo.htm

deanc , if it's just for your apartment I would not call that a roof deck, I think we're discussing here shared roof decks available to all residents of a building. I think most people definitely use private decks/terraces/yards.