One of our fastest growing and comprehensive divisions is our Apartment Renovation Review Services. We aim to assist Building’s Boards/Owners/Management in reviewing the Building’s Apartment Owners/Shareholders’ plans as well as Commercial Space Tenants/Owners’ plans to ensure that all parties, especially the Building, are protected by ensuring code compliance, proper practices, and Building specific rules.
We have also found that this section of our practice has been growing and evolving since our company was founded over 42 years ago. As noted above, this segment of our services is our fastest growing division and, as a result, we have decided to expand our team and now all segments of this team are in place and well versed. This means that we have greater capacity to review reports and still provide our exemplary 3-5 business day or better turnaround. While we review submittals on a first come, first serve basis, we also offer same or next day turnarounds for an expedited fee of one additional hour of review time for those clients that need an immediate response.
These services include:
Apartment/Commercial Space Alteration Review Services
We review the submitted plans and provide an itemized list of our requirements, which includes Building specific rules, DOB code requirements, and proper practices, with specific focuses in the major task groups (soundproofing/waterproofing, hung ceiling, plumbing, etc.) We also list out all significant items for Board approval to ensure that no significant renovation happens without the Building’s consent (such as washer/dryers, wet over dry, exterior work, and structural items that may or may not be permitted). These services are also provided at an hourly basis, so that the cost of a small Bathroom renovation is not charged the same as a gut apartment combination.
Site Visit/Inspection Services:
We have found that, since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, that our overall demand for site visits has reduced significantly. As a result, when we are called out to inspect an apartment, it is normally due to issues caused by the renovation that should have been raised earlier in the project. We provide milestone inspection site visits to ensure that all requirements in our reports are followed and proper installation methods are employed; especially as it relates to soundproofing/waterproofing, shower pans, hung ceiling, and plumbing items as these areas are frequently performed incorrectly. In particularly troublesome alterations, where issues persist, we visit at a predetermined time to ensure that the renovation is on track, on behalf of the Building. We provide these services at an hourly rate and we normally have the availability to visit the Apartments when requested, however scheduling is always appreciated.
We have also found that video calls with the Resident Manager/Superintendent and the Contractor can be achieved with the same result as with in person visits on many milestone inspections and this can cut down on costs to the space owner/user in our services.
Comprehensive Alteration Rules and Regulations Preparation Services
We also provide a service to provide a supplemental ruleset for the Building. We work with the Building and include their specific requirements, allowed items, rules, insurance and work hours, and any other pertinent item to act as a supplement to the Building’s Alteration Agreement. We find that when the Apartment Owner and their Renovation Team/Architect have access to this document, the average review submittals are reduced from 3/4+ submittals to almost always 2 submissions, as all parties have access to the Building’s requirements available to them from the beginning of their project. We can also provide rules for specific installations such as Terrace/Exterior Work, Window Replacements, Washer/Dryer Installations, etc. We provide this service at a flat rate for the Building, and feel free to contact us to learn more.
We find that many consulting firms in the industry look at alteration review services as a service they must provide to clients that they are providing other services for, and view the alteration reviews as a necessary evil. We instead look at these services as part of a full service package for our clients or just a standalone service to other clients. In all cases the same level of service is provided and we understand the issues when it comes to Management and their clients to get these applications processed, reviewed, and approved expeditiously. For this reason, we have developed a fully dedicated email address for tracking all applications (renovations@jmabuildings.com), logging them into the company schedule/flow chart, assigning staff, as well as delivering a notice to the client that submitted them that the alteration has been received.
If your Building is in need of a proposal, please provide the Building’s corporate name and your contact information to our renovations email and we will be happy to assist.
JMA Consultants 