Help Fire

Greetings Everyone,

I'm still not finished with you guys, here you go with another important article about Fire Escape Maintenance from The Cooperator www.cooperator.com . I amended the article from 1700 words to about 800 words for those of you, who just want the advice or tips fed to you in bite size amounts. If you want to read up on the full article just follow this link http://cooperator.com/articles/2397/1/Fire-Escape/Page1.html 

Fire Escape

By J.M. Wilson

Local Law 11 began life in 1980 as Local Law 10, which required five-year inspections of the street-facing façades of buildings seven stories or higher. Local Law 11 of 1998 is a slightly updated version that now mandates the inspection of all façades, whether or not they are facing the street. Local Law 11 also requires scaffolding with each inspection, a report on the cause of any deterioration, and a timetable for repair. 

Upon inspection buildings are classified as "Safe," "Unsafe," or "Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program" (SWARMP).

“Every five years, an engineer or architect performing the Local Law 11 facade inspection on your building should look for any unsafe conditions on the fire escapes,” says Peter Varsalona, P.E., who is principal with RAND. “Considered unsafe,” he says, “are any items or debris on the fire escape, such as flower pots, blocks or bricks (often used to secure window air conditioners), personal items, or anything that could fall from the fire escape or obstruct egress.”

Overall maintenance of your fire escape is relatively inexpensive as most of the work can be done by your established maintenance team. According to Larry Kaufman, fourth-generation head of the family-owned J. Kaufman Iron Works, founded in 1907, “ninety percent of the metal work in New York is steel or wrought iron.” This includes your fire escapes.

The bad news is steel and wrought iron is prone to rusting and therefore requires constant vigilance by the building’s maintenance crew. “As soon as the rust starts,” warns Kaufman, “it’s like a cancer. When you see something that’s really old and has been neglected and is rusted, it almost peels away in your hands. Once it starts doing that, you’re done. The cost to fix it gets way up there.”

However the good news is that steel and wrought iron are relatively easy to maintain. These are two materials that on-site maintenance staff can care for without extensive training, and do not require a professional for maintenance.

For Kaufman the trick is regular painting. “Whoever maintains your building, just let them take a wire brush and knock off anything loose and peeling and put on another coat of paint,” says Kaufman. “If continually painted, whether it’s on an annual basis, or semiannual, it will last forever.”

“If the fire escape has been painted over several times and the underlying paint wasn't properly removed,” says Stephen Varone, AIA, president of RAND Engineering & Architecture, P.C. in New York City, “then sections of it may have to be scraped down to the bare metal. The metal is typically cleaned with a power washer and dried, and then a rust-inhibitive primer and enamel-based paint are applied. To keep the fire escape in uniform condition, it's recommended that the whole assembly be painted at one time rather than just portions of it.”

According to Cisco Meneses, owner and founder of Fire Escape Services, which provides services nationwide, rust is definitely a major problem but structure is another. “One must look for structural cues that say whether or not this structure also needs refurbishment,” he says. More often than not it’s as simple as the bolts. “With every fire escape out there,” says Meneses, “if you want to know its age—look at the bolts. If it has a square head bolt or a rivet it’s 50 to 75 years or older. If it has a hex head bolt on it then it is 25 to 50 years. How easy is it now to see if the fire escape has original hardware on it or if it’s been refurbished? It’s just the bolt. It’s that simple.”

The lesson here: that if you have a fire escape with nothing but original hardware your building is definitely due for more than just a coat of paint. According to Varsalona, fire escape repairs beyond scraping, and painting, are relatively simple consisting of mainly tightening loose bolts and minor welding “The most critical elements are the steel beams or angles that penetrate the building wall and provide structural support for the fire escape. If they show signs of wear, they may need a supporting angle or reinforcing plate welded to them for added support.”

“If the steel is badly deteriorated,” Peter Varsalona, P.E., who is principal with RAND says, “the beams will need to be removed and replaced with new ones, which requires removing the brickwork or masonry around the joints where they penetrate the wall. All joints around penetrations should be caulked to keep water out. Not only will water corrode the beams and loosen the fire escape's supporting members but it will also damage the brickwork and allow leaks to find their way into the building. Loose steps, railings, platform slats, handrails, and other metal pieces should likewise be bolted or welded as necessary.”

Looking forward to hearing from you and committed to give you a Great Buying Experience

Sincerely
Pinny Ziegler

pinnysthoughts@gmail.com

Enjoy A Beautiful Roof Top

Greetings Everyone

Yep you don't have to tell it to me, I know I’m a bit slow but I just read the March issue of The Cooperator 

 www.cooperator.com   and I read some good useful articles that I felt I would like to share with you, and since I know you’re all busy I figured ill cut them down and just take out the information that looks important or interesting so you can just skim thru them and take what is of interest to you.

Maintenance on the roof top here is the link if you would like to read up on the full article http://cooperator.com/articles/2394/1/Up-on-the-Rooftop/Page1.html

Up on the Rooftop

Caring for a Valuable Amenity

By Greg Olear

 The roof is the uppermost part of any residential building, serving as the first  line of defense against whatever the skies throw at its inhabitants. In many  New York co-op and condo buildings, the roof is also a social space, complete  with decking, planters, awnings, and sometimes even sun chairs or a hot tub.  These roofs do double duty—and as such, they're subjected to far more wear-and-tear than their restricted-access counterparts.  

 Let’s take a closer look at roof decks—how they’re made, and what they mean for your building.  

“Many condos and co-ops will go with concrete because it is durable and can easily meet any building and fire codes,” says Michael DiMezza, president of Outside Design Build, Inc. in Brooklyn. “It puts up with the sun and cold well and comes in wide array of colors and textures. There are even some newer products that are softer on the foot. When you compare it with wood, it has greater longevity and less maintenance.”  

Many clients go to wood and it is largely because of the aesthetics and the overall experience. Rooftops may just be a place for people to sit but often there are also gardens, trees and planters, using wood with that adds a more natural feel. It is beautiful and easy to work with, it is the gold standard of materials and it is much cooler than concrete,” he says

“With wood you also have a lot more options with how you want to install it versus concrete. You have more alternatives with wood, it is easy to carry and install. With concrete, you might not be able to install it on certain buildings because of the weight, especially older buildings, which may not be able to sustain the weight of concrete,” he says.  

 In addition to wood and concrete, many residential buildings are also using recycled plastic as a roof deck material. “The benefit of using the recycled plastic is that is it maintenance-free. You don’t have to seal it or sand it. Once you put it down, its lifetime-free maintenance, all you have to do is power wash it,” says Lindor.  

The most overlooked maintenance issue in rooftop gardens and decks is drainage.  Those drains should be cleared once a year so you don't see flooding, leaks, and do not have problems with owners who live below those installations. It is a simple thing to do. I've cleared 10-15 bags of soil from under decks, where maintenance hasn’t been done in several years-- especially if you have planters or gardens. Just because those leaves fall in the crack doesn't mean that they disappear,” says DiMezza.  

DiMezza also suggests power washing once a year to clear decks of debris and  checking for trip hazards such as loose boards or protruding or cracked pieces  of pavement.  

 “Maintenance is often the most overlooked aspect but is the most important part of your deck. Decks that are well-maintained well surpass the life span of those that are not maintained and it is not unusual for them to last ten or more years more,” he explains.  

One more thing: you have to be safe. “Once you attach the deck, you need protection around the parapet wall so no one gets injured,” Daly warns.  

So here I am at your service from 1700 words to 660 words everything to make your work easier.

All the best for now and as always you can always reach out to me I look forward to hearing from you 

Pinny Ziegler

My commitment is to give you a great buying experience. 

Pinnysthoughts@gmail.com

Business - Relationship ????

Definition of I’m loyal to my vendor

An article by By Eilene Zimmerman in the Crain’s New York, caught my eye and piped my interest and made me put on my thinking cap (click the following link to read the full article)

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120408/SMALLBIZ/304089980

But here are the words that piped my interest.

"Mr. Moyal had a history of financing equipment purchases through People's Capital, according to court documents filed as part of his countersuit. He said that over a period of about five years, his banker, Jeffrey Morrison, had presented him with several proposals to purchase printing equipment. Mr. Moyal has three other finance leases with People's.

The arrangement worked so well that, by Mr. Moyal's account, he and Mr. Morrison became friends. “Jeffrey stayed at my house, we vacationed together; I thought we had a partnership, in a sense,” Mr. Moyal said. “Then suddenly, because of the economic environment, the bank decided the hell with me.”

While going around introducing the product I sell, a very common response I get is, we are loyal to our vendor, or we have been using our vendor for thirty years etc.

 The above article made me think what is a business relation all about, what kind of connection is this that people are willing to forgo listening to new opportunities because they are loyal to their vendor or supplier, what are people expecting one from another in this relationship

.

One thing I understand is that a business friendship or relationship is definitely on a different category and level than your long time school buddy, but how can we define its meaning and measure its depth.

Well for starters let’s analyze the words BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP. 

In the Dictionary.com The word Business = a person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern. 

 Would be fair understanding that a business can definitely be only be called when there is profit or benefit for both parties.

Relationship = an emotional or other connection between people:

To sum all of this up BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP is when both words come in to play that there is an emotional connection between people but one that is built on profit and benefit. So if these two words are divided then you have or a business or a relationship.

So now we are really getting to the bottom of this analyzation, but to me they look contradictory how can there be an emotional connection between people if the sole purpose of the relationship is one of benefit and profit.

Well as complex as the question seems to be, the answer I think is simple and in front of our eyes. We as human beings our deepest inner lining is one of dignity and honor, our interaction one with another are all on a intellectual level so all of us expect to be treated in a way that shows us that we are being appreciates for what we are, for what we believe, for what we do etc.

So let’s get down to business, when performing an act of business both parties involved expect a relationship to be added to the business deal. 

We will start with the most obvious; the vendor the supplier the seller expects a relationship to begin that can mean repeat purchases, referrals, loyalty. And at the same time the buyer, the customer, the client, expects a relationship to begin, that will mean all his needs and concerns to be addressed with utmost speed and efficiency and finally everyone likes to be told how great they are as a customer or as a vendor.

So I think we achieved some clarity on Business Relationship, but what I would love to hear back from all of you is, How far would you go, meaning how much is it worth to you to have a business relationship versus just a business deal?

Looking forward to hearing back from you

Committed to giving you the greatest buying experience

Sincerely

Pinny