Three Unit into Two Unit

[Allyson Straka]

Hey guys,

Looking for some insights on what is involved with combining two units in a property. Currently we are interested in a 3-unit property that requires an external fire escape to be built in order to make it code compliant. After talking with a few engineers and fabricators we have an estimated cost of anywhere from 25K-35K for the construction and installation. While talking to 2 code officers from the area, they brought up the idea of de-converting the property into a duplex by combining the top two units and this would allow us to no longer have to build the fire escape. 

My questions arise in what is required in order to make it a legal duplex. I will call the code office to make sure, but I was just curious if anyone had a similar experience. I know that I need to remove the kitchen, but pretty much after that is there anything else that needs to be done? Also, if anyone has ever removed a kitchen, could you maybe describe what that cost you and what all needed to be done?  

Also, each of the units is currently on separate electrical meters, so I'm uncertain as to what would need to be done when converting to a duplex. Could 2 meters just be billed to the same tenant? 

Any additional nuggets of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.