All Forum Posts by: Jared W Smith

Unfortunately @Shirin Namavar, if your title is accurate as licensed Architect (as @Ken M. stated), you will be held at a higher standard than a layperson within this field. They will question why you didn't do proper due diligence beforehand. Basement, foundation and crawl space areas are crucial parts of the overall health of a property and must be documented thoroughly. 

Additionally, it's simple enough nowadays to look up or request permit history for a property from the jurisdiction/building dept. The fact that they flipped it, sounds like you knowingly knew this at purchase, yet you didn't check for permit is likely to fall on you. Unless they stated something that was inaccurate and you can prove this, you will likely waste money on a lawsuit. Hell, even if you can prove this it still may not hold any weight.

Get the mold remediated and fix the structure and craawl space items that are damaged. All the best with this.   

Hello @Charles Lundquist

You are certainly preparing things diligently. I applaud you for sure. 

My office is based out of Yonkers and have any where from 10-20 projects in various stages within the City. We are one of the top architectural firms ranking in the top 5 when you google "Yonkers Architect", as well as "Westchester Architect" usually at the 2nd or 3rd place. We have deep understanding of construction, permitting and zoning issues. Therefore please feel free to reach out if you have any prospective properties which you'd like us to take a deeper look into or want to talk through processes and logistics. Yonkers building dept. is very fickle. All the best!   

@Chris Seveney points to the best route. In no way should you depend on the town inspector to give you advice and points on exactly what to do. You could open even more cans of worms in the process. Get your own professionals on board to assess and guide you BEFORE approaching the town. Trust me, I've seen this take the turn for the worst and Town makes you do a list of things and then flags property for full inspection calling out other things. Best to have an Architect on your side to refute things that are acceptable and handle legalizing the extra room. 

As a point of due diligence, no certificate of occupancy was given at purchase? What rooms are indicated on this document? Before selling it may be best to get an updated copy to reflect the house's rooms so it's a clean sale. @Ethan McRae 

Quote from @Account Closed:

There is a property which is an old single family home that needs major renovations.(it's just outerwalls, roof, windows and doors) The property is within 1/4 mile from a major intersection, it borders the city limit(it's just outside) and commercial real-estate, which are fast food chains and a small local shopping center. The land can be connected to the Commercial Plaza or kept private with the native greenery and size of the lot. I'm faced with doing an analysis to determine the highest and best use and what the financial demands of all my options would be. What factors, calculations, and analysis should I do to determine this?

Unless you are in the industry and will understands the information you will have to delve through, best to get a design professional (Architect) or zoning attorney on board.  

Welcome @Yolainy Cabrera

I service the areas you've mentioned. Happy to bring insight to you or your clients with their building/property issues or needs. All the best!  

As @Eric Hajdu mentioned, your best bet is to start with an Architect. Gain some insight on the process, feasibility and expectations. 

I would not go to a Contractor until the feasibility is worked out and there's a detailed plan of action. In a complex scenario like yours, a Contractor is not going to know how the additional floor will be added. Architect and Engineers will specify allowed size, structure, composition and layout. A Contractor quote at this early stage would be a huge guess. CMU vs Steel? Fire rated construction components? Fire suppression & sprinklers? LL97 impact? This all needs to figured out. All the best @Mayer Arkalji

As I found, do not go based on the Contractor for "is permits required". Typically it's on you as the owner to determine if permits are required. The Contractor ,may just want to get in and out without have the oversight by a Inspector/Code Official (and a Design Professional like an Architect or Engineer if required). In future, I have always recommended that the Owner just call Building Dept. and ask if a permit is required for "xyz". If you don't want to put your property on blast to them, just say you are looking at purchasing a property in the area and have seen several but wanted to gain insight into the permit process. All the best @Hamidou Keita 

Quote from @Mohammed Rahman:

Quote from @Jared W Smith:

Quote from @Mohammed Rahman:

Look for survey companies @Anna Cerda

 Not sure how a survey company would be helpful in her circumstance. 

Please read my first response where I was recommending to check out online nyc Zoning portal. Private surveyor may be able help with 2nd level questions and insights and will be a cheaper alternative firstly, before reaching out to an architect. 

Yes, I saw that and I provided the link to the NYC Zola in my post which is the best for that search. There are other ways but this is the easiest and most user friendly.  

Unfortunately from my experience, Land Surveyors have no expertise in Zoning issues and and land use actually defer to Architects and/or Zoning Attorneys for this information. I would not advise this route. (Their specialty is in technical and precise datum points and the legal land/plots on the earth's surface.)   

Quote from @Mohammed Rahman:

Hey — for the driveway, your best bet is to start with a zoning map and check the DOB zoning documents online. Sometimes you can get a zoning consultant to do a quick feasibility check for like $300-$500 instead of hiring an architect right away.

A zoning map will give the zoning district but that's about all in relation to a new driveway. You'd have to search the NYC Zoning Ordinances for specific information on off-street parking for the specific district the lot is located in.

Quote from @Anna Cerda:

Quote from @Mohammed Rahman:

Hey — for the driveway, your best bet is to start with a zoning map and check the DOB zoning documents online. Sometimes you can get a zoning consultant to do a quick feasibility check for like $300-$500 instead of hiring an architect right away.

 Where is the best place to get a zoning map and what do I look for.

It's a fully digitized system found here: https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/

You just have to type in your address. It populates various info for lot and district. However if you do not know what to look for or how to read the various sections and information, it may prove not as helpful as you'd like. It's a tool to gather information not to generate answers to the questions you posed.