Services

Comprehensive List Of Services

• Analysis of Site or Existing Structures Every renovation project begins with a site analysis. We examine the Floor Area Ratio for the particular site to see how much square footage is available for the owner to build. We check Zoning setbacks; if the existing property overlaps the Zoning setbacks the project will need to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals for the municipality. We also check coverage of the building, the driveway, sidewalks, etc. to make sure the existing buildings to not go over the limit of impervious surfaces for the property.At the beginning of large renovation projects, we review the existing structure to see if there are any cracks, settling of the foundations and if egress requirements are being met.
• Zoning Analysis Some owners wish to change the Zoning category of their space. For example, a store in Tarrytown wanted to be able to use their basement as a retail space. We analyzed the space and made a successful application to have the basement rezoned from Storage space to a Commercial space.
• Schematic Design For renovations, after making a survey and creating the building plans in AutoCad, we sketch different solutions for what the owner wishes to use in the space. We present several schematic designs. The final design is usually a blending of several different designs.
• Design Development After the Schematic Design is finalized, we begin Design Development, that is: drawing the walls, the ceilings with lighting, the floor finishes, electrical outlet and switch layout and custom cabinetwork design.
• Parking Analysis Every commercial and many residential projects now have parking requirements. The parking needs to be located on the site in a parking lot, under the new building or it can be located on the street if the municipality agrees. For warehouses, special analysis is required to assure that large tractor trailers can access the loading docks.
• Egress Analysis & Fire Safety A study of the Building Code will determine if a commercial space is allowed only one means of egress. This is established by determining the square footage of the space, dividing it by the ratio for the type of space (i.e. 100 sq.ft/occupant for a commercial space) to determine the number of occupants. If the number is less than stated in the Code, only one means of egress is allowed. If more than one means of egress is allowed, the length of egress to the exits depends on whether the space is sprinklered or not. Egresses from the building or space need to be separated from one another.
• Construction Documents After Design Development documents are approved, we add dimensions to the buildings and details which will allow the project to be approved by the Building Department and so the contractors can bid and build the project.
• Bidding & Negotiation If you do not have a contractor you trust, it is important to bid the project out to three or four contractors. It is important that each contractor bid on exactly the same documents and specifications so you end up with bids that you can compare. We often include a Bid Form that specifies the different categories the contractors put their bid numbers, i.e. Demolition, Cleaning, Construction, Millwork, Electrical Work, Plumbing Work, etc… The contractors’ bid prices are put into an Excel Worksheet so the bids can be analytically compared.
• Award of Construction Contract After the Owner and the Architect select the contractor to work with, we ask them to use either AIA Contract A-101, Standard form of Agreement between the Owner and the Contractor for a Stipulated Sum or AIA Contract AIA A-105 Standard Form of Agreement between the Owner and the Contractor for a Small Residential or Commercial Project as a basis for their contract. The Contractor’s bid is attached as a Schedule of Values that is the basis for Payment Requests and for determining Change Orders if there are any.
• Building Permits When a City, Town or Village receives the Building Permit application of drawings, an application form and a check, the municipality assigns the project to a Plans Examiner who reviews the project for Code Compliance. If they find problems with the project they will issue a list of Objections that need to be addressed before they will issue a permit. If a building is a Landmark, it will also need a permit from the Landmarks Commission before any permit is issued.
• Construction Administration Once the contractor begins work, the owner, the contractor and the architect will meet once a week to review issues that come up during construction, i.e. “we found a building gas pipe coming up through your kitchen” that we then seek to resolve. The Architect writes a Site Visit Report after each meeting so an agreement is made upon what is happening. It also lists the actions agreed upon by the different parties to be made soon. At certain points in the construction the contractor requests payment stating I have completed 80% Demolition, 20% new walls up, etc., the Architect verifies the amount of work done and approves the application so the Owner can make payment.
• Negotiation of Change Orders If an unexpected situation comes up that was not covered in the architect’s drawings or specifications, the contractor’s bid or the Owner decides to make a change, i.e. “Lets change the chrome hardware to satin nickel hardware.” The contractor will request a Change Order for increased or decreased cost and time. Some requested changes take time and the contractor can state he needs and additional “x” amount of time to complete the project.
• Handicapped Analysis According the Americans with Disabilities Act certain design requirements are required for passage through doorways, to access work surfaces and plumbing fixtures, etc.. The Architect makes an analysis of the existing project to make sure all elements of the building are accessible.
• Lighting Design Lighting design has aesthetic, functional aspects and energy implications. The fixed light fixtures, downlights in the ceilings, chandeliers, wall sconces or cove lights need to be installed with the proper dimensions to make sure the lighting has a certain character and will be functional and beautiful for the space. Many Energy Codes now require that a certain percentage of lights be energy efficient LED or florescent lights.
• MEB Acoustic Analysis We had a doctor’s office going into the ground floor of a Park Avenue building. We wanted to remove the existing plaster ceilings, but they provided sound isolation to the apartment owners above who did not want to hear the office activities below them. We had to install resilient channels and (3) layers of sheetrock on the concrete slab above to provide the same acoustic barrier to sound as the existing plaster ceiling had.
• Structural MEP (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing) design Often, in renovation projects, the existing structure, mechanical systems and the electrical systems need to be analyzed before proceeding. For example, many modern residential and commercial projects use much more electricity than the current use and electrical upgrades are often a necessary, and expensive, addition to the project.