Queensview Inc. Saves $1M on $12M Project by Combining Facade Repairs and Roof Replacements

Queensview Inc.

21-66 33rd Road

Astoria, Queens 

The math was daunting. Confronted with major facade repairs and roof replacements, the board at Queensview Inc., a 726-unit co-op in Astoria, wasn’t facing just a one-building endeavor — it was facing 14. With 14 buildings, each with their own basketball courts, playgrounds and parking lots, the board decided to bundle these projects and tackle them for the entire complex. 

Less hassle, less expensive. The logistics are complicated, but cost-wise, the decision was a no-brainer. Victor Roggia, the board president, estimates that consolidating the work will save the co-op up as much as $1 million on the $12 million venture. The savings stem from the so-called soft costs of the project, since the co-op is paying only once for soft costs of sidewalk sheds and engineering fees. Combining the work also minimizes the disruption to shareholders. “We didn't have the inconvenience of having the sidewalk sheds up twice,” Roggia explains. Filing the facade and roof projects with the Department of Buildings together on a single permit application also saved time and minimized cost. 

Stage by stage. Even though Queensview is professionally managed, it hired a third party to oversee and coordinate the work. “It’s really like a town on its own,” says Andras Joo, New Bedford Management’s head of owners’ representation, the owners rep the board hired. “The whole thing will be done in batches, because it cannot be done in one year,” he says.

Indeed, by the time the project is finished, it will have taken twice that long. With repairs happening in cycles, three buildings are being tackled at a time — the facade first, followed by the roof replacement. “We do three buildings next to each other and we put shedding up and then as the building is done, we remove the shedding and move it to the next three buildings,” Roggia says. Work on nine of the 14 buildings is now complete, the rest of the repairs will be done by fall. 

Defects and delays. On a project of this size, surprise expenses are inevitable. More brickwork than expected has had to be replaced, and deteriorated caulking has been identified around the windows and lintels. “That became an additional cost — you can’t just overlook something because it’s not part of the mandated work,” Roggia says. Fixing minor leaks, where water was seeping in through the porous brick facade and along windows, prolonged the project timeline. “Some of them are very hard to track down,” he adds. 

Providing vehicle access for contractors and moving residents’ cars to create space for containers and materials is another complex process. ”It’s like a puzzle — how to create space in parking lots or rearrange the cars when work is happening,” Joo says. 

Covering the cost. The $12 million project is being funded by a bank loan, which will be paid back through increased maintenance fees. Because new roof installations must meet insulation minimums set by city energy codes, the co-op is entitled to apply for incentives from Con Edison. At most the incentive will be a few thousand dollars per roof, but given the $475,000 cost for each new roof, “it’s at least it’s something,” Roggia says. The new roofs also have a 30-year warranty, which is the upper limit for most installations. “We are hoping that in the long run it will save us money and prevent leaks,” he adds. 

The facade and roof replacements complement the co-op’s ongoing efforts to mitigate its projected six-figure carbon emission penalties in 2030 under Local Law 97. This includes the installation of a new instantaneous hot water system to replace deteriorated hot water tanks, extensive pipe insulation, LED lighting upgrades and a planned sub-metering project. “Every project we do here has an energy-saving component now,” Roggia says.