One Reason Why Alteration Agreements Are So Important
Oct. 14, 2015 — "One of the things that makes a gas-out harder is [when] alterations have been done," says John Devall, the Orsid Realty manager of the 354-unit Vermeer at 77 Seventh Avenue in Chelsea. The Vermeer co-op had its gas shut off in October 2014, and has been spending months getting each line and riser tested and then turned on.
Some buildings, says Devall, are now taking tougher stances when it comes to alterations. If an owner wants to move a gas stove to the other side of the kitchen, or add a gas appliance like a dryer, that alteration is not being approved.
"Good or bad? I can't say. For the person who wants to do the renovation their way, it's not good. From a building standpoint, the less you tamper with a system, the better it is."
Relocating a gas stove or adding a new gas appliance can be done safely, and Devall recommends that if a building allows this it should require documentation. The reason is that if new branch lines are run during the alteration, the building needs to have this information on record.
Alteration plans should be saved, he says, so that in the case of a major event such as a gas-out the investigation can proceed more smoothly. "Owners can change," he adds "but sometimes alterations are forever."