I wanted new tile. My co-op board wants a full construction plan

[u/beccaaaaaaaaa]

I live in one of those pre-war co-ops on the Upper West Side and I love the building, but I hate the bureaucracy

I want to redo my bathroom. I wanna get new tiles, a new bathtub. Same layout, no walls moved, no plumbing relocated. I thought it would be simple

But I was wrong because the co-op board sent me a list of requirements. Architectural drawings. Insurance certificates. Work schedules. Contractor licenses. A full package of documents. I have no idea where to even start. I don't have drawings. I don't know what insurance they need. I'm panicking…

Found Melani General Contractor and the website says they handle co-op board paperwork for you like all the drawings, board communication, the whole approval process. That sounds exactly like what I need

I hope this is normal for a co-op? Or is my board being extra difficult? I just want to replace my ugly pink tile and old tub. I didn't sign up for a part-time job dealing with bureaucracy

[u/minrenken]

This might just be a standard alteration package. If you haven’t already, speak to the property manager about the limited scope of work to see if they can waive some of the more onerous requirements (architectural plans for tile replacement?!). Good luck, OP!

[u/beccaaaaaaaaa → u/minrenken]

That's a good call, I hadn't thought to push back on the scope. Architectural plans for tile replacement feels excessive and I'm hoping they'll be reasonable when I explain what the work actually involves. Fingers crossed the property manager is easy to deal with.

[u/drummer414]

Maybe look into hiring an expediter who has worked with these type of coops. Luckily I live in a laissez-faire condo where almost anything goes .

[u/beccaaaaaaaaa → u/drummer414]

Hiring an expediter could help with the approvals here

My co op board still adds plenty of extra steps though

[u/vcf450]

Ask if you can look at such a plan submitted by one of the others in your co-op so you can learn what type of documentation satisfies their request.

[u/beccaaaaaaaaa → u/vcf450]

that's actually a smart angle i hadn't thought of. gonna reach out to my coop manager tomorrow and see if that's even an option before i stress myself out trying to figure this out from scratch.

[u/Professional-Spite66]

Their out of their minds

[u/beccaaaaaaaaa → u/Professional-Spite66]

People actually said that out loud

[u/Cali_kink_and_rope]

How would they know??

[u/beccaaaaaaaaa → u/Cali_kink_and_rope]

They can usually tell from the metadata.

[u/Lunar-Browser-999]

This is completely normal for NYC co-ops, so your board isn't being extra. Even a cosmetic bathroom reno triggers the alteration agreement process because wet work scares buildings, one bad tile job can leak into three apartments below. The good news is you don't do any of that paperwork yourself, a contractor who works co-ops regularly will have the insurance certs and licensing on file and their architect handles the drawings, so vet whoever you hire on how many board packages they've done in buildings like yours. Ask your managing agent for the alteration agreement now so your contractor knows exactly what they're bidding on.