Remodeling Your Condo or Co-op Kitchen or Bath: What the Building Needs First

The building's sign-off form (the "alteration agreement")

An alteration agreement is the building's written permission for your project: you describe the work, the building reviews it, and you agree to follow its rules while the job is going on.

Start by getting the renovation rules in writing from management or the board, and send them to your contractor before the plan is final.

The form often asks for:

• A written scope, meaning a plain description of the work
• Drawings or a layout, especially if plumbing or walls move
• Your contractor's name, license, and insurance papers
• A planned start date and work schedule

Some buildings won't allow moving a kitchen or bath to a new spot, touching walls that hold the building up, or putting a wet room (a kitchen or bath) over a neighbor's dry room (like a bedroom), or they send those plans for extra review. Ask management how far ahead they need your paperwork.

Contractor license and certificate of insurance (COI)

Most buildings want your contractor's license and certificate of insurance before work starts. A COI is a one-page form from the contractor's insurance company. It shows the contractor has active insurance, such as general liability, and when it runs out.

Many buildings ask to be listed on it by name as "additional insured." That way the contractor's coverage protects the building too if something goes wrong during the job. Get the exact names from management so the COI is right the first time.

We're licensed and insured in Pennsylvania, PA HIC PA118319.

Work hours, elevators, and hallways

Most buildings set work hours, want the elevator reserved, and expect the halls protected and debris hauled out.

• Work hours are often weekdays, with limited weekend hours or none. Some buildings hold demo, tile removal, and cutting to certain hours. We plan the loud work to fit.
• The service elevator or loading dock usually has to be reserved ahead of time for deliveries and debris.
• Elevator pads and floor runners in halls and lobbies are often required on work days.
• Ask management where trucks can park and unload.
• Construction debris usually can't go in the building's trash rooms or chutes. It gets hauled out.

Water shutoffs and risers

Water shutoffs are usually scheduled with the super or maintenance staff, because one valve can feed more than your unit.

A riser is a main pipe that feeds several stacked units. In many buildings, kitchen and bath shutoffs happen at the riser, so turning off your water can turn off your neighbors' water too. Neighbors on the same line may need notice.

Your building may also ask for working shutoff valves inside the unit after the remodel.

We agree on the shutoff time with staff ahead of time, keep it as short as we can, and make sure the water is back on with no leaks before we leave.

Permits: when they're needed

Whether you need a permit depends on the work and where the building is. Replacing cabinets and counters is different from moving plumbing or adding circuits.

• Philadelphia: Permits are issued by the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). Plumbing and electrical work generally need their own permits unless an exemption applies.
• Bucks and Montgomery County: Each township or borough runs its own permit office and rules, so it's checked address by address.

We'll tell you what we think applies after we walk the unit. The building may ask to see permits before work starts.

How we handle building requirements in occupied units

Most of our jobs are in homes where people are still living.

We walk the unit first

Ed walks the unit before any final price or schedule.

From Ed: "I check the obvious first. The building rules, the work hours and days, and the elevator hours and how to schedule it. Then I plan parking and trash removal, including whether I can get a dumpster dropped off."

Our occupied-unit kitchen and bath packages run hall bath gut $15,000–$30,000, primary bath $25,000–$55,000, and kitchen $35,000–$70,000, materials included. Ranges finalize after we walk the unit.

How we run the job

• We provide our license information and a COI with the building's required names.
• We give you a written scope and schedule to attach to the sign-off form. The form stays yours to sign.
• We set elevator, dock, and shutoff dates with the property manager or super.
• We seal off the work area, protect the paths through the unit, and leave the hall and elevator path clean every day.

Buildings we've worked in

Buildings we've worked in include Residences at Dockside (bathrooms), Siena Place, 511 Condominium Residences, William Penn House (a co-op), and Bridgeview Place Condominiums.

Quick checklist before your remodel starts

• Get the building's renovation rules in writing
• Fill out the building's sign-off form (alteration agreement)
• Send the contractor's license and COI, with the building's "additional insured" names
• Confirm work hours and quiet-hour rules
• Reserve the elevator or loading dock and confirm protection rules
• Plan debris removal (no building trash rooms or chutes)
• Schedule water shutoffs with building staff
• Check if permits apply (Philadelphia L&I or your township)
• Give neighbors on your floor, and above and below, a short notice with dates, hours, and a contact (we can draft one)
• Ask whether the building requires a refundable deposit and how it works
• Walk the unit with your contractor and get a clear schedule