Why an attached rowhouse is not exempt
The rule covers every building with a parapet fronting a street, sidewalk or other public place, at any height. It exempts two kinds of building: detached one- or two-family homes, and buildings where a fence or other barrier prevents access to the exterior wall. A rowhouse shares both side walls and a semi-attached house shares one, so neither is detached.
That puts the owner-occupied brownstone, the two-family limestone with a tenant upstairs and the brick row house rented by the floor in scope whenever a parapet runs along the street front. A house with three or more units falls outside the family-home exemption whether it is attached or not.
Your report covers your house alone, even where the parapets read as one continuous wall across the block; the neighbors need their own.
What a rowhouse parapet looks like up close
Where a brownstone or brick rowhouse has a front parapet, it is usually a short brick wall behind or above the cornice, capped with stone or clay coping. It is hard to see from the sidewalk, so damage can sit unnoticed until a brick or a piece of coping comes loose. On rowhouses, these are the points we look at most closely:
- Mortar joints. Old lime mortar erodes, and past patches in hard cement mortar can trap moisture and make the brick face spall.
- Coping. Stones or tiles that have shifted or come loose, and open joints along the top of the wall.
- The party-wall ends. Where your parapet meets your neighbor's, the flashing and mortar at the joint between the two buildings deserve a close look.
- Roofing run up the back of the parapet. Tar or membrane on the inside face can hide cracks and hold water against the brick.
- The cornice below. The rule's checklist is about the parapet and what is attached to it, but a cornice pulling away from the wall sits right under it, so we note it under general conditions.
Getting onto a rowhouse roof
Rowhouse roofs are usually reached through a hatch at the top of the stairs or inside a top-floor closet, by a fixed or folding ladder. If that hatch is inside a tenant's apartment, set a time with them before the visit, and check that the hatch opens: some have been painted or screwed shut over the years.
Once you are up, working from the roof side of the parapet is acceptable to the DOB, which suits a rowhouse with no front fire escape. The rule calls for the entire parapet, though, so the street face has to be examined along with the top and the back.
Lofts, storefront buildings and new construction
Converted factory and warehouse buildings tend to have taller, heavier brick parapets, sometimes still carrying old sign brackets and ironwork anchored into the masonry. Mixed-use buildings on the commercial streets have shops below, apartments above and a parapet directly over the sidewalk.
Newer mid-rises usually have metal coping, roof decks and railings fastened to or through the parapet. The rule has no exception for new buildings: one finished last year needs its observation this year. Pricing follows height, from $300–$600 for 1–3 stories to $500–$1,200 for 4–6 and $1,000–$2,500+ for 7 or more.