Stove Installation in an apartment - Management Company issues

sjapok

Hi,

I'm trying to install a stove in our open fireplace in a ground floor (corner) apartment in a 3 storey complex with a flat roof.

We have a chimney stack that extends the 3 storeys to the top of the building and I have a quote for €2.5k Eur including a flue all the way to the roof (installed by a hoist/boom), stove + installation + the creation of a 6 inch air vent in the wall near the stove.

The management company state that I need board approval to (a) access the roof and obtain approval for the flue and (b) create the air vent. From the tone of the e-mail, it seems unlikely we'd obtain this.

What can I do here? What rules should I be looking at? Can they block roof access to my own chimney pot?

Thanks!

Caranica

The management company are charged with protecting the interests of ALL owners. Permitting alterations to common property to the sole benefit of one member is not likely to qualify.

You're looking at interfering with a roof that's not just your roof but the roof of other apartments in the building. The other apartments have nothing to gain, but face increased block insurance. Having a contractor working for an individual owner making alternations to common property is also fraught with issues.

Claw Hammer

sjapok wrote: »

Hi,

I'm trying to install a stove in our open fireplace in a ground floor (corner) apartment in a 3 storey complex with a flat roof.

We have a chimney stack that extends the 3 storeys to the top of the building and I have a quote for €2.5k Eur including a flue all the way to the roof (installed by a hoist/boom), stove + installation + the creation of a 6 inch air vent in the wall near the stove.

The management company state that I need board approval to (a) access the roof and obtain approval for the flue and (b) create the air vent. From the tone of the e-mail, it seems unlikely we'd obtain this.

What can I do here? What rules should I be looking at? Can they block roof access to my own chimney pot?

Thanks!

look at your lease and see how common areas are defined. Look at what you are permitted to do under the lease and what the responsibility of the management company (landlord) is.

Marcusm

sjapok wrote: »

Hi,

I'm trying to install a stove in our open fireplace in a ground floor (corner) apartment in a 3 storey complex with a flat roof.

We have a chimney stack that extends the 3 storeys to the top of the building and I have a quote for €2.5k Eur including a flue all the way to the roof (installed by a hoist/boom), stove + installation + the creation of a 6 inch air vent in the wall near the stove.

The management company state that I need board approval to (a) access the roof and obtain approval for the flue and (b) create the air vent. From the tone of the e-mail, it seems unlikely we'd obtain this.

What can I do here? What rules should I be looking at? Can they block roof access to my own chimney pot?

Thanks!

Neither the chimney nor the wall in which you want to instal an air vent are yours. Sounds like you are going with a decent installer who has set it up correctly but you will, understably, need to get OMC approval and that might not be forthcoming. Amongst other things they will want to see the installer’s public liability insurance to ensure that there is coverage. It’s not a house so the chimney stack goes through common areas and there is the potential for damage to more than one property. Is it a fully functioning fireplace at the moment meaning that the neighbours are used to open fires, smoke etc? If not, I’d say your chances are nil.

ted1

sjapok wrote: »

Hi,

I'm trying to install a stove in our open fireplace in a ground floor (corner) apartment in a 3 storey complex with a flat roof.

We have a chimney stack that extends the 3 storeys to the top of the building and I have a quote for €2.5k Eur including a flue all the way to the roof (installed by a hoist/boom), stove + installation + the creation of a 6 inch air vent in the wall near the stove.

The management company state that I need board approval to (a) access the roof and obtain approval for the flue and (b) create the air vent. From the tone of the e-mail, it seems unlikely we'd obtain this.

What can I do here? What rules should I be looking at? Can they block roof access to my own chimney pot?

Thanks!

You own the airspace not the building. You don’t own the chimney pot.

Have they asked for insurance details on the installer ?

sjapok

I appreciate the replies. I'll ask the company to provide details of their insurance cover.

The only modifications I'd be looking to make to the building exterior is:
1. to drop a flue into the chimney and install a slightly different cover on the chimney pot on the roof. I may not even need a different cover to the existing one.
2. A small vent in the wall in the living room (6 inch diameter). I see other apartments have this. This is a requirement of current building regulations with an open fire, which we currently have and actively use.

If this were you, how would you pitch this to the management company / Board of Directors?

Edgware

In an apartment complex alterations as such as your can be very difficult and expensive.
You will have to supply more information than your average builder can provide. To get permission from the Directors of the Management Company you will have to provide an architects proposal, insurance cover etc. Even with that the O.M.C. are not obliged to give you permission

JustAThought

I looked at having a wood burning stove installed in my house - they installer warned me in advance of coming out that if there was a management company many were block barring them because of the precieved
fire risk and the change of the look of
the estate due to the piping popping out of roofs and being run up the outside of houses / aesthetic eyesore etc.

As it happened
I couldn’t get it done within a reasonable budget because of his eye watering quote for fireproofing of the inside of the room and the fireproofinng for the flue going through other room to the attic.

(maybe you could PM me your guys name & number - my quote was 10k !!!)


Pitch - non visibie to other residents, very minor aesthetic change 3 floors up and out of sight of most human traffic, highlight small almost imperceptable size, give full
details of guys insurance indemnity, faciliyate any need in reapect of access and keys, highlight safety control (process/ ISO protocol or quality procedures followed/ associated with or registered member of regulating body, c years experience and company has no clains against it or has installed y number of these including for
previous neighbours. Certification for safety standards, guarantee on product etc Precedent set by other owners etc

sjapok

Thanks for the heads up on this everyone. I'm going to draft a letter to the management company / board and I'll post back here in a few weeks to let you know how I get on

sjapok

FYI, decided not to pursue the stove. It was more trouble than it was worth, thanks all for the advice.