Updated almost 8 years ago on . Most recent reply
Pittsburgh apartment fire escapes
I'm working on a portfolio deal that has 2 apartments needing a 2 and 3 story static fire escape completely demo'd and rebuilt. Does anyone know if using wood will to work? I got an estimate from Safe Escapes and their ballparking about 20k per. That's a lot more than I was hoping to spend right after closing.
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#3 Investor Mindset Contributor
- Handyman
- Pittsburgh, PA
See if you can get the engineer's name that the fire marshal wants to refer you to and go talk to the engineer with many pictures of the existing fire escapes on your phone. Odds are the engineer will give you basic requirements right on the spot. The fire marshal IS the building code official in East Pittsburgh. The whole borough is less than 1/2 square mile and has less than 2000 people in it. As soon as you have your design info, go back to the fire marshal with your building plan before you start working on it and make sure you get at least his verbal approval.
You buy investment property in a community like East Pittsburgh, you should be looking to build a meaningful personal relationship with the fire marshal and all the borough officials you can find to shake hands with, and it's going to take time. Old Mon Valley born and bred doesn't trust anyone who isn't Mon Valley born and bred. If you have any steelworker or cokeburner deep local roots in your family, mention them. Mention them frequently.