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HELPFUL TIPS ON HAVING A PRESSURIZED WALL INSTALLED
Many of our customers have told us that they wished they had more information on Pressurized Walls so to make them happy and to assist any of you considering having a Pressurized Temporary Wall built, Wall Creators has put together some valuable information that will assist you in choosing the type of wall you want, the options and most importantly, the company to build your wall.
For
starts, let explain what a pressurized wall is and how it is built.
Over the past several years, rental prices for apartments, especially in New York City have skyrocketed. At the same time, demand has also increased for apartment units making it very difficult to find an affordable apartment that is safe, clean and a reasonable distance from one’s place of employment.
Hence, the Pressurized Wall has come into existence. A Pressurized Wall is a temporary wall that is built to add an extra room. Dispute what some potential customers may be thinking, the walls are built using drywall also know as sheetrock, metal and wood studs and usually a standard hollow core door. All of the top wall builders us basically the same materials and build the walls in the same fashion. The walls are first framed-out with studs to fit the space to be enclosed and then the drywall is attached to the studs as well as the door.
It makes us smile when customers think that we are going to come with a prefabricated inflatable wall that magically plugs in somewhere and inflates into position. No, today’s Pressurized Walls are constructed and designed to look very much like the current walls in your apartment. In fact, if you live in a post-war building, your walls are more then likely built with the same studs and drywall used to build a Pressurized Wall.
The major difference is that Pressurized Walls are held up by???? Yes, “pressure” There are 2-3 different techniques and we are certainly not going to give out our trade secrets but the walls are essentially held up without screwing them into the existing ceiling, floor or adjacent walls of your apartment. This is a blessing for Landlords since, when the wall is taking down; there is no permanent damage to the apartment. This is also a blessing to tenants since no damage means no loss of your security deposit. Needless to say, Pressurized Walls have become very, very popular in recent years.
So how do I decide they type of wall I want built?
Since most wall builders build the walls from scratch, as does Wall Creators, the design choice is unlimited. There is of course a degree of difficulty in building walls and if you are looking to have more then just a plain, straight basic wall built, you should go with a builder that builds a variety of designs. Wall Creators has built every possible design you could imagine. We love the challenges that some of our customers have given us from building walls in very small spaces to building walls with 14’ ceilings. We have built straight walls, T-shaped walls, L-shaped walls, V-shaped walls, Z-shaped walls and a unique design that we have yet to see built by another wall company, Y-shaped walls.
Options can also include, French doors, windows, air vents, sound insulation, light panels, a seamless finish, custom painting and staining and just about any other option you could imagine. Adding options does add to the price since installing a window or heavy French door does make building the wall a little more difficult so choosing options is basically based on your budget as well as you needs.
How
to I decide what company to use to build my wall?
Choosing a wall builder can be a difficult and maybe even a frustrating dilemma, which is why we came up with these tips. The price range from one builder to another could be as much as a $1,000.00 for the same type of wall and despite what you think, you don’t always “get what you pay for”. We highly respect the top 6 Pressurized wall builders in New York City, which we are proud to be one of (especially since there are only about 6 legitimate Pressurized Wall companies in NYC, and the construction of your wall be any of them will basically be the same. We have taken down walls built by other builders and know they use the same design concept as we do and we have waited in line at lumberyards behind a few of our competitors so we know the use the same materials. Where wall builders differ is in three major areas that Wall Creators takes pride in, price, customer service and professionalism.
We have had customers tell us that they were almost “not” going to use our service because the Price was much lower then the quotes they had received from other wall builders but once they had us build their wall, they were not only satisfied with the final outcome but also thrilled to have saved hundreds of dollars.
In the area of customer service, Wall Creators pulls no punches. Email us for a price quote at 4am and by 6am we would have responded. We do our best to respond to a customer’s inquiry in less then an hour. We also put all of our price agreements in writing as well as our free wall removal agreement so there are no surprises once the project is complete. Many buildings do not allow work to be done on Sundays or after a certain hour but for those that do, Wall Creators will be there to build your wall and we will not disturb your neighbors with any excessive noise.
Professionalism is also something we take pride in. Our builders will show you the highest level of courtesy you can imagine. They will not sit on your bed or couch, leave anything in your apartment or even use your bathroom without asking first. It’s your home and we sincerely respect it as such. Some of the very large wall companies have close ties to landlords so if your super or doorman recommends a wall company it may only be because it’s the one that building management has recommended. This does not mean you will get the best service and you will more then likely “not” get the best price. It is illegal for a landlord to force you to use a certain wall builder or any other type of contractor so shop around for the best deal.
What
else should I look for?
The most important thing to look for is for a wall builder that is fully insured. Most landlords require that the contractor provide them with an insurance certificate, which not only protects the landlord from damages but you as the tenant as well. $2,000,000 ( yes that’s million) in liability insurance is pretty much the standard requirement so make sure your builder has this coverage. Seams like a lot for a $1,000 wall but hey, it’s the Big Apple. Wall Creators is fully insured
Also, make sure to get your removal agreement in writing. If not, your builder may not be required to remove your wall. Wall Creators provides you with a written removal contract upon completion of your wall. We remove walls we build at no additional cost.
To
Lease or Not To Lease?
Some wall builders lease their walls, in other words, they build the wall in your apartment but you are only allowed to keep it for a certain amount of time, (say a year) if you want to keep it up longer, there is usually a fee associated with the extension. There is also usually a security deposit required as well. The idea is that since the wall is leased, landlords will know that the company will come to take the wall down at some point and time. It sounds reasonable but the written contract that Wall Creators gives its customers is much more binding and serves the same purpose. Wall Creators does not lease its walls. You are actually purchasing the wall so you may keep it as long as you like, sell it to the next tenant if they want a wall or have it removed by us at any time at no additional cost. Since we do not reuse any materials, you can also paint the wall and door any color you wish.
How
long does it take to build the wall?
Time varies from wall to wall since the size, shape, options and amount of space to work in will all affect the amount of time it takes to complete a wall. Standard straight walls can be done in 4-5 hours but larger walls with very high ceilings or walls with lots of optional features may take a full day or even two, especially if it involves working around a lot of furnishings or you live in a 6 floor walk-up.
We hope this information has been valuable and that it will make your Pressurized Wall experience a little more enjoyable. Now we would like to tell you a few more reasons why Wall Creators, Inc is your best choice for an affordable Pressurized – Temporary Wall.
1. Wall Creators offers a best Price Guarantee. Get a quote from another top wall builder and we will beat the price by at least $100.00.
2. Wall Creators offers seamless, non-seamless and semi-seamless finishes to your wall. Other Pressurized Wall companies offer either a seamless finish or a non-seamless finish to your wall. We offer three options since its your wall and you should be the one to decide.
3. Wall Creators offers evening a s well as weekend service. We know you lead a very hectic life and we do our best to accommodate your busy schedule. If you live in a building that allows work to be done in the evening or on weekends, we will do our best to a meet your needs and keep noise to a minimum as well.
4. Wall Creators will help you decide on the best wall design to fit you apartment as well as your budget. We offer very elaborate designs with 6- foot light panels, French Doors, or air vents or we can build you a very affordable, very simple wall that wont break your budget. We will come out an not only take formal measurements but will also design a computerized floor plan of your wall design.
5. Wall Creators will give you the best customer service imaginable. Recently we received an email inquiry from a customer at 2pm, we responded to him with a price quote, booked the date for the wall installation, emailed the price agreement to the customer, received the signed agreement faxed back to us from the customer, contacted building management for insurance requirements, sent the insurance info. to our broker and emailed all the approved information back to our the customer and building management all by 2:30pm the same day. Now we cant guarantee 30 minutes or less like Dominos on every transaction but we will do our best.
If you have additional questions regarding Pressurized Walls, please email us at wallcreators@gmail.com and we will do our best to give you the answers with no obligation.
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