In a message dated 3/23/2000 6:27:04 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Manhattan House, 200 East 66th Street --- $715,000 to repair balconies;
 Owner: New York Life (Stephen Szabaga); Engineer: Hayden-Weman
  >>

Although I don't know this particular building, we've worked on buildings
with lots of balconies, each of which have had all manner of problems costing
big bucks to fix.  Therefore, a big number times another big number could
easily produce $715,000.

Then again, sometimes the design professional is, shall we say overly
conservative, and calls for replacement of all lintels where only a handful
have been reported to leak, and a slightly larger handful in one scaffold drop
 have been found defective (but don't leak) .....to the tune of one (count
it, one) million clams.

All it takes is a ton of money and a dream.

Ralph