Metro

Williamsburg waterfront condo residents complain of ‘shoddy’ construction

They were promised “luxury living” only to have their dreams shattered after buying pricey condos at a new high-rise complex on the Williamsburg waterfront that residents complain is rife with “shoddy” construction.

Apartment owners at Northside Piers — a 450-unit, two-tower complex on Kent Avenue — claim developer Toll Brothers engaged in shoddy construction, and potentially fraud, before collecting cash for the units, which became available four years ago and run from $512,000 for studios to $2.8 million for penthouses.

A half dozen condo owners interviewed by The Post say their walls are leaky and poorly insulated; mold is growing in the walls; and there is faulty plumbing, sewage, heating and air-conditioning systems.

But the biggest issue is the project’s signature feature — massive windows, many of which offer spectacular Manhattan skyline views. The grand views, the residents say, came at a steep price.

The windows are thin and the seams between the panes allow wind and rain to easily come through, residents say. Some residents have taped around the window panes, but they say rain and air still blows in.

A Post reporter noticed a bad draft coming through the windows in two condos – even though they were heavily covered in tape.

“We were promised luxury living if we came across the River from Manhattan to be part of the resurgence of North Brooklyn,” said Andrew Turetsky, a 45-year-old social worker who relocated with his wife to Northside Piers in 2008 from Greenwich Village. “I was not expecting such shameful and shoddy workmanship.”

Turetsky, who forked over $608,000 for the one-bedroom apartment, pays $625 monthly in “common charges” for maintenance, access to a gym and other services.

His electric bill ranges from $200 to $300 a month, he said, because the heat and air conditioning needs to be regularly raised to compensate for the outside air seeping in. Others with two- bedroom apartments say they’re bills average about $400 monthly.

“A worker from Con Edison told me this is their favorite building,” another condo owner said.

Williamsburg activist Phil DePaolo said part of the problem is Toll Brothers, shortly after breaking ground in 2006, dropped union labor to cut costs.

Condo owners say they’ve gone to both Toll Brothers and Northside Piers’ board of managers with their problems, but claim they’ve gotten little assistance.

A Toll Brothers spokesman said the company “is aware of these isolated situations and strongly disagrees with the allegations as they have been presented,” adding it “will continue to honor its obligations and provide the quality and customer service for which it is known.”