Bathroom In Progress February 13 2011

Here is the "lead pan." This will be the floor of my shower soon. The lead pan keeps the floor waterproof. (Can you say, "Yay! no more slipping and sliding getting in and out of the bathtub?") When this is finished, the bathroom floor will be one level. No ridges, no bumps, no stuff to fall over or slip across! This is gonna be great!

My super high toilet will be here. Again, my tired old legs thank me for this renovation. Take That MS !

LEFT: Future home of my sink, medicine cabinet and shower.

RIGHT: One more photo of my future shower.

Soap.com ~ Absolutely Fabulous!

Just like all the other NY'ers, I got a coupon or postcard from Soap.com this month.

I am a cleaning product addict. (Please - no comments from the peanut gallery about whether or not I actually use said products. I am internally organized. Just like the Boy Scouts, I am prepared. Prepared for any cleaning whim which may overwhelm my normally mellow state of mind.)

Anyway, I have to buy a new broom and swiffers for the new apartment. I was hoping my old swiffer would suffer through until it met its fate in the trash room on my current floor. But, fate was not on my side. The dust bunnies and hair balls are mocking me. The broken swiffer has forced me to take serious action.

To answer the one dear reader who cared enough to email me regarding my post last week:

"Are you really that crazy that you believe it is bad luck to bring an old broom to a new house?"

Yes. I am that crazy. A spinster I may be, but I listened to all you old wives.

And my old swifter dry dust mop broke last week. I love having such BIG problems. I remember the days of actual due dates and real work, a broken 10 year old swiffer mop does not compare, but still..... I have to fill my thoughts before I fall asleep in the evenings and befor my 2 daily naps....

So, here I am. A broken Swiffer dry dust mop. A fever. Its cold out. AND The nearest CVS or Duane Reade is a whole 1/2 block away. Serious problems require serious solutions.

Suddenly, I remembered, my ol' pal had recommended I stock my new apartment with cleaning supplies from Soap.com vs sending him out in another snow storm for Lavender Dr. Meyers Dish Soap. (No, I don't like the Basil. I am washing dishes, not making a pizza)

So, I grabbed my trusty iPad and was online in a jiffy. 10 taps later, I was in the Soap.com site. Typically I am not affected by a website. But I have to say, Soap.com did have me at the first page. They have tons o' stuff. I happily filled my basket with a bevy of bottles I couldn't possibly live the next two weeks without. The new Aveeno spf 42 lotion - promised to reduce the look of lines and wrinkles, must be that extra 2 spf, the stuff I had before was only 40 spf. Phffft ! 40 spf? I laugh at you! Weak 40 spf little lotion! I need the powerful stuff. Freckles are waiting beneath my epidermis, just ready to spring to life. 42 spf: Now we are rocking.

Luckily I remembered my bathroom needed to be scoured. I found the miracle of all miracles. How could I clean my old bathroom properly, to ensure I would get my whole security deposit, without the "Naturally It's Clean Tub & Tile, Natural Enzyme Cleaner?" Really. Seriously. I have been cleaning my kitchen, tub & tile and preventing mildew without natural enzymes all these years. The shame of it all.

So, tap, tap, tap, the items flew into my little basket. I found all the lotions and potions, cleaners & swiffers I had to have, entered my credit card, punched in the coupon code and poof ~ my shopping was done. I received an email letting me know my critical items will all be delivered later today. Sure enough, right before Mike's Pizzeria brought me my raviolis, a gentleman knocked on my door. Owen let me know and within seconds I was opening my the sturdy box filled with stuff guaranteed to clean, renew and refresh my home and my face. Who could ask for more? Okay, it would have been a little bit better if the delivery guy had looked like Billy Crystal or Robert Guillaume , but I'm not exactly a Jessica Tate myself.

So, after a healthy low carb dinner of ravioli and garlic knots, I was energized and enthusiastic - ready to take on every dust / hair ball, determined to show that mildew which enzyme is boss. Throwing caution to the wind, I assembled my new swiffer dust mop, without one glance at the directions, wondered what Benson would wear as he swept the apartment and reached for the remote. Tomorrow is the perfect day to clean.

Mostly Done? Friday, February 11, 2011

At the end of this renovation, it seems like things are sloooooooowing down. I am sure things are moving along, but for a non-construction professional like myself, it was easier to see progress when big things were being ripped out or cupboards installed. These last days are very stressful. Every time I think "this is the most stressful part of this process - another level of apprehension pops up. I am very thankful to have found such a great General Contractor (GC). I wonder what people do who manage the work themselves? How can you work full time and manage this kind of job? (I nap full time and it is impossible for me) I can completely recommend my GC. He has been great and I am very confident he will be finished a couple of days before my "moving date." I know how lucky I am to have found him. So many people have nightmare tales of woe, horrible sob stories of projects never finished, running overtime, or being done wrong. Again, I am very fortunate. So far, this project has been exactly what was promised. I am very happy at this point. In a whole apartment renovation, the biggest problem was a wall painted gray instead of beige? And the wall was repainted before I even got to go see the "wrong" color. This is unheard of - I am very lucky. From my days at a hardware store, I know every project has hiccups. And many projects have out right severed arteries. I was prepared for problems. Mistakes happen. I know this. But, in this job, so far, no problems. I keep thinking, "Who is going to pinch me to wake me ? This is toooooo good to be true. I really did find the perfect GC." (God, I hope I am not jinxing it, by saying this out loud. smile.)

My official moving date is at the end of this month. At the beginning of this project, it seemed like everything would be done far, far, far ahead of schedule. Now I am worried I won't be moving into a "finished" apartment. Maybe I've got Moving Mania? Project Conclusion Cold Feet? I am sure lots of things are happening every day, but the little things are harder to see. A few folks have emailed me asking for a progress update, so here goes:

My Posh Project Manager (PPM) checked out the apartment tonight. He reports:

This week the GC has completed:

~ The cable wire is run. Thank goodness, my cable wire will be "hidden" behind the molding, no ugly cable wire stapled to my new sparking moldings.

~ Moldings are in

~ Kitchen backsplash is grouted

~ Bathroom floor drain is in

~ Lead pan for the bath room floor is in

~ Shower Body is in (this is the stuff behind the tiles that you don't see)

~ Kitchen cabinets have all the remaining pieces (little panels between cabinets or to hide appliances).

~ Bathroom Painted (the bathroom will be tiled up to 4 feet outside the shower and from floor to ceiling in the shower)

I haven't seen the apartment in a few days. I got a fever during the week and have been "napping" for about 14 to 16 hours a day. But thank goodness, I am feeling better, so I will go see the new apartment tomorrow or Sunday to take more photo updates.

So, what's left for my GC? I am sure there are lots of things I am not thinking of right off the top of my head, but I believe (based on what my PPM reports and my best guesses):

~ Bathroom tile (floor and wall)

~ Bathroom sink & faucet installation

~ Bathroom toilet installation

~ Medicine cabinet installation

~ Bathroom moldings and door installation

~ Bathroom lights

~ Hallway Ceiling Light (between bedroom and bathroom)

~ Kitchen Ceiling Light

~ Bedroom Ceiling Light (yes, I went full out for the Auntie Mame fancy schmancy chandelier. Lots of twinkle and baubles!)


PUNCH LIST

So, two people asked if manhattan renovations included a "punch list?" I guess maybe people thought this only happened outside of the city? The good news is: A Punch List happens everywhere (I can't imagine where it doesn't exist).

For those of you who haven't had the pleasure/stress/nightmare/gift/hell/dream of a renovation: A punch list is a list of the final touches. Basically, you go throughout the home and point out things that need to be tweaked or fixed. Because I love my GC, I imagine this punch list will be very, very short or non-existent. But yes, I will go through the apartment with my GC and make sure everything is A-Okay.

Did I mention my GC hires a cleaning company after he is finished with the renovation? I am super happy about this. I have never lived in a BRAND NEW home. Honestly, I never imagined I would ever put my knives in a virgin drawer. It is very exciting. I am still getting used to the idea: I will be the first person to put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, I will be the first person to bake a pie (okay - I do make a mean rhubarb crumble, I doubt an actual pie will ever be baked in my oven, but you never know. Maybe I will get a Betty Crocker Bug and start cooking up a storm?)

I have one DYI project saved for myself (or myself and friends). I will be installing the closet myself. I am trying desperately to choose which company to go with. If you have experience: good or bad, with a closet company, please let me know.

Other small stuff I am going to take care of myself:

~ I am not putting up pulls or cabinet hardware in the kitchen. I don't need it. The cupboards have a cut out so they open easily without knobs or pulls. I may add them later, I have plenty of time to decide.

~ I am going to switch out the doorknobs on some doors. I found some antique NYC Board of Ed doorknobs on eBay and I am going to switch out the bedroom and bathroom door knobs with these antique ones.

~ I will hang up my curtains / shades / blinds / sheets (kidding). I haven't decided what kind of window dressings yet.

~ I will secure the bookcases to the walls. I think I know which walls will be home to my many tombs, but have not officially decided.

Of course, my PPM, experienced in the fine art of living in a brand new home, did point out: I will be crushed with the first scratch, nick or break. As usual, he is right. But I am damn excited to experience this whole thing.



Moving Company Update:
As I mentioned in an earlier post, FlatRate has been great so far. They dropped off my boxes on Wednesday. So far, I have packed 2 boxes. 98 more to go.


So far so good.

Day ?? The Moving Company

So, last week we began the rumored horrific process of finding a mover. For those of you outside the litigious city of NY, I am moving into a building which requires a bonded and insured mover. (This is code for: you can't hire "a guy with a truck") It is also code for: This. Will. Cost. A. FORTUNE. Money. Money. Money. Or, so I have heard.

So, my PPM went about calling a company which had been recommended. We thought they would come and give me a quote - hopefully it would not be a small fortune. So, we booked a day and time for the guy to come and look at all my junk and give me a quote. Two people who have been extremely good at estimating cost all along this process told me they thought it would be between $2,000 and $3,000. This is just for the actual move, not for packing my stuff. So, I was incredibly nervous to have the moving expert come and give me the estimate. To be honest, do I really have things that are actually worth $3,000? Its more than I paid for my first car for god sakes.

So, today, promptly on time, the "moving expert quoter" arrived. He was verrrrry business like. My apartment was sort of a shambles (even for me it was a shambles, so those of you who know my "external organization" aura, understand this means it was pretty crazy.

He walked around quickly, pointing at this piece of furniture, that couch, asking, "All these books going?" "Is this couch going?" "All these books going?" "How about this TV?" "These books too?" "This too?" "So, basically, every book is going?"

So, after a five minute whirlwind through my apartment, he sat down on my couch (the one that I am not bringing, sorry owen). He began to complete a form, then brought out his laptop and began entering information. He asked if I needed insurance. I said yes. He asked about the hours of the move, confirmed the day and date, and confirmed both are doorman buildings.

During the whole calculator, laptop typing process, Owen was very happy to say hello. The poor guy dropped his calculator a bunch of times. Owen of course, wanted to pick it up. After the second time, I said, "he just wants to pick it up for you." So, the next time he dropped it, he did let Owen pick it up. Owen promptly brought it to me. I told him, "Go give it to him." Which he did. He seemed very impressed with Owen's attentiveness. He dropped the calculator one more time; I think it might have been just as a test for Owen, which he passed beautifully.

So, finally he said, "Okay, so the total cost for the move, without boxes will be ........."


I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and pray for the moving fairy to come dance through my window. But, I took a deep breath and....

"Okay, the total cost for the move, without boxes will be one thousand dollars."


I wanted to jump up and kiss the guy. One Thousand dollars? Absolutely Fabulous! I was thrilled. Then my stomach dropped, I asked, "How much fo the boxes?" My head filled with dread.

"It will be $395 and we will buy back whatever boxes you don't use." He also explained I don't have to take my clothes off the hangers from my closets. On the day of the move, THEY will remove the clothes on the hangers, place them in a wardrobe box for me. Fabulous! Love it!

Again - absolutely fabulous ! So, I gave him my credit card for the boxes which will be delivered tomorrow. And to make it better, he told me he would make sure the boxes were delivered right to my door and not left downstairs with the doorman.

The moving company emailed me and confirmed my address for the boxes to be dropped off tomorrow. And they sent me an email to set up an account in their system. So, far, my experience couldn't be any better. If I could, I would have jumped up and down in relief. This is going to be a great price. If the service is great.... it will be fantastic. I will keep you posted.


Just in case you are looking for a moving company, after the move is over, I will post my review on their website and on Yelp! etc. I will post the links to my reviews so if you are interested, you can see how the whole experience went.


Now, to pack up alllllllllllll those books. Still have to finish buying the damn lights for the bedroom, hallway and kitchen. And begin / finish packing. 16 days left to get packed and ready for the move.


Thanks for sharing the fun & misery of this renovation. I'd love to hear from you, email me at manhattanRenovation@gmail.com

What's Left ? Shopping & Packing, Sunday, February 6, 2011

So, what's left? It's only been a month, but I feel like this renovation has gone on forever. I thought it was going to be really easy: I had been cutting out photos from magazines and saving website articles for months. So naive. This process has been so stressful. My hat goes off to all those folks who do this regularly and make it seem so easy and elegant. As a very smart friend of mine would say, "I don't have the ______ gene." I certainly don't have the interior design gene. But miraculously process has been made because of all of those folks who have helped me out and done so much. Thank you!

So, what's left for me to do?

I have to go shopping (again!). I will be going to the Home Depot sometime soon to buy:

~ Bedroom Ceiling Light

~ Hallway (really my "mini" hallway between the bedroom and bath)

~ Kitchen Ceiling / Track (?) Light

And, if I am motivated, a "swag" light for above the dining room (really the "dining area").

For the bedroom light, I am hoping to find something suitably "Auntie Mame-ish." Hopefully a perfectly wonderful chandelier. The bedroom / living room wall is open about 18 inches at the top. I am hoping if I find the right light, it will illuminate the living room / tv area as well as light up the bedroom. I know, maybe a chandelier is not the most appropriate bedroom light, but I really want something fancy schmanty - not schmaltzy. Fingers crossed.

The hallway light is easier - as long as it looks fairy inconspicuous, I should be okay. I was thinking of something equally fabulous in this light, but two chandeliers in an alcove studio might be a little over the top?

The damn kitchen light is going to drive me insane. My PPM has recommended "track" lighting. I found one that is about 2 feet long, and you can connect them together like lincoln logs. So, theoretically, I would end up with a four foot light in the kitchen. I am terrified I am going to end up with something that looks like a spot light in a gentleman's club. Maybe the term, "track lighting" has me hung up?

And then, the "Dinning Room / Area" desperately needs a light as well. But I am very worried I will hang the damn thing in the wrong spot and will end up lighting up a chair, not the table.

And then, there comes the packing..... da da dommmmm.

One moving company is coming this week to give me an estimate. God knows I have tons of books. Literally, I probably have an actual ton of books. I am not bringing the mattress. Yes, I am destined to get another mattress. I am thinking about the Sleep Number mattress. I am hoping being able to adjust the mattress will help me stay happy longer. Princess and the Pea that I am.

Does anyone have any experience with the Sleep Number bed / mattress?

I have to really get going on the packing. I am hoping the moving company is going to give me an estimate of two dollars, and then will drop off boxes the next morning. And the following morning I will wake up to find all of my stuff appropriately sorted: trash, thrift, take and also everything will be packed up, labeled and ready to move. Maybe I need Ruby Slippers? A Lucky Penny? Horseshoe? Pigeon poop?

Thursday, February 3, 2011 Sunshine, Sunlight, Silver Paint and Final Questions

Sunshine, Sunlight and Silver Paint?

Well, my Posh Project Manager (PPM) did his nightly check in on my renovation last night, to find, Horror of Horrors - My Bedroom Painted Silver? Okay, gray, but still.

As I explained in a post last week, I selected a delightful duo of floor and wall tiles - both in chic shades of grays. Of course, I selected the perfect shade of paint ( #1591 "Sterling" by Benjamin Moore" for the little bit of space not covered in tile for my bathroom.  Check Out the Bathroom Color: Sterling Here

I had chosen "Roasted Toffee" #988 (Benjamin Moore)  Toasted Toffee at the Benjamin Moore Website for the rest of the apartment (bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc.) And "Super White" for all the moldings and doors.  See "Super White" here

So, back to business. Tonight, my PPM discovered my bedroom had been painted the gray/silver bathroom color, "Sterling" !! Horror! Of course, my PPM did say he rather liked this gray/silver in the bedroom, but I was not brave enough to change my plan mid-stream. So, a repaint it is.

I texted my GC to talk about some of the minor remaining details:

• Correct Paint Colors:  Okay, I have to say, any construction project is going to have problems.  Even with the best of General Contractors.  And my GC is absolutely fantastic!  I texted him to ask to meet Friday morning.  By 10:00 the next morning (Friday), the construction guys had already repainted the bedroom - the pretty silver, albeit wrong, was gone.  And my apartment was now the lovely shade of Toasted Toffee!   So, long story short:

Any construction project will have hiccups.  That being said, an incorrect paint color, in one room, that was only visible for less than 12 hours, is a pretty great hiccup to be had.  My GC was great.  Calm, attentive and really just fabulous.  I would definitely recommend him for any renovation!  He is fantastic.  Of course, I mentioned this blog, and now I am worried maybe he won't want to be identified, after I outed him on the wrong paint color so I will be emailing him this blog address.  I know there are probably some folks out there who expect a project to go forward with no mistakes at all.  (This is naive and ignorant in my opinion, nothing is perfect.   I wanted someone who was going to make sure I was completely happy and deliver a perfect job at the end.  So far, my GC has done this without questions.  If he wants to be identified by name and number, I will be posting his info very soon!  

• Kitchen Cupboards - no pulls or knobs right now. The cupboard doors and drawers have a cutout underneath, so hardware isn't necessary. I am hoping to find the perfect gorgeous, ANTIQUE cabinet hardware on eBay. I am thinking a nice, ornate Brass or Silver.

• Cable Outlet location:  My GC already had done the work for this.  He is fabulous like I said.  

• Bathroom Tile Orientation (should the long tiles be put up horizontal or vertical? Horizontal. Definitely.  I met the man who did my kitchen floor tile, will be tiling my kitchen backsplash this afternoon and will be doing my bathroom tile next week.  I am very impressed.  Great Job!  Thank you N!  

• The Kitchen Countertop - Granite? Corian? Some other kind of Plastic?:  God, Granite seems so damn expensive.  But like my PPM and GC said, after the cupboards and the floor tile and backsplash are installed, I really did want granite countertop.  So to hell with it.  We are going with a very chic, black granite (with a little bit of color speckles).  I will post the picture next week.  I also had to decide how to have the granite countertop cut.  There are a bunch of options.  Rounded, square, double rounded, (I don't remember the exact names of each of these, they have more sophisticated names for each style).  I picked the rounded, thinking it would be one less sharp corner for me to bounce my head into.  

• The Entry Door Threshhold - with the new hardwood floors, the old threshold is not the right height.  So my GC explained the ways we could address the problem.  All systems go.  Have I mentioned how much I like my GC?   I was so concerned about not having any thresholds or bumps in the floor; I fall all the time in my current apartment because of the difference in my current kitchen and the rest of the apartment floor.  This GC is fantastic.  He has managed to get it so it is alllllll one level.  No more tripping for me.  And when we discussed the entry door threshold he actually apologized, and said, "there will be a slight bump.  I know you didn't want that, but we can't avoid it."  Okay, this guy is fabulous.  Honest and dedicated.  My brain, hopefully less scrambled in the future, thanks him!  

Day 14, Friday, January 28, 2011 Overall Summary

Slush, Slush, Slush and More Slush

The city is still digging out from yet another big snow storm. The weather and news anchors must have been very disappointed; they predicted a smaller storm. Had they know we were going to get another foot or so, they could have used their: BLIZZARD 2011! cartoons. But they milked it for all it was worth despite missing the biblical prediction.

So, a little info for my dear readers who are not in the city, (my site says I have over 90 hits, but I know someone must be hitting "refresh" a bunch, but thank you for being so kind ~ smile): Having work done in an apartment you own (whether it be a co-op, condo or condop, is sort of making a deal with the devil, a strict devil at that. All work must be done Monday - Friday, never on a holiday, and no work can be done before 9:00 AM-ish or after 4:00 PM-ish. So, I trekked up to my future home to check out the progress around 5 PM.

BAD NEWS (might as well get it out of the way:

• Packing.  God, I have a ton of stuff.  More books than I want to think about packing.  (Despite the amount of space, I will be ignoring my PPC (Posh Project Coordinator)'s advice to throw out "at least half of my books." Never.  They will have to pry them from my cold .... well everyone knows the rest.  

GOOD NEWS:

• Despite having been traumatized last week by the loud sawing, banging, hammering, pounding, etc. Owen did walk into the apartment without any puppy valium. So, there we were: Owen, my Posh Project Manager (I am going to call this person PPM from now on) and myself.

• Kitchen Appliances look great. I had to buy a regular depth refrigerator, which looks a little big in my manhattan kitchen, but it was either a regular depth shiny silver finish I could afford, or a white elephant "counter depth" or a teeny tiny college dorm refrigerator. So, I went with the regular size fridge. It's about 3 inches too big, but lots of folk think a couple extra inches is a good thing. Touché. Again, Kudos to my PPM for the assistance and haggling to get these super fabulous appliances. If you are in the mood for buying appliances, I am going to post a page in a couple of days entitled, "Buying Appliances, Haggling the PPM Way."

• The kitchen floor looks good. I like it more every time I see it. You may recall my PPM had referred to it as "country" which sent me into a panic. I know think it is very chic. I have a feeling Home & Garden or Martha Stewart will be asking to photograph the place, I know my floor is going to be the next big thing.  

• I like the kitchen cabinets. They are clearly wood, which works for me. I know lots of folks like to paint cabinets and furniture, but I always think, "it could be aspenite under there. Why bother with wood if you are going to paint it?" I know there are lots of reasons, but my first job in life was at a hardware store. When you memo,rize the Minwax stain numbers as a kid, it is kinda hard to shake that. (209 - Natural, 218B Ipswich Pine, 224 Special Walnut..... I could go on, but that would be a bit boring unles's you have a True Value apron in your closet).

• The kitchen backsplash is not up yet.

• The damn countertops..... ahhh, god, what to do? It is killing me to think about how much granite costs, especially in my little itty bitty kitchen. The contractor and my PPM both told me once I saw the floor, the cabinets and the backsplash, I would absolutely say, "I MUST have the granite." I'm not there yet, but it is close. I have to say, the idea of granite does seem more and more appealing every time I visit. I don't know. Advice anyone?

• Bathroom is completely gutted and ready for all the complicated stuff to make it a "wet room" (aka shower only, no bathtub, no ridge, just one level floor, so M.S. Woman doesn't slip and fall and more. Ever. (I hope). But as I said earlier, I picked out the tile, paid for it and my contractor happily picked it up for me in Queens. I think they will be ready to get going full blast on the bathroom Monday.

Wood Floors Look Great.  I love them!

• Paint colors have been selected by me and approved by my PPM. They have primed the ceiling and most of the walls. Why they didn't paint BEFORE they installed the appliances is beyond me. But, as long it gets done, I am going to be one happy camper.

• Wood floors: The floor looks amazing.  It is shocking how much of a difference a floor makes.  I went with real wood: 3/4" oak.  

• New "Bedroom / Living Room" wal

• The Light / Sunshine is not as fabulous as good ole 24-C, but few places are. But, I was at my new place yesterday, and there was still decent light at 5:30 p.m. So, all in all, I am pretty excited about this move. Now, I am off to pack. And pack. And pack some more.

• I have a ton of books to move.

Microwave Anyone???

Anyone need a perfectly good, nice, working white microwave? Now, that I am going to have fancy stainless steel one, my old one needs a new home. I'd give it to a methadonian, but I don't know where they would plug it in.

Day 10 ~ Monday, January 24, 2011 TILE, TILE and MORE TILE

Another frigid day here in the Big Apple. Owen and I took a cab to Nemo Tile; they were open today. (Note to anyone interested in Nemo Tile: there website lists incorrect store hours.)

Bathroom Tile ~ Nemo Tile

Nemo Tile is a fantastic store. They have an incredible amount of tiles available: ceramic, porcelain, glass, terra-cotta, stone ..... you name it, they've got it. For me, the idea of selecting tile is incredibly overwhelming. If you saw my post from last weekend, you'll understand the shock and awe I felt trying to select the kitchen floor and backsplash tiles. On that trip, my trusty Posh Project Manager accompanied me. Today it was just me and my canine companion, who, as frustrating as it can be, chose not to inform me of his opinion. (God knows I will be washing the salt off the prince's feet in this new shower, the least he could do was help select the tile.) So, there I stood, helpless, clueless, completely stumped. How could I be so overwhelmed? I have read tons of interior design magazines, books and websites. I should definitely be fine selecting bathroom tile.

But, not to fear, Michael Hoeft, was ready to help me. Michael is an incredibly capable and charming salesperson. I told him right away, I am horrible at picking this stuff. I have no idea what to pick. I really would like your very honest, brutally honest opinion." And amazingly, he gave it! I loved him.

Michael helped me select several possibilities. He was very honest when I chose something that was not particularly wonderful.

"I've never sold that tile once. It is not very Manhattan. See how it looks scratched? It's kind of dreadful."

Thank god! How refreshing to have a salesperson say,

"No. I would definitely say no to that."

Thank god! I had someone who would be honest, someone who would actually be truly helpful. What a great gift. Relieved I had found someone to help me select the tiles (if you are an educator, you might say I had found my "critical friend"), I was prepared to make a decision. Thirty minutes later, I had the floor tile, the wall tile and the grout selected.

Now, I am sure, if you are the Designing Diva I am not, Michael would be also just as wonderful. I can imagine him grabbing tiles left and right, as you explained exactly what yoo were looking for - but, alas, this is not me.


Michael explained the Purchase, Payment and Pick Up Process

~ Nemo Tile has a very small amount of tile on site, but they have a ton of tiles at their warehouse in Queens.

~ In many situations, the homeowner (interior designer, architect, easter bunny, fairy godmother ....) chooses the tile and then either pays for it themselves, or their contractor pays (depends on how you work it out with your contractor).

~ The tile would be ready to be picked up the next day at the Queens warehouse by my contractor.

~ Me or my contractor picks up the tile at the Queens warehouse. So, it is important to give your General Contractor a copy of the paid invoice. Again, Michael was fabulous. He gave me two copies and explained the whole thing to me.

It is important to know there are two prices: one for regular folk and one for contractors. So, its in your best interest to have your contractor pay for it or work something out.

I paid for the beautiful tile, thanked Michael and left with 2 copies of my reciept: one for my records, and one for my contractor to take to the warehouse to pick up my tile.

Price and Availability

Now, comes the question about price. Okay, fair enough. Here goes: tile seems to be expensive no matter where you go. I have gone to Home Depot, Lowes and Nemo Tile. Nemo didn't seem to be more expensive when you compare apples to apples. All three store had "subway tile" in black and white for about the same price. All three stores had mid-range stuff, it seemed like a comparable price. Nemo definitely seemed to have a lot more choice in the high end area.

Nemo has the largest selection available for next day pickup. I also love a store with a salesperson who actually knows their product and who will be honest and help you choose something great. I am sure there are lots of great salespeople at Home Depot and Lowes, but I didn't find them. Maybe they had the day off?

To be fair, Home Depot and Lowes did have a lot more tile available in that specific store. But when Nemo can get you tile the next day, it seems like a non-issue to me. (No, I am not on Nemo's payroll. I just like to tell the world about a great product or service when it happens.

So, to Summarize:
I bought my kitchen floor and backsplash tile at Lowes. I do like my the kitchen tile. We were on our own as far as selecting this tile. Owen got some canine affection, but I didn't receive any kind of human tile assistance.

Nemo Tile rocks! The price is similar (what I saw, I didn't compare everything). Nemo has great salespeople: honest, kind, patient and dog lovers. What more could you want? Most of the Nemo tile is available next day from their Queens warehouse. There was one whole wall which was "special order" or "made to order". I am not sure what that meant, because it didn't apply to me.

So, if I had to do it again, was it worth it to drive to Jersey to go get tile at LowesNemo Tile with superstar salesperson Michael Hoeft.

I would love to hear your experiences. Drop me a line at manhattanRenovation@gmail.com

Nemo Tile info:

www.NemoTile.com
Manhattan Store:
48 East 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
212.505.0009 voice; ask for extension 236 for Michael, the fabulous salesperson directly
212.777.9053 fax


To Reach Michael Hoeft, the fantastic salesperson who helped me choose some rockin' tile,

call 212.505.0009, extension 236

Michael's email address is mhoeft@nemotile.com

Day 9 and 2/3 Sunday, January 23, 2011

Home Depot, the Closed Tile Store and PC Richards


Well Sunday morning arrived quite briskly. NY1 taunting me with a frigid 7 degrees. But not to fear, my Project Manager (not to be confused with my General Contractor), Owen and I went to buy the tile at Nemo Tile on 21st (between Park and Madison). Being the diligent folks we are, we checked Nemo's website to make sure they were open on Sundays. Clearly the store hours announced they were in fact open on Sundays. But, apparently they need to update their website. We arrived to find the doors locked tight and the tile samples mocking me from the dark. Foiled again. (Yes, this is the second trip to select and purchase tile; I failed the first time, chalk it up to a lipreading malfunction.)

Onward we marched to the Home Depot. A throng of happy Do It Yourself New Yorkers bustling around, selecting stuff with a carefree, "I am such a great interior designer, of course I know exactly what I want" attitude. I could feel the pressure building. God, I hate shopping. However, this trip I had my trusty Project Manager by my side. We returned the shower body (the guts behind the wall and the simple faucet) as well as the fancy shower wand I had purchased a few days before. The fluorescent lighting in Home Depot depletes my brain cells; I was sure the bathroom faucet I had purchased at Lowes was a shiny finish. It was not. So, here we were on Sunday to return the shiny shower stuff for the right ones. Customer Service was surprising good with the return. Very quick and simple. Bravo Home Depot Customer Service!

We then ducked across the street to PC Richards to purchase my appliances. Being very clever, we had decided to purchase the appliances first, so we didn't have to lug the Home depot stuff around PC Richards. (Okay, I can't claim credit for this decision about buying appliances first, the credit goes to Project Manager.)

Who is my talented Project Manager you ask? Well, his name rhymes with the name of the clothing store sponsoring the Fashion Show where poor delusional Danielle's weave was the ripped out, right down to the root. And by weave, I don't mean a merkin. But I digress.

PC Richards was fairly painless. I had prepared myself for a couple hours of wavering between various refrigerators, stoves I won't use, microwaves and of course, searching for the perfect dishwasher. But, thanks to my very posh Project Manager, the experience was pretty simple. Lucy, our very capable, friendly and dog lovin' salesperson guided us through the array of appliances. We began with refrigerators. Then moved on to stoves, dishwashers and microwaves.

Here are the photos of the appliances installed:

Day 9, Saturday, January 22, 2011

So, this week a lot has happened. More than I expected. Two little hiccups. One my fault (I should not go shopping by myself, I can talk myself into anything. "I know I bought a shiny finish in the bathroom sink, which is too bad, because I like the Brushed Nickel." Oh wait. I am an idiot. I did buy the brushed nickel, which means the Home Depot stuff: shower body, shower faucet head with a nice long hose, (that sounds just wrong) will have to be returned and I will have to buy the brushed nickel.

The other problem occurred this week with the new bedroom/living room wall. It was framed out about two feet off. Which if you live in NH, might not be a big deal, but in a teeny tiny apartment two feet means the difference between watching tv on a couch, or sitting on a bean bag while Big Love is on. But thankfully, my renovation supervisor, caught the mistake and called my contractor, who is absolutely fabulous. He fixed it the next day. So now I will be able to have a bedroom I can walk around in AND be able to sit luxuriously on the couch while I watch Jersey Shore and the RHOEverywhere. Fun Fun.

I picked out the cabinets on Wednesday. They were delivered yesterday (Friday, 1/21/2011). How did I get so lucky to find this contractor? He is a miracle worker. He is ahead of schedule. Unbelievable. And everything looks really good. I am very relieved the whole process is going along quite painlessly (if you don't count my personal shopping screw ups).

It is incredibly cold here today. It was 18 F this morning here in the Big Apple. I shouldn't really complain. My iphone said it was below zero "upta New Hampshire." So I cancelled my tile shopping trip today. Tomorrow, we will be braving the elements and going to Home Depot and the tile store. Fear not: I will have a supervisor this trip, so I am sure I will purchase all the correct things.

A couple people have asked what has been happening day by day, so I've posted a page with a Day by Day, Detail by Detail explanation if you are dying to know all the graphic details. You can find it by clicking here. http://manhattanrenovation.blogspot.com/p/day-by-day-detail-by-detail.html

Day 1 - DEMO BEGINS

So, the beginning of the year and so does my renovation.

Today the demo began. And ended! Having a tiny apartment is a definite plus in terms of time.


Below:
The view of the living room (standing beside the kitchen doorway)








Below:
The bathroom minus tile and "Look! No wallpaper on the walls nor the ceiling!"








More Bath Room Demo Close-ups:










This is now a hallway to the bath (to the left) and bedroom (to the right)








Below:
Standing in the middle of the living room looking towards the kitchen (entrance with the light), closets and entrance (straight ahead).
You can see the kitchen entrance has been opened up. Yesterday it was a short, tiny doorway, now it's open to the ceiling. He will open up the width of the doorway a little bit more as they progress.






Below:
The kitchen (if you look closely you can see the lovely wallpapered ceiling. The wallpaper will be removed tomorrow. Thank god I'm not doing the wallpaper removal. My neck hurts just thinking about it.

Day Zero - Meeting My Contractor

So, I met with a great contractor. He comes highly recommended. Finding a contractor in NYC seems almost as impossible as a laundry machine / dryer in your apartment. No, sadly I won't have a laundry machine or dryer, but there are a bunch in the building.

So, the contractor was very nice. I explained what I wanted (you can see my list below, if you want a copy of my excel spreadsheet, let me know. Old habits die hard)

He was very nice, seemed responsive and had fabulous references. So, now I wait. He will develop a bid for my job.

A few days later we met again; we went through the apartment inch by inch to review the "scope of work" (see my "New Renovation Vocabulary" page). He showed me another apartment in the building; his work was gorgeous - beautiful finishes and he is obviously very proud of his work. Then he gave me his bid. I felt my heart sink to the floor. I knew the bathroom was a huge project, but i was shocked at the price. Went home, emailed some other contractors, spoke with friends "in the biz" and decided to go with this guy. He has great references which is damn hard to find.

A couple of days later, we met again. Downpayment and another meticulous review of the "scope of work". He promised I'd be able to move in by the end of February; but he reminded me multiple times how we must communicate, I needto order, buy stuff right away so he doesn't waste time waiting for materials.

Now, I have a lot of shopping to do. Finding and buying the apartment was hell. Finding the contractor was worse. But, the idea of shopping is completely overwhelming. I hate to shop. Can I buy floor tiles from QVC? How about ordering flooring from Amazon? Sounds like Im going to have to go in actual brick and mortar stores. Uggh. The horror.



"The List"

DEMO:
- rip out everything in the apartment (all the appliances, floors, tiles, toilet, sinks, bathtub, moldings and closet/ bath doors
- rip out one closet and make it a hallway

NEW BEDROOM \ LIVING ROOM WALL
- build a "wall" for the bedroom (because the heat/AC unit will both the living room and bedroom, the wall will only be six feet tall, so I can stay nice and cool; I can't stand the heat)

BATHROOM
- waterproof the entire bathroom so I can have a flat shower, not a bathtub - no bathtub to fall in or out off
- tile the bathroom floor and walls; install the sink, toilet, medicine cabinet, lights, shower body (see my "New Vocabulary" page for the explanation of "shower body"

KITCHEN:
- tile the kitchen floor and backsplash
- install the appliances
- install the kitchen sink and cabinets

OVERALL STUFF:
- hang new closet doors
- install ceiling lights (kitchen, entry hall, closets, bedroom and bath)
- install new wood floor throughout the apartment
- paint entire apartment
- install moldings throughout apartment
- hide the ugly cable wires behind the moldings (contractor asked me three times if I was sure I didn't want cable tv in the bedroom. He told me this was "very common in the city, but outside of the city "everyone" wants cable in every room. I wonder if people really need cable in the bathroom or closets? I guess I can understand the bedroom, but the closets? The bathroom?




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The Before Photos

So, here is the apartment in all it's former glory!

The fancy retro bathroom (you can't see the wallpapered walls AND ceiling in this photo. Yes, the prior woman wallpapered the walls and ceiling of the bathroom and the kitchen. Fancy fancy fancy. Glad I'm not doing the reno myself. The days of that kind of work have passed me by. Smile. The sexy bathroom wallpapered bathroom walls & ceilings below.

Everything is original from when the building was built. I believe only one woman lived here before me.




Owen frolicking on the luxurious parquet floor. (About 80% of the tiles were pick-up-able. No glue was wasted here). This will become our living room.





Here are the photos of the fancy "Betty Crocker" kitchen in all it's wallpapered glory.

Yes, wallpapered walls and ceiling in the kitchen too!

And not to be forgotten, the glorious glued linoleum.

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The Blueprints (Before & After)

Here are
the blueprints (before and the planned layout) as well as photos of the apartment before.










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Welcome to my Manhattan Renovation

I've begun the renovation of my new apartment. Several people have asked if I would share the progress day by day, so here it is - the good, the bad, the ugly and hopefully eventually the completed apartment.

Thanks for joining me in this big project! I'd love to hear from you, you can email me at manhattanrenovation@gmail.com