So several people have asked me when things began, and when the demo was finished. So here is the official RENOVATION TIMELINE in all its glory:
Days 0 ~ it took a few days to work out the contract, pricing, scope of work (see my glossary if this is not a term you are familiar with). We signed the contract on Monday, January 10th, 2011
Day 1 ~ Tuesday, January 11th DEMO, DEMO, DEMO: Demo began and ended on this day. All the walls ripped out, tile removed, beautiful (?) parquet floor removed, closet shelves, gross moldings, 666 feet of cable wire (why does Time Warner give you so much when you only need four feet??) appliances thrown away (which in the city is a nightmare in and of itself, you have to get a garbage company to carry away your demo garbage. The contractor took care of getting rid of the demo garbage, thank god. The only little bit of demo left was some wallpaper removal (the prior woman had wallpapered the walls and ceiling of the kitchen and bathroom)
Day 2 ~ Wednesday, January 12th ~ BLIZZARD Day SUB FLOORING and remaining wall paper removed, despite the BLIZZARD, the construction guys showed up and worked throughout the day. Maybe the mayor should ask them for some advice on how they do their job? Our great mayoral leader had such a hard time with this Blizzard.
Day 3 ~ Thursday, January 13th ~ Blizzard Debacle continues. Despite our fearless leaders completely inadequate response to the snow (yes it was only snow, not volcanic ash, why they can't clear the streets, is beyond me, but anyway). I met with my contractor to go over what exact materials he needs. He also showed me some floor sample options. I decided to go with the real oak floor. Fancy, fancy. Note to self: keep Owen's claws clipped so his game of Puppy Baseball doesn't ruin the floor within a week.
Day 4 ~ Friday, January 14th They worked on preparing the walls and floors of the bathroom and kitchen, so they will be ready to tile on Monday. They also started to build my new "hall" beside my new bedroom.
Day 4 1/2 ~ Sunday, January 16th ~ Owen, my trusty sidekick and I went shopping in Jersey for kitchen floor tile, bathroom sink, toilet, bathroom faucet and kitchen backsplash tile. This is a horror. God, I can't believe how stressful this was, I definitely should not have ever thought I would enjoy this process. I hate shopping. No amount of "Trading Spaces" prepared me or made this fun.
At the cash register, my trusty advisor assured me the tile I chose was fine. I was started to think about putting it back and choosing something else. So kindly, he said, "It's country. You like that look." This benevolent comment threw me into a tailspin. Images of ducks and cows painting on my walls invaded my brain. Was my apartment going to look like a barn?
We did stop at Sonic, which is a drive-in (not Drive-Thru, but a Drive-In). Yes, Virginia the waitress roller skated our burgers to the car window after we ordered thru a little speaker. The food was not horrible, but I definitely do not recommend the Fried Cheesecake. It tasted worse than it sounds. One good note, about halfway through our meal, a server with a huge rack skated up to our vehicle to ask if we needed condiments. (A tray / rack of condiments, please, this is a family blog.)
We arrived back in the city later that afternoon and I supervised the unloading of materials. I am M.S. Rebecca after all. My days of being Ms. Rebecca and throwing bags of cement around myself have long gone.
Monday, January 17th ~ Martin Luther King, Jr Day - I relaxed,, as did the construction workers. No work happens in apartment buildings on holidays or before 9:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. I spent a lot of the day freaking out about the kitchen tile and backsplash. Country? Should I buy cowboy boots? Set up a radio playing Kenny Rogers 24/7? Panic has officially set in.
Day 6 ~ Tuesday, January 18th ~ The put down my "country" kitchen floor tiles. They moved some electrical outlets and worked on the framing for my new hall/bedroom wall and doorway. More panic about the floor tile.
Day 7~ Wednesday, January 19th ~ My beautiful wood floor is being finished today! I met with the contractor to go over the kitchen cabinet selection. I also went in and saw the apartment. The construction guys were very sweet to turn off all noise making apparatus (Owen is fine with Fire Trucks, but hates drills, saws, pneumatic nailers, etc.). I think I like my kitchen tile. "Country?" I think NOT. It is going to be elegant and very chic. God I hope. I selected wood kitchen cabinets. I think it is the same "tone" of the wood floor, but a bit darker, for contrast purposed. At least that is what I am telling myself. My contractor tells me the kitchen cabinets will be delivered on Monday. I laugh silently. This job is going way to smooth. There is no way the cabinets will be there that quickly. I prepare myself for a major catastrophe. Nothing has gone wrong. It is toooooo good to be true.
Day 8 ~ Thursday, January 20th ~ All hell broke loose. Okay, not complete hell. But I was right to ready myself for a disaster.
Innocently, I went to the Home Depot today to buy a shower body and sprayer, kitchen sink, toilet paper holders, a couple of ceiling lights, etc. Paid for them and scheduled to have them delivered tomorrow. I am getting better at this shopping thing.
the right stuff. Will text the contractor tomorrow and let him know the tile will be ready to be picked up on Saturday or Monday. (Again, this contractor is fantastic. He is going to pick up my tiles?
They framed out my new bedroom wall today. My sidekick went over after work and found it to be in the wrong place. I now have a huge bedroom and a living room that could, maybe, perhaps, possibly fit a small dinette table. Oh the pain of it all!
Okay, so where is the disaster you say? I say, not one disaster, TWO!
Problem #1:
I had seen the same apartment on a different floor with the wall installed. I said I liked the wall exactly where it was, but they had built it up to the ceiling. I only want the wall to be about six feet (better for light and for the AC to circulate. I know maybe two people taller than 6 feet and they don't visit me very often, so if they see over the wall into my bedroom once a year, it is fine with me!) Anyway, the wall was supposed to be in the exact middle of the AC/Heat unit. Instead it was moved about 20 inches too far towards the living room, leaving me with a HUGE bedroom and a teeny tiny living room. Absolutely, positively won't do.
Now, here comes the important part: My trusty sidekick called the contractor, explained the problem and without any fuss, he said, "No Problem. We Will fix it tomorrow." Is this guy for real? How did I find the a contractor in NYC who is so diligent, responsible and nice? And besides that, he is way ahead of schedule. Must send a thank you card to Santa or whoever made this impossible mission flow so smoothly.
Problem #2:
I bought the wrong (*&*&%%&@ finish shower fixtures. I bought brushed nickel stuff over the weekend. And yesterday I bought shiny silver metal. Okay, I am an idiot. But I was not made for shopping. Stuff has to go back. Ugghhh. But again, being M.S. Rebecca, I will supervise the lugging of these purchases back to Home Depot on Sunday.
Day #9, Friday, January 21st ~ All disasters dispelled! They have fixed the bedroom wall, putting it back to its planned position. And I have rightfully relinquished any hope of actually choosing my own stuff by myself. Will be returning to Home Depot tomorrow with return and select Brushed Nickel, not shiny. I was also supposed to go to the tile store and pay for the stupendous tile I selected. However, a slight lipreading accident occurred. The tile which I thought was going to be about $ 850 was actually going to be $3,500. Okay, slight lipreading accident. If I could only teach Owen to interpret, I could avoid these incidents. Will go back to the tile store tomorrow.
Day 9 1/3, Saturday, January 22nd ~ It's freezing today. I am not going to the tile store today. Will go tomorrow on the way back from Home Depot. I am thinking about going to the new apartment to take pictures and video of the work in progress. It is progressing really quickly. My very competent contractor, trustworthy to the core, assures me I will be inhabiting my new abode well before the February 28th deadline.
