Friday, September 10, 2010

and the kitchen sink

Here is why you haven't heard much from me of late. The arrogance and inflated proposal pricing of NYC contractors led me to decide that I could do this myself. So far so good. I gutted the kitchen and sent it out to the curb on the appropriate night for bulk waste collection. I have an electrician and a plumber recommended by the super so that the co-op will never say that I did the critical stuff myself. I had the super turn off the gas and I have yanked out the stove, dishwasher and kitchen sink. I have ripped out walls that covered the original walls, increasing our total square footage by approximately 15 square feet! In Manhattan, where real estate is typically $1,000 per square foot, this little increase is actually significant. We've been paying for that square footage but not using it because it was behind the walls. I chipped away a concrete subfloor over the original subfloor and this weekend we will lay a granite tile floor. I also tore down a closet and have patched the walls with Structolite followed by spackle and paint. Tomorrow, the Murphy bed, the mattress, the granite tile and the glass tile for the backsplash arrive. They better get here by 4PM because the co-op is strict about not allowing deliveries after that point. At 8:30AM, the electricians arrive to hammer-drill new channels in the masonry walls for the kitchen outlets. Oy. Then the new appliances will arrive (they haul out the old ones) and then they make the template for the granite counter tops (I got the cabinetry from IKEA and it is sitting in a stack of boxes that constitute my only furniture). Doing all this myself has saved tens of thousands of dollars and I have learned the anatomy of a New York City pre-war apartment. Valuable lesson. Meanwhile, I live on salads from the Food Emporium and I drink wine from plastic cups.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the job to date and the moxy to do it yourself. Na zdorovie! Wine in paper cups rocks.
Alex

robert61 said...

Attaboy. I not only sympathize, I act on it: I'm at my island cottage putting in a new wooden floor this weekend.

JC said...

Just go for the boxed wine ... gracefully recline on your boxes, and place open mouth under spigot.

TED said...

Very butch. I hope you acquired a new pair of boots to go with all the home improvement.

RawForReal said...

I wish you luck, but I still wonder: HaveYouLostYourMind???

tate said...

Curious to see what you have in mind with the kitchen decor. Did you gain enough space for a larger dining area in the kitchen? Murphy beds are a godsend for tight spaces, I am sure it will look wonderful!

Sherman Unkefer said...

Oh my, godspeed to you on this project - boxed wine for sure!

kitchenbeard said...

My dearest FT: I am quite impressed and wish you a speedy recovery. I also expect photographic evidence of said expanded closet given how I was impressed with what I saw of it earlier this year.

-KB

Mark said...

you are a brave, brave man!

Anonymous said...

Well done, Tony!
You are an inspiration....
Now to find the time to copy your efforts in my pink-tiled 1950's bathroom; and then move on to the 1970's kitchen after I succeed with the bath. Bravo! KevInATL