In the Beginning...
(it starts at the bottom)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chapter 1 In the Beginning... (it starts at the bottom) |
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
| Table of Contents | ||||||||||||||||
| Wait! there's more | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 28 - Wed.- I met Robert and John at the apartment to go over a few things. To level the floors properly, we need to knock down some more walls-- "Sure, knock down some more walls. Give me the sledgehammer." (They did. I did. Bash walls, that is.). Then we went over the kitchen cabinetry. Apparently, measurements weren't as exact as they might be and I can't fit in everything I want to the way I want to. But, we were trying to figure out how we could make it work. And this is when it got interesting... Because this is when Robert fell through my floor (otherwise known as Karen and Joe Clancy's ceiling). Yes, a nightmare come true. Dust and plaster everywhere. Luckily, no one was hurt (other than Robert's wounded pride). And as I've said, they're good people. Although, at this point they are being tested. As is my resolve to remain calm. I crack a little, but after a glass of wine with Karen, outward calm is restored. (See the hole!) | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 27 - Tue. - Don't know whether the debris is out. I assume it isn't. I assume floor leveling continues. I've decided I can't go up to the apartment as often. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 26- Monday, June 16th. Demolition debris is still there, Vlad still isn't. Joe and Karen (my downstairs neighbors) are traumatized by the size of the hole John says we need to make (4'x9') (I would be too). But as luck would have it, John finds th old incinerator shaft and that will serve our purposes perfectly! Yay! Floor leveling continues.... | ||||||||||||||||
| Days 24 & 25 - It's the weekend. I can't believe it the sun came out! Went with David, Karen and Jessi to look at the cabinet colors again. I think I've decided on splitting the difference between too dark and too light and go with "Toffee." | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 23 - Fri.- John is finally so fed up with Vlad, that he, his brother, Raymond and Sherwood decide to haul the construction debris out. I don't care who does it, as long as it gets done. John thinks they will get it all out today. I'm skeptical. I don't go to the apartment. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 22 - The demolition crew can't bring in a dumpster because they don't have a Department of Transportation permit. Vlad is still MIA, so there's no truck. They continue to demolish and carry everything to the front apartment. Sherwood's guys start leveling the floors in the back. My floors are 2� inches off level. No wonder my legs are so strong; I've been walking uphill and downhill in my apartment for years! I go up to the apartment-- you can't see the living room for the construction debris. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 21 - Wed. - Sherwood and Ruben are supposed to come today to begin leveling the floors and framing, but there's still too much demolition debris. The demolition crew is demolishing, but there's no Vlad and therefore no truck to haul the stuff away. I'm told the crew is going to get a dumpster for tomorrow (Thursday) and take it all away. I don't go to the apartment today, either. Supposedly demolition continues... | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 20 - I decide to have the apartment pre-wired (aaaaaah!), get the quote on sound insulation (not as bad as I thought!) and look (again) at kitchen cabinet colors (the ones I have samples of don't do it for me-- Maple in "Honey Spice" looks unstained, Cherry in "Honey Spice" is okay, but the sample I got has a huge knot in it). I'm now looking at Maple in "Chestnut" and "Toffee." It's a knotty problem; I decide to sleep on it. I don't go to the apartment today. Supposedly, demolition continues... | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 19 - Monday, June 9th. I swing by the apartment at 9:30am to meet the electrician and plumber. Only Robert is there, waiting for everyone. I go up to the apartment at 5pm to see how demolition is progressing. No demolition today. I'm fine with this. | ||||||||||||||||
| Days 17 & 18- It's the weekend. Raining again. I go with my parents to look at gas logs. I'm told no remote with cool logs or uncool logs with remote. No contest. Cool logs and I will actually have to use a wall switch to turn the fire on and off. I think the exercise will be good for me. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 16 - Fri. - Demolition should be finished for sure today. It's Friday and I'm sure we're going to start "framing" on Monday. I get to the apartment and no one of the demolition crew is there. In fact, no one has been there. Apparently, Vlad the Demolisher is on vacation and he is the only one that can drive the big truck (and apparently, the only one that can make the crew work). But, I meet Sherwood and Ruben: their crew is going to be doing the framing. They seem very nice. They tell me there is no way framing is going to start before Wednesday of next week. You'll be surprised to know, I'm fine with this. Ruben hangs a "DANGER - FALL HAZARD" sign inside the apartment and on my door. We leave. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 15 - Thu.- Went to a fireplace place with Robert. Jerry Stiller did the right thing and I can get a very cool looking set of gas logs. Calmness has returned. I also go back to the first stereo store to see if I can get the price down. I almost commit, then balk. Need to think this over. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 14 - Wed. - Demolition continues; the floors start coming up. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 13 - Tue. - The fireplace guy (who bears a striking resemblance to Jerry Stiller), tells John, who calls me, that it's a "go!" and he'll start on it today, if he get's a down payment. I leave work, get cash for him and go to my apartment to pay him. The men are already working. He's building me a firebox. I think I may need a fireplace insert instead (since I'm going the gas route) and wonder if what he's doing is unnecessary. I'm a little worried. Calmness facade cracking slightly. I like to know that I'm paying for something I actually need. BTW, they are sighting the floors. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 12 - Monday, June 2nd. Demolition continues... I have a fireplace guy come and look at my bricked up fireplace. I'm told that if all goes well when they open up the chimney I can have a working fireplace. If not, I have to open up the walls of all my upstairs neighbors on that line. If that's the case-- no fireplace. | ||||||||||||||||
| Days 10 & 11- It's the weekend. I barbeque in the rain. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 9 - Demolition continues... John tells me we're going to be "sighting" (seeing where the high and low points are on) the floors on Monday or Tuesday. I bank on Tuesday. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 8 - Thu. - Met Sean Adkins, the sound insulation guy. He's going to give me a price on spray foam insulating my ceilings and maybe a wall or two. Demolition continues. Supposedly, we'll be done tomorrow. Not a chance... | ||||||||||||||||
| Days 6 & 7 - More demolishing; ceilings are coming down and I find out I have 8-12 more inches where a fake wall was put up in my living room! Yay! I go to speak to Karen and Joe, my downstairs neighbors. They're good people . She's not home, he seems okay with it. I go to another stereo place (David comes, too). Still a little iffy on things, wiring-wise. Is it necessary????? | ||||||||||||||||
| Days 3-5 - Memorial Day Weekend. It rained. No demolishing on Monday, May 26th. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 2 - Fri. - Things are moving along. My head demolition man, Vlad, "the Demolisher" is on the job with four other guys and John tells me it should all be done in about a week. I go to a stereo place to see about having the apartment pre-wired. Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Very confusing for me. David (my brother) comes with me and Robert. | ||||||||||||||||
| Day 1- It's Thursday, May 22nd (my Dad's birthday-- a good omen) and demolition has finally begun. I have now promised to remain calm at all times (snicker). The wall between the apartments is torn down; wires and pipes are everywhere. The place looks great! I am told that they have to turn off the electricity and move the wires of six of my upstairs neighbors and open the wall of my downstairs neighbors. My resolve to be calm is tested, but prevails. | ||||||||||||||||
| I didn't start my "Blog" until I was 18 days into the whole thing. Actually, even further, if you count the fact that I had thought I would start on May 1st, but because of my building being Landmarked (HA!), and expediting problems, things got started a little later than I'd hoped. Anyway, I'll get us up to date and then continue... | ||||||||||||||||