Plumbing – not done. Electric – not done. Framing – not done even though they started in January. I guess 5-7 days of work stretches to three weeks when you take every other day off. Not sure I’ve ever heard that the plumber was at the house more than two days in a row.
I have to say though, it’s pretty crazy to see the pipes and wires of a house tucked between the studs.
And it’s been pretty cool to get to say, I don’t want that part of the wall there anymore and have the guys just remove the studs the next day.
But I already picked out floors and kitchen countertops and I just missed a big Presidents’ Day appliance sale, and even though I know I have resolved to give it until the end of March (or at least pay for rent through March), I really want to see walls go up because my imagination is losing its patience.
Roof was inspected last week and they found a small leak, which the contractor patched up. They found a few things they need to fix, he said, but overall it’s still solid. Whew.
Fence is also supposed to go up this week and the inspection for the second draw is happening, which means technically my contractor has had enough work done to warrant another big check come his way for the project.
I also just got an email from my contractor saying the plumbing work isn’t listed correctly on the plans and the inspection can’t happen until the plans are amended. Which means that even though there will obviously be toilets and showers in the house, and it’s in the plans that there are toilets and showers already in the house, we also should have written it down somewhere else. Also, the guy started the plumbing work three weeks ago and he’s just checking now that the paperwork is correct? Awesome.
But for some reason, electric doesn’t have to be inspected until the end, which means who knows what this guy is putting into the walls right? Got a few comments (thanks for looking out, guys!) from readers that said my wires look like Romex wiring, which might be illegal in NYC. And instead of having an inspector come through before we close up the walls to make sure everything is done right, I have to google “Romex wires legal in NYC?” (Which they are, for the record, as long as its a residential building less than three stories high. They used to be illegal in all NYC buildings until the early 2000’s. Section 334.10 – http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/ll39of2011_electrical_code.pdf)
Maybe boring isn’t the right word. Sucky, that’s the word. I’m still in the sucky part of the renovations.
The part that is all headache and no black mamba bamboo floors.
So We're Buying a House! 
Don’t forget to try Build It Green for all components (bignyc): appliances, kit cabs, furniture, etc. I got a whole kitchen there (cabinets, countertop, sink, faucet) for about $2500 and it’s better than anything I could have found elsewhere.
bignyc.org also has doors, but you really should check out Eddie Hibbert for doors. He’s got lots that have been removed from rowhouses.
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/don-knock-eddie-hibbert-finds-opening-door-biz-article-1.148898
I also recently bought a lamp and wall sconce at BIG really cheap. spray-painted the sconce and it looks good as new.
These are great tips!!
Definitely going to check out Build It Green for appliances and other fixtures.
Eddie’s doors are beautiful! Do you have someone who was able to frame the doors too? That was our big issue with wanting to use a “found” door – the contractor insisted that the door be pre-hung.
ask Eddie, he may be able to do it, or know of someone. I haven’t bought a door so I don’t have anyone to recommend. I understand that it’s difficult to get a door hung properly but I would have thought that your contractor could handle this.
Our contractor said if he had to hang the doors, it would take more time and cost more and it wasn’t in our budget. Pretty much seems like the answer for everything that sounded like it would be extra effort 🙂 I’ll ask around if we don’t find a good pre-hung door. Thanks!!