Living Room Renovation: Week 3 Begins!

Despite the fact that Hurricane Sandy walloped NYC, my dedicated contractor Angelo and his team missed only one day of work on my living room renovation last week. In fact, they were the only contractors (among at least four) that reported for duty last Monday, as that bitch approached the Northeast.

Tuesday there was no way to navigate the roads, but Wednesday, they were back... and again Thursday, despite more than two-hour commutes from inner Brooklyn, thanks to all tunnels and highways being closed to traffic.

And by Friday, he was concerned he might actually not have enough gas to make the trek, since that has become the latest challenge post- hurricane.

Over the weekend, Angelo waited for two days... manning shifts with his son Mike—in order to fill up the tank at a gas station that was expecting the tanker to arrive Sunday... so that he could make it through the borough. Not only is my contractor dedicated, but—to my great favor—he is one hell of a perfectionist.

So here's where we stand:
* As of Monday, sub-floors were installed in the living room!!
* All drywall has been completed, seams have been sealed and skimmed.
* New ceiling with smooth drywall installed, sealed and skimmed.
* Electrical work, including pot lights under the sofa cove, a couple new outlets and—for the first time—an outlet for cable TV (instead of a random wire that snaked under the carpet) complete!
* Radiator relocated from the wall beside the fireplace, now neatly tucked into the window sill.
* In addition, my landmarked windows, which have always shaken in their frames, have been anchored with secure molding, at last.

Next: framing for my brand new fireplace, scraping of the beautifully revealed brick accent wall above it... and FLOORS! New hardwood will run throughout the living room, connecting the hallway and into the bedroom (to replace laminate that was installed during the Dear Genevieve redo, the one element of that reno I was not happy with).

We're aiming for completion just before Thanksgiving... And I will be ever thankful to have this mess wrapped... although as dusty and packed in as it is, I still love this process. *