After:
This one is a pretty good example of how one can phase through a renovation in a way that minimizes operational downtime. Each of these phases was implemented in 1-3 days without ever an overnight where the kitchen wasn’t functional. I try to time-box my work, such that scope is defined by the window of time — not the other way around. I can get yelled at by the doorman if I walk through the lobby with my tools after 5pm, and unless it’s an unoccupied job-site, I don’t leave unfinished messes overnight.
Phase 1:
West side – Wall patching/painting, new cabinetry install, temporary countertop, .
Phase 2:
East side – Cabinet door modification, wall-patching/painting, lighting/electrical. Added an outlet closer to the stove and fabricated under cabinet lighting with LED puck lights embedded in a wood panel.
Phase 3:
Marble countertop install, door trim install + painting.
The last phase was a doozy. I submitted drawings for getting the stone cut, met with the boss and the subcontractor at the yard who was going to cut and seam. We agreed he would also come on-site to template; I myself prefer to go on-site to verify plans rather than delivering based solely on spec. If something seems screwy, I’ll discuss with the designer/client/architect. Imagine my surprise when the installers showed up with 2 pieces of stone, wrong in nearly every single dimension, not to mention missing the notch for a bumped out wall by the sink, and square corners, not rounded, as my drawings had specified.
It takes a real man to say “I’m sorry” — and the guy did, to which I replied that it wasn’t his fault, it was the fucking fabricator’s fault. They hauled it out back and he did his best to make the sink side work by cutting the notch for the wall, and because the sink hole was 1/2″ too far to the right, they had to cut into the wall and shove the sink lip into it. Honestly.
Nothing to be done on the other side, which was 1″ too shallow, had to be recut. I called the boss to see if they had more of the same stock. He wasn’t sure. Once the installers finished up left I got the sink and faucet installed so the tenants would have a working kitchen and then cabbed it to the stoneyard 30 minutes before closing with a scrap piece in my bag to see if I could find a match. I found it, took a photo and sent it over. Turned out that the piece belonged to another company who shared the yard, and they’d have to see if they could buy it.
I think it was about 10 days of me txting and calling him to find out if they could get the piece, with repeated replies of “yeah I’ll get back to you on that” before I finally called the company that owned the slab to get an estimate. When dating, I’ve often noticed that guys have a competitive sixth sense, which is why once you’ve given up on some flaky loser and are out on another date, out of the blue you get a txt from the first. So of course the guy from the first company texted me a photo the day I got the quote from the second, to see if that was the slab I wanted (I guess the giant red box with the arrow above wasn’t clear enough). I said I thought it was better to part ways at this point, and he snarkily informed me that they knew I got the estimate from the second company, because they share subcontractors. I replied that 10 days to make a 5-minute phone call to find out if a piece of material was available was ridiculous. And of course I contacted the boss of the second company to tell him that the subcontractor (who shall remain nameless) better not be working on my job, because the guy is a FUCK-UP. He replied he had his own subs and was just trying to make sure everything was above-board and that he wasn’t trying to steal anyone’s clients.
The question remains… would this all have happened, if I was a GUY?