NYC Renovation Chronicles: When the project is DIY, it helps to have the right tools, a good rapport with the super, and lots of plastic sheeting

 

Having the right tools on hand really make a difference to getting a job done quickly--even enjoyably--and hating every minute of it.

 

For example, one of our DIY projects involved adding cove molding to smooth the corners formed by our stripped, two-inch thick door frames and the wall. We were also replacing molding where water damage had rotted the original away.

 

At first, we thought we could make-do with a miter box and hand saw - no electricity required! But the elbow grease and time we would have wasted sawing away one cut at a time would have made a laborious process even more so. So we bought a miter saw (for about $120 at Home Depot). Having sold tools on Craigslist for my father (who tends to hoard tools, since he has the space for it), I knew we could easily re-sell the miter saw later on. 

 

You can buy equipment and supplies cheaply online as well. That way, you won’t mind throwing them out afterward, if you don’t feel like going through the hassle of selling it.

 

This 8-foot aluminum ladder costs $89 at Home Depot, but we bought one (pictured above) on Craigslist for $15 dollars. We’ve gotten so much use out of it I could happily toss it when we’re done. However, our super has already told us he’d be happy to keep it, and we can borrow it whenever we like. If we decide not to sell the miter saw (which comes in a space eating 2-foot by 3-foot box) he’d be happy to keep that as well. And he’s practically drooling over the wet/dry shop vacuum we got. (Very necessary for containing dust!)

 

 

This brings me to another suggestion: Get to know your super.

 

We're doing all our work ourselves, but our super lendss hand trucks and dollies whenever we’ve needed them. He’s told us we’re welcome to borrow anything we like, as long as we’re good about returning things.

 

Equally or more important, your super is a valuable source of inside information.

 

For instance, there are countless hardware stores in our area, one seemingly just like the other. But our super has his favorites, and he's kindly shared those with us--the reliable hardware stores owned by people who can give actual advice on the products they are selling.

 

Our super was also quick to say that sometimes the best place to go for supplies are the big box stores. This is because their inventory is frequently replenished and you can be sure to get fresh, reliable product. Smaller stores, he said, tend to hold on to old inventory forever and so you might get saddled with rubber washers that disintegrate, and connector pipes that have been damaged somehow and painter's tape that will no longer stick.  (We've been victims of all three. )

 

The super is usually the first to know when something cool is being thrown out in the building. He's got a little stock of original light fixtures in the basement. I've asked him to keep a look-out for a door to the potato cooler in the kitchen.

 

He's also privy to all the building gossip -- renovation gossip, I mean. He knows who had built-in shelving put in or kitchen work done, and who did the work, and how much it cost. That can be very useful information. When we were considering having built-in bookcases made, he was able to give me a good point of reference by telling me how much my neighbors' spent on theirs. He's also the one who told me that, in the distant past, the coop allowed a wet-over-dry remodeling of their kitchen. Not that I'm planning anything like that at all -- but good to know, right?