Home Soon-to-be-sweet (Second) Home
It took us forever to get out of the house, only to hit all kinds of traffic before we even crossed the Brooklyn Bridge (not to mention after), but we made it upstate with no other hitches. (OK, one hitch: We got a parking ticket that we wouldn't have gotten had we left as early as we'd planned. But one of the things that delayed us was having a very yummy breakfast of homemade cornmeal pancakes—so good!—and a side of extra-good Niman Ranch bacon, so at least we were well fortified for the day.)
This is my first trip upstate of 2006, so I wasn't sure what to expect when we got to the house, what with the kitchen and every inch of wall-to-wall carpeting (plus these very bizarre built-in banquettes in the living room) having been ripped out in my absence.
Turns out (and this wasn't a huge surprise) that the place looks about a jillion times better without the hideous (mildew- and previously mouse-infested) kitchen and the super-ugly (fraying and dog-hair-infused) dark-grey industrial carpet.
This is despite the fact that their absence points up a couple of other problems that need to be addressed. First, our sub-floor is some kind of super-cheap particleboard (as opposed to, say, slightly less cheap plywood) that is wet—and therefore swollen—in several spots. Which means that although we stopped on our way up to look at carpet samples and were all set to have the place measured and put in an order, we now have to have some of the sub-floor replaced (and, of course, make sure that whatever caused the leaks in the first place is, or has already been, abated) before we can move ahead with that.
Second, the half-wall that separates the kitchen and the living room is not exactly secure (as Zach discovered when he leaned against it and nearly went over the side).
But in the grand scheme of things, we (where we = our various contractors) have made a great deal of progress on the place. Soon the rebuilding (and re-carpeting and re-painting and re-furnishing) can begin!
This is my first trip upstate of 2006, so I wasn't sure what to expect when we got to the house, what with the kitchen and every inch of wall-to-wall carpeting (plus these very bizarre built-in banquettes in the living room) having been ripped out in my absence.
Turns out (and this wasn't a huge surprise) that the place looks about a jillion times better without the hideous (mildew- and previously mouse-infested) kitchen and the super-ugly (fraying and dog-hair-infused) dark-grey industrial carpet.
This is despite the fact that their absence points up a couple of other problems that need to be addressed. First, our sub-floor is some kind of super-cheap particleboard (as opposed to, say, slightly less cheap plywood) that is wet—and therefore swollen—in several spots. Which means that although we stopped on our way up to look at carpet samples and were all set to have the place measured and put in an order, we now have to have some of the sub-floor replaced (and, of course, make sure that whatever caused the leaks in the first place is, or has already been, abated) before we can move ahead with that.
Second, the half-wall that separates the kitchen and the living room is not exactly secure (as Zach discovered when he leaned against it and nearly went over the side).
But in the grand scheme of things, we (where we = our various contractors) have made a great deal of progress on the place. Soon the rebuilding (and re-carpeting and re-painting and re-furnishing) can begin!
posted by Jody Rosen Knower at 9:27 AM
1 Comments:
I think you guys should think about having a "painting party" this summer---get a few folks to come up to the house and help you with home improvements; then we can wind down with some wine and cheesing in the evenings...killing two birds, no? Anyway, count me in if the mood strikes you!
xo
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