Survival Tips for Downtown Remodelers

JLC • MARCH 1996 JLC • MARCH 1996 SURVIVAL TIPS FOR DOWNTOWN REMODELERS A hands-on guide to working in the city ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAN DRABEK As the owner of a small remodeling company in New York City, I work in century-old brownstones as well as pre- and post-World War II highrise apartment buildings. Brownstone work is a lot like the ordinary house construction found in rural areas and in the suburbs. But the high-rise apartment remodeling is an entirely different animal. Trade magazines and carpentry texts don’t have much to say about high-rise buildings, so I’ve stumbled along by trial and error. I’m still standing after 18 years of trench warfare, but I’ve had to