Work in Brooklyn, NY

Being in Brooklyn a month ago made me skeptical of the possibility of being self employed in NYC. Come to find out it's the contacts one has and not one's ability. My Sweetheart sent out an e-mail to the people in her industry and the responses have been numerous!

Yesterday I patched the sheetrock under the sinks in the kitchen and bathroom of a very nice apartment here in Brooklyn. The repair under the kitchen sink was fairly straightforward except for the fact that the plumbers that made the repair requiring them to remove the section of sheetrock left the stub for the sink drain too deep in the wall and it was a bear to retighten it after I replaced the P-trap. I managed to get it, though, and that patch, for a one-coat patch turned out nicely.

When I moved into the bathroom, however, it was a different story. The wall behind the vanity sink was tile which the plumbers broke through with a hammer. Not the nicest hole. I couldn't realistically bring in my tile saw because it is a wetsaw, and it would have soaked the apartment down below. I called the landlord and told her that to repair the damage would be a fairly extensive project, entailing removing the newly installed vanity, chipping the tile out to the nearest stud on either side (which in this case would be a four foot span for some reason) , sheetrocking the larger hole and replacing the tile which means I'd be descending five floors to make the cuts on the wetsaw. She asked me what the alternative would be and I told her that I could silicone a piece of sheetrock over the hole and stub the plumbing through. A surface patch. To my chagrin that's what she had me do. I really don't like to band-aid stuff like that, but it is, after all, under a sink in a cabinet.

When I gave the landlord a bill, it was evidently not to NYC standards, (100$ for three hours is fine by me) and she said "That's just crazy talk!" She told me that no one would even show up for less than $150 and that she'd make it worth my while. I'm curiously anticipating the check. I'd be happy with what I told her was due me. We'll see!

That's life in the big city so far this go 'round!