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