REPLY TO REG:
Hi Reg,
Your observation is precise and, with apologies, I stand corrected. I believe I owe you an explanation, if you care to read it following (no obligation).
John
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After coming back from the CPS in May, I got a notice from building management that construction would be forthcoming in Apt 10G, the recently-vacated apartment directly beneath my own, Apt 11G. (See attachment). Apt 10G was identical to my own except it has a terrace on a building setback. I expected updates to the kitchen and bathroom, and updated fixturing. Nothing happened for months, but on Aug 1st it started.
My home office occupies an entry I use as office space that includes two workstations. When the demolition started, I could feel the floor heaving beneath me (from the blows of sledge hammers, I would eventually learn) with which a crew ripped out every interior wall from the ceiling slab (I was seated upon) down to the 10th floor slab.
I live in a 20-story, 95 year-old, solidly-constructed building: the noise was unbelievable and continued to various degrees for months on end. Late in the day one afternoon early on, I went down to the 10th floor to slip a note under another neighbor's door. It was quitting time, and the door to 10G was wide open.
I took one step over the threshold into the apartment and, from there, could see every window in the unit along the perimeter walls. Luckily, I had my phone in my pocket and took some pictures, attached. It was only after this that I learned that the owners were carving up the space to yield a 2-BR, 2-Ba w/stacked WD in-closet (from a 1-BR, 1-Ba unit).
After demolition came the buildout, which included the relocation of the kitchen (relocated into the foyer, directly under my "office") and the installation of bathroom plumbing for the creation of the "primary bath" as well as a stacked washer/dryer.
In addition to copper supply pipes, sawing and fitting of iron waste pipes took days on end.
I was rattled to say the least, and only able to make my Zoom commitments by muting my microphone for the duration of most calls, and cranking up the audio output as required.
This continued unabated, but the coup-de-grace occurred on the two days before my flight to ICANN81, when the workers jackhammered the tiles off the 10th floor terrace below my LR windows to replace them. The noise seemed to have ended by the time I arrived home from ICANN 81 and I've since met my new downstairs neighbors, who this month added a first-born-son to their household.
I'm finally ramped up for closure, and know that I was not at the top of my game during the months of construction. Accordingly, I've been back-tracking to cover any unfinished business, which I thought included circulating the NYT article to the PPSAI IRT, which it did not. My bad.
In closing, I just want to give my colleagues on the IRT the courtesy of an explanation, and my commitment to efforts to contribute to the group. (No replies are required, nor is there anything whatsoever confidential/private about it.) Thank you.
Speaking personally and respectfully,
John McCabe
^ Standing at the entry in the foyer, viewing windows in (l-r) bathroom, bedroom & kitchen (floors marked for construction).
^ Standing at the entry in the foyer, viewing windows in (l-r) living room and bathroom (floors marked for construction).
^ Standing at the entry in the foyer, viewing windows in (l-r) bedroom & kitchen (floors marked for construction).
^ Standing at the entry in the foyer, viewing (l-r) 2 doors to terrace & sliver of living room window.
Taken from 11G LR window, repaved terrace of 10G (removed by jackhammer)