• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
AbbeyK

AbbeyK

Love Where You Live!

  • Projects
  • About
  • Services
  • Press & Television
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search

April 6, 2012 abbey

Think the Job of Decorator is Glamourous? Think Again.

The basement remodel continues. Those plans I drew for the permitting had to be re-measured based on site conditions so we could plan for plumbing, cabinetry, and the rest. This is one job where site conditions takes on a whole new meaning.

To get the plumbing in, they had to take up the cement floor. Under that was a ledge of rock so they had to clear that ledge to run the water lines. What was left was a dirt pit. Dirt that had not seen air since the 1890s.

I got a call from Tommy SIlva to go over and re-measure/re-draft for plumbing placement as the plumbers were coming to run lines in a few days. In construction you have to drop everything and re-arrange your schedule to accommodate the construction schedule, so that's what I did. The guys working were landscapers. The head of the crew, the client, and I all measured in dirt against a rock foundation wall. We had to climb down about a foot into the underworld.

Dirt pit

For those of you who think that measuring is easy: think again. We had no place to measure from. We had to measure off of a snap line (the pink string in the landscaper's hand) and it took teamwork! First we had to figure out how to do it, then it took all 3 of us together to measure. Two on the snap line and one on the tape measure.

Making things more complicated, there's a bump out for a bay in the foundation which means you have to measure in 3 places to get a dimension off of the bay. And the foundation is jagged and rocky. The framing is up now, and a new cement floor is down. I nearly jumped for joy that our measuring came within 1" of actual. That was a mere feat.

There's no more dirt pit and this job site is kept so clean you can eat off the floor. The framing is beautiful. Almost like finish work. I love trades people who do excellent work. If only all my clients would hire labor this talented! This is going to be one nice basement. Now we are onto product selection. To be continued……

Bath framed

 

Categories: Bathrooms, Design Stories, This Old House, NewtonTags: "boston interior decorators", "boston interior designers", Abbey Koplovitz, AbbeyK, Basement remodels, This Old House (R), Tommy Silva

Primary Sidebar

Search our site

best-of-houzz-badge_design-2016
best-of-houzz-badge_service-2016
best-of-houzz-badge_service-2017
best-of-houzz-badge_design-2018
best-of-houzz-badge_service-2018
best-of-houzz-badge_service-2020

Categories

Archives

About AbbeyK


Boston-based interior designer Abbey Koplovitz showcases ongoing projects, shares insider tips, and talks about what it’s really like to be an interior designer.

Contact

We love what we do.
We think you will too.

Please check out our projects here.

Phone (617) 905-4185

Email info@AbbeyK.com

AbbeyK on TV

  • THIS OLD HOUSE®
    WEST NEWTON SHINGLE-STYLE
    EPISODE 11
  • THIS OLD HOUSE®
    WEST NEWTON SHINGLE-STYLE
    EPISODE 16
  • NEW ENGLAND DREAM HOUSE
     
     

Decorating Tips

5 Components of Green Design

9 Easy Ways to Be Green at Home

7 Ideas for a Fabulous Kid’s Room

10 Tips For Choosing Paint Colors

Keep in Touch

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Houzz icon

Footer

AbbeyK, Inc. | 14 Stoneleigh Road, Watertown, MA | (617) 905-4185 | info@AbbeyK.com | © 2022 AbbeyK, Inc. | All Rights Reserved
Website customization and maintenance by ASK Design