The New, Slow Reality of Renovations

When New York City permitted residential home construction in their first reopening phase, workers picked up where they left off on renovations, but it would not be the same jobsite welcoming them back. The city mandated that contractors must fill out numerous health forms, create sanitation stations, mask themselves, and practice social distancing, according to The New York Times. Along with city rulings, many buildings created their own guidelines for contractors to follow, such as shorter working hours and no exiting of the building to limit foot traffic. Although renovations may be back in full swing, these rules may result in renovations taking longer to complete.

Gail Eisen was in the middle of combining two apartments in a co-op building on Sutton Place in late March, when the coronavirus prompted the shutdown of all nonessential construction projects for more than two months.

“When the workers left, with a few weeks to go before completing the job, they left in a hurry,” said Ms. Eisen, a retired television news producer. “They left neat piles of all their tools — 7-by-7-foot piles.

“But they’re back now,” she added, “and the buzz saw is music to my ears.”

Almost a month after the phase 1 reopening of New York City that allowed contractors and their crews back into residential buildings, “we’re redefining what ‘full steam ahead’ means,” said Steve Mark, the chief executive of SMI Construction. “It’s not going to mean what it used to.”

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