The Power of Networks: How Renovating My Apartment Reminded Me What Perch Is All About

This past December, I embarked on a new kind of project, one well outside the scope of anything I’ve ever done: I became a homeowner. Calling myself a “homeowner” might be a stretch — really, I put a down payment on a tiny fixer-upper in a Sunset Park co-op. Still, it’s a big step, and seemingly puts a ring (so to speak) on my already long-term relationship with New York City, which is a whole other topic in and of itself. Regardless, renovating an apartment is something I have no experience with or knowledge of, from the brick-and-mortar parts of it (I can’t even hang a frame) to the aesthetic parts (I am not an aesthetics person, as you likely already know if you’ve met me). But, I need a place to live, I want it to be functional – like with light switches and stuff –  and I do want it to look nice, even if I can’t picture exactly what that means yet. 

As I do with any new project at Perch, I started with an investigation. This usually involves having a lot of conversations with stakeholders, asking a lot of questions, and trying to understand the “logic” of the project area (the neighborhood, the agency, whatever it is). So, I approached this problem with the same tactic. I tapped into my existing networks, and I started to build new ones. 

I researched my neighbors on my floor and reached out to them to ask questions about what they did in their apartments. Some of them were generous enough to give me tours, or to recommend specific vendors. I reached out to friends who had also renovated their homes. I started talking to my network of bluegrass musician friends, many of whom I know their favorite songs and keys by heart, but have no idea what they actually do in real life. And hey, turns out some of them (or their significant others) have knowledge and expertise in fields that are useful to home renovation. I re-remembered that a long time favorite bar regular is also a contractor; a pivotal realization, as having someone I could trust through this unknown process was key. My contractor was also able to connect me with his amazing network of electricians and plumbers for any work he couldn’t do with just his team. 

And, most importantly, I asked my dad for help. I am admittedly a bit of a “nepo baby” in the home renovation world, since my dad is an expert renovator (he gut renovated my childhood house with very little help), and also an artist, with a keen sense of aesthetics. So I will thoroughly own up to my privilege in that regard. I also learned that in order to get my dad to recommend to me what light fixture he would buy, I have to send him a bunch of bad choices first. (Out of respect for it being my home, he wants me to make the decision. But sometimes when I don’t know the first time about something, I just want someone to tell me what to do, so I basically had to trick him into doing that). 

Something from my Coro Neighborhood Leadership days that applied directly to my home renovation project: “you don’t know what you don’t know” (YDKWYDK)! Oh boy did I not know what I didn’t know about home renovations. I also learned that I didn’t know what I KNOW (YDKWYK) – living in a rented apartment you take for granted that stuff is just THERE and everything (mostly) makes sense. You have outlets! They’re in locations that are generally useful! I never in my life imagined myself shopping for cabinet pulls, or a custom-made radiator, or a faucet for a sink. And I just dipped my toe into all of this! I mean, there are whole WORLDS just focused on all of the individual elements of home renovations. Light fixtures! Tile! Countertops! 

So, what does all of this have to do with our work at Perch? A lot, actually. At Perch we strongly believe that so many problems can be solved by leveraging networks. But sometimes it just takes recognizing who’s in your networks – aka seeing the thing that’s right in front of your face. All the time when I’m working with a Steering Committee to launch outreach for BID formation, the group will look at me and say “I don’t know any of the property owners on this list,” only to later realize that they know a lot of them. 

What I love about working in NYC is that everyone has “got a guy.” In a city full of busy working people, you can almost always pay someone to do the thing that you don’t want to do (or don’t have time to do) – from walking your dog to standing in line for you to moving a Wolf stove from New Jersey to Sunset Park. And if you know enough people, you can generally find everything you need just by tapping your networks. Almost every relationship can be commodified (isn’t this literally what real estate agents do?), but you need to have the relationships first. Right? So never start with an ask – take the time to get to know someone first. 

Building networks is all about relationship building and trust building, which has to be done with real people. It’s word of mouth, it’s recommendations, it’s hyper local economies. It’s finding your tile guy through a recommendation, not by a google search. It’s meeting your significant other through a friend of a friend, and not on a dating app. There’s no SEO. Mark Zuckerberg isn’t involved. It feels so wholesome and good, like it could almost be the antidote to corporate monopolies (which we’ll likely see a whole lot more of under this administration with all the de-regulation and changes to the SEC). 

To get a project like this done, you also need that community engagement special sauce I wrote about in my last article – the ability to read people. The ability to know just how much pressure to apply to make sure your contractor knows that you need something done on time, without driving him so crazy that he screws up your project out of spite (I’ve heard of this happening). The ability to manage your relationships with your neighbors, so you haven’t made a bunch of enemies by the time you can finally move in. 

The biggest lesson? Even when I’m navigating something completely outside my knowledge base, as long as I lean into project management, networking, and relationship-building — I can figure it out. Turns out, the power of networks doesn’t just build communities — sometimes, it builds your kitchen too.