Yesterday I talked about the "potential whistle-blowers" lurk American residential areas.  It made me think of the story of a most capable handyman, an amateur, I have ever seen.

He was a colleague of mine when I was working in New York, who was also an astonishing adept in mechanic and carpentry.  Having glitch in your car or needing regular maintenance, or any trouble in your household appliances?  No problem, just ask a favor from this enthusiastic helper and he would fix them for you without much ado, nor any charges.  Although any of those noxious problems would kill us, it was just a piece of cake for him.  Amazing?  He could do much more than those "trivial" stuff.  He bought a tattered house at a relatively low price.  You know, in metropolitan NYC there are always a basement and an attic for a single house.  Now his legendary acts continued, and let us see how he did to refurbish them, single-handedly.

Because the attics in NYC are usually narrow and compact mostly due to slant rooftop, and they are usually used for storing miscellaneous stuff, not being suitable for living, for they are equipped with no easily walkable stair to step onto there, and there is no air-condition installed either.  But he made a rotating stair up to the attic, where he fully utilized the limited space to make it a delicate bar, with air-condition and even a set of toilet therein.  Next he managed to open an entrance accessible to the basement.  You know, there is zone regulation in America, and owner of the house cannot make a separate entrance to basement (or to second floor) unless the house is located in a legally two-family zone.  He might be unaware of the regulation; anyway, he just managed somehow to dig a hole and build a stair downward to the basement directly from outside.  Oh, my goodness!

But this time he "kicked an iron plate".  Probably due to his not amiable relationship with neighbors, someone told a tell on him to the municipal agency for the illegal refurbishment.  Then the agents came and ordered him to restore the basement to original status.  I am not sure if he was penalized or not. 

Mr Wang, happy new year!