Alaina Davis’ face lit up as she described the renovations to her two-bedroom apartment at the Towers of Kuhio Park, formerly known as Kuhio Park Terrace.

"It’s 10 times better than I thought it would be," Davis said as she stood in her newly tiled kitchen.

Renovations at the high-rise towers in Kalihi are ahead of scheduleas contractors work six days a week.

Workersstarted on Tower A in May, completing 144 of 270 units so far. Remaining units are expected to be done by the holidays, according to Monika Mordasini, vice president of Michaels Development Co.

Work to Tower B is expected to be completed by the end of December 2012.

According to the state and Michaels Development, the $135 million project is "the first public-private partnership between the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and a private developer to transform public housing."

Apartments on the top three floors of Tower B are being used as an "on-site hotel," allowing tenants to stay on the property during renovations.

Some residents also opted to stay with family or friends. Officials with Michaels Development said the pace of the project has been efficient as tenants are moving back into their apartments after 33 days.

On a recent afternoon, Davis, a special-education paraprofessional teacher at Linapuni Elementary School, was unfazed by piercing, drilling noises by workers right outside of her 792-square-foot apartment as she stood in her expanded kitchen, motioning toward her new full-size refrigerator and gas stove. Contractors removed a counter and a set of cabinets that boxed in the kitchen, leaving little elbow room.

"Everything is a lot more open, more inviting, more welcoming," said Davis, who lives with her 13-year-old son, Jesse, on the 14th floor.

Corian veneer kitchen counter tops replaced the stainless-steel, school cafeteria-like counters that were installed when the buildings were built in 1963. Varnished wood cabinets replaced old ones that were falling off the hinges.

Contractors are also enclosing lanais, extending living room space by five feet. Residents like Kainoa Talamoa and his wife, Timena Alualu-Talamoa, who live in a three-bedroom apartment a couple of doors away from Davis, say the enclosure keeps cigarette butts and trash from landing on their balcony from higher floors. More important, the enclosure gives the couple, who have three young children, ages 1, 4 and 6, a sense of safety.

The Talamoas are grateful for their new kitchen and appliances in their 944-square foot apartment, noting they only had one workable burner on their old compact stove for the past two years.

Framed family photos are displayed on their entertainment center, which is where the lanai used to be. It now feels like home, said Alualu-Talamoa.

"It’s way better than before. I love the changes," she added as she held her youngest child, Jahzariyah, in her arms as she stood near her glass dining table, which exceeds the width of their old kitchen. We’ve been waiting for these changes for a long time."