All new plumbing or save what you can?

[Liam Naughton]

Hi all,

I manage an 11-unit property and we're going through the process of getting bids for repiping the whole building.

For context, there have been 3 owners since it was built in 1962 and the building has all different kinds of pipes. The issue is that the galvanized pipes are starting to corrode and cause low flow, or no hot water in a few of the units upstairs. (This is not to mention the spot fixes that were done with copper, some pex)

Our current plan of action is to gather some bids, it seems like it's going to cost $20k-$35k per stack.

With how ownership has changed hands, we don't know (without opening a lot of holes) where the spot fixes were done and with what.

The owner wants to move forward with a full repipe and just take it one stack at a time. I'm coming to BP to see if anyone has experience with something similar and has any suggestions on how to lower the costs of the project and minimize the impact to the tenants we have in place.

Something has to be done, but to a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Thank you for any and all suggestions!

[Scott Mac]

If it were mine I would probably make sure the main feed was up to date, and then take it one unit at a time as they turn.

It seems to me depending on your flooring material you may be able to open the floor up in a turning unit versus going downstairs and working on the ceiling in an existing Unit.

It seems like it will be a lot of tedious plaster matching on the repairs. So maybe factor in an orange peel spray on the turn, for speed, and possibly for cash savings.

Putting another layer of thin sheet rock on the walls and ceiling means extending your electrical boxes out with extensions and possible issues around doors and windows.

And that will also need to be orange peeled.

You may be able to cut an upside down U shape with the edges at a 45 degree angle, and a flap at the bottom where it is not cut, and snap the wallboard down, and then snap it back up and just have a small line to fill once the repair is done, versus a big hole.

That may save you some time if your guys can do that, there may be some reason they don't want to or can't.

If you have some real long term renters in place, where you don't expect them to turn in a reasonable amount of time to allow you to finish the building a 100 percent, you could offer them one of the turned units, at it jumped up rent rate because it's new and nice. Doing this to get them to move so you can do their unit, while they still remain your renters.

The drilling and banging and shop vac noises will be a APITA for the entire building probably for months.

To possibly quell some move outs [from this noise] it is wise to keep continuous friendly communication open with the Renters about timeframes of noise that are coming up in the next few days. As well as percentage of completion and how much longer you expect it to last.

Having an ear buds only music policy for the workers on site will also help keep the noise level down somewhat- because these guys can place some loud music sometimes when you're not there thinking everybody likes their taste in music.

Expect to lose some renters due to their displeasure with living in a construction zone. The trucks, the workers tramping in and out, the construction noises, parking issues.

Your turns may also be longer than expected, due to the fact that your craftsman for this trade [s ] may not show up on time day wise, meaning they could be three days later nine days late, and they may not finish on time due to unforeseen circumstances. So you're turn Time maybe unpredictable for each unit. And different for each unit- more likely adding to your cost of a turn, then reducing it.

Good Luck!