Last weekend was a bit quiet on the renovation front, due primarily to family gatherings and delays of our own making involving permits. We did manage to do some important managerial duties, such as contacting an old friend who may be able to help with our heating system and finally meeting with the building inspector. Both were very productive conversations, with the latter resulting in a building permit--which means we can start building walls next weekend. Yay!
We also managed to remove all of the cast iron pipe from the old boiler heating system, most of which ran the length of the building in the basement. When we were finished cutting it out, we hauled about 1,800 pounds of scrap metal to a scrap recycling center and had a much cleaner basement.
Before:
After:
You can keep track of our progress through more pictures by checking out our 37 N. Main Flickr set. Thanks!
That is quite a transformation! And I know from experience that cast iron pipe can be a bear to remove. Did you use a Sawzall to cut it, or did you break it with a sledge hammer?
Glad to hear that you were able to sell it to a recycler. Too bad most iron and steel sold to recyclers in the US ends up in China. At least SOMEONE is making use of it!
Yep, it was heavy and difficult to remove, but the basement is much more usable now! We did use a reciprocating saw (Sawzall) with metal blades to cut it, which worked pretty well--though it wore down our batteries and blades very quickly. We'll actually be removing more cast iron today--from the second floor plumbing--and I purchased a few cast iron blades this time around. Hopefully those will work a bit better!