OK may be I am asking for it, but here goes.

This is a 4 unit apartment building in South Florida. Bank owned. Property was badly vandalized by previous owner. All windows broken, tiles and mirror smashed, copper pipes removed, all copper electrical conductors pulled from conduits, cast iron pipes broken and removed, air conditioners gone, water heater gone, appliances gone...well pretty much everything gone.

So first a few pictures.























All four apartments are in similar conditions.

Obviously, I need to hire this project out. I can't possibly do this on weekends.

I have not purchased it yet, still working on numbers and estimates.

On the plumbing side, I would like some opinions.

Supply - there is no more copper pipes except for those buried under the concrete slab. The guy even broke open the exterior concrete block wall to get at the pipes behind hosebibs. So I think the existing copper pipes need to be abandoned and I will need to do all new supplies through the attic, PEX may be? Is that the best way?

DWV - as you can see in some of the pictures, they removed all the copper drains too, and for reasons I can't understand, they also broke the 3" cast iron waste/vent pipes (all four of them), so now I can look up and see the hole on the roof. I don't think old cast iron has any value...so they did it just for spite? Unfortunately, if I shine a flash light down, I can see broken pieces of cast iron pipes lodged deep in there. What can I do about that? I don't want to break open the slab.

Thoughts?

Am I crazy to be thinking about doing this?

100 percent repipe..

What size straight jacket should we order for you. What you have is probably more expensive than doing a new building.

Sum. Only YOU know the answer to that. This is a major reconstructioon project. Besides re-plumbing, repiping, electric and repairs, you have the glass and wood work. Is it really worth it in the Florida Market? Only you know the answer to that.


Best Wishes

I can't tell from here if you are crazy or not -- but whether or not you should continue depends upon the price and the location. Remember Rule #1 -- you make your money on the buy.

I have been through many similar purchases and projects in the past few years, and would be happy (in a different venue) to share war stories.

run, Sum, run

FASTER FASTER FASTER

see Sum run

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 1 times.

Way too much bad karma in that building to even think about wanting to own it.

Best option may be a bulldozer depending on what the land is worth

my straight jacket size is medium.

packy I know the supply lines need to be 100% repiped.

I was wondering if I could use the existing DWV below grade. The toilet is still sitting over the toilet drain so I *ASSUME* that opening is OK. The 3" main stacks are all broken. I am thinking I can still cut it 3" or 4" above the top of slab and build up from there. What scares me is the broken pieces of cast iron debris (and whatever else) that dropped down in there...that seems to be my biggest concerns.

I know this is a complete gut job but once the demo of all the sheetrock, tiles and ceilings are gone it's just new construction.

unless the vandalism extended to include mortar in the drain lines

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

It is on order, because this statement

"Obviously, I need to hire this project out. I can't possibly do this on weekends."

combined with the problems you have had hiring contractors on previous job, will put you in it in a short time.

Mortar poured down the main stack - I doubt it. I did shine a flashlight down each of those broken 3" CI pipe because that was one of my concerns. I didn't see any mortar down, usually if someone did that when they pour it they will be sloppy and spill some on the outside and some on the inside wall, I didn't see any.

What I did see are broken pieces of the CI pipe dropped into the pipe and lodged at the elbow. Not sure how to fish them out.

They must have broken the pipe with a sledge hammer. So I don't know if there are hairline fractures on the pipe that extended below the slab. Cracks I can't see but will rust and enlarge later on.

magnet on a stick

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Bad karma? It's not like it's haunted. All that matters are the numbers, does it cash flow.