Plumbing and the Pantry

Okey dokey- so week 5 was all about plumbing.  It seems like plumbing was added to the basement after the house was built- so the pipes were all outside of the walls, in plain view. The contractors once referred to it as the "submarine look". Not only was it a total head-banging hazard, but it definitely just looked tacky and unkempt, and like a basement. In addition to all that- it turns out the pipes were all galvanized, which I guess is 1940's technology that only had about a 40 year lifespan, so we were well-overdue for an update. Old galvanized pipes not only corrode, which can lead to build up in the pipes and crappy water pressure, but apparently they also have the ability to leak lead into your drinking water. So we pretty much had to replace them. The good news is that the new material is PEX pipes, which are small plastic pipes that are color coordinated and bend easily, and therefore fit into smaller spaces easily. So the team has been slowly removing all the old pipes and putting the new ones in the ceiling.  

In the living room- old galvanized pipes on the left, new ones tucked in the soffit on the right

Looking down the hall towards the back- big galvanized pipes stick out on the left, all gone on the right

Looking from the bedroom towards the bathroom- lots of pipes on the left, no more wall on the right. 

Also- there's this. we have a massive hole in the floor. we assume it's related to a drainage pipe. 

Upstairs, the demo team kept working on the pantry. They've now fully removed two of the walls. The far one will stay and be one of the walls for the new half bath.  And- thankfully- they removed the plywood barrier over the kitchen door, and just boarded up the pantry door for safety, which means we can get back into the back yard again. Yay!

You can see red and blue pipes coming up for the new half bath. 

Looks like we're ready to fight off the zombies, but we're very happy to get back into the back yard. 

 So, next week we expect the plumbers to finish up in the basement and connect the last few pipes and remove the remaining ones. Hopefully they will also fill the massive hole back up. There's a bit more framing to finish up, and then I think we're ready for inspections.