Replacing Shophouse Pipes

The project of replacing all of the plumbing in the shophouse is now complete. Initially our plan was to modify the existing plumbing to prepare for the updated bathrooms and kitchen, however, we soon determined that it would be best to simply replace everything at once. We made this decisions for a number of reasons. First of all, if you have old pipes in your house, and you are already replacing the entire floor and re-plastering all the walls, you might as well take the opportunity to replace the pipes. Second, after purchasing the home we had the water turned off to prevent anyone from using it when the house was vacant. Just before starting on the demolition project, we had the water turned back on and quickly discovered a leak. We didn’t know of the leak until receiving the first water bill, which was MUCH larger than expected. Since there was really no way to find the leak without tearing out the entire supply line, it just made sense to replace it.

The entire projet took about 2 weeks. It required a trench stretching the entire length of the house to lay down a new supply line and a new outflow (drain) pipe. In the back of the house where the bathrooms and kitchen will be, there was additional excavation to lay the pipes in the floor and the walls. During the excavation we even discovered the outline of the old granite airwell, which we had previously assumed was torn out.

Now that the plumbing is complete, we look forward to cleaner water, better pressure, a nicely cleaned out sump, and several more strategically placed faucets. Good stuff.