Riser Replacement
Several years ago, the board of an old building in Markham decided that it wanted to renovate their lobby. The project itself was fairly simple, but the risers above the lobby were developing pinhole leaks, and the problem needed to be resolved prior to starting any work.
The risers in question included two kitchens, and three bathrooms, spread over two units. Original estimates suggested that the job would require removing kitchens on ever floor, and creating floor to ceiling openings in each of the units, but this would have been extremely expensive for a building this size, and would have been a nuisance to the owners. Other options were looked at, such as lining the pipes from the inside, but ultimately it was decided that the risers needed to be replaced.
Several plumbing companies were consulted, and by working closely with the top bidders, it was discovered that they could gain access through temporary holes in the corridor walls, which would allow them to bypass the units altogether. The extra cost on the corridors was well worth it, and the overall savings amounted to over 40%, with far less disruption to the owners!