One of our current projects is an OBGYN office that is expanding into an adjacent space and remodeling the transition into its current space. The project started a couple months ago with demolition on the new side, and we then worked through all the phases before blending the two spaces together. Once the final phases were complete, we decided it was time to cut through the demising wall and make these two spaces into one.
When cutting through a wall, you always have to do so with safety precaution being that you don’t always know what exactly is hidden inside. With most of the wall cut out, it wasn’t until the last six inches that there was a different feeling on the saw; copper. About four inches above the floor inside the wall was a 2″ copper pipe, right where the hallway into the existing space is to be. We began contemplating the options and had many thoughts for solutions, but immediately contacted our plumber before taking any action.
Fortunately, we were able to cut out and reroute the pipe so that we could continue the expansion into the existing space. Ultimately, you never know what issues you will run into during construction, the most important thing is to have a resilient team that will address any issue and find a solution so the project can be completed.