Debris Chute

[MB]

I'm going to be renovating a 2nd floor bedroom (actually, converting it to a bath & making the neighboring bedroom larger). In any case, I am going to be removing all of the existing plaster & lath in the room and I can't get the dumpster directly below the window, due to a single story addition that extends out of the house. For the life of me, I cannot find a place that rents out those construction debris chutes. Does anyone have any idea where I can rent these for a few days, a week tops? I am in South Jersey near Philly.

Thanks!

[RicodJour]

Are you sure that you want to do the rip out yourself? When you add up the cost of the dumpster, hours involved, cost of a chute, liability, etc., it's often much faster and cheaper to have a company rip it out for you. They'll rip it out in half a day, cart the material away, pull all the nails from the studs, and leave you fresh for the real work. If you haven't gotten prices from demo companies, you should - it will probably be less than you think. They'll often give you a price over the phone based on your information.

If you're set on doing it yourself, how close can you get the dumpster? If you can get it within several feet, you can make a chute from a series of garbage cans with the bottoms cut out. Tie the handles together with rope so the bottom of an upper can overlaps the top of the lower can. Tie the bottom of the two ropes to something inside the dumpster (or to the far side of the dumpster). It works well.

Another alternative is to build a chute from plywood and 2x4s. You can reuse the material for the renovation - it won't be destroyed.

R

[MB]

Am I sure I want to do the rip out? Hell no. I'd prefer not to, but with the budget I'm working with.... What would you guess the cost on doing a ripout would be? It's a

10'x14' room.

MB

[RicodJour]

I can't give you a number that would have any meaning. Make a list of the overall size of the room, floor wall and ceiling materials, number of fixtures, tub materials, whether you want the company to do the plumbing disconnects and give a couple or three companies a call.

If nothing else, you'll find out the amount of money you'll be saving. Very possibly you'll find the price not that much more than a dumpster and chute and paying yourself minimum wage. You might decide that your time and effort would be better spent on more highly skilled endeavors.

Post back and let us know how it turns out.

R

[Bruce Boyd]

If you decide that you are going to do the job yourself here is some advice from the been there done that department. As mentioned in another post plywood or OSB and 2x's will work for a chute if you can get close enough with the dumpster. Make some sides for the chute and it will work fine. Get GOOD dust masks or respirators. Pick up a couple of pick axes to punch through the plaster and lath and pull it down but be careful if there is wiring or plumbing in the walls or ceiling. Use a fan in a window if you can without blowing dust onto the neighbor's house. Seal the room as well as you can before starting the demolition to keep as much dust out of the rest of the house as possible. You will still get dust in the rest of the house! Wear good boots. Tear all the plaster and lath down, pick out all the wood lath and send it down the chute before you try to shovel the plaster out. Wear gloves, safety glasses and cover up as much skin as you can stand. Oh yeah, and have fun. Bruce

[chickenwing]

Fo real! it is a pain in the butt

everything looks good on paper and in theory, you know best how many days you think it would take, obviously you've done this type of work before. A good hearty sawzall can be invalueable to you; you can really do some surgery with it.

If you know the key points that you want to take out, and you have a good mental picture of what is behind plaster as far as framing, you can take down large sections (but then again...think about smaller pieces for the chute

it could be a good experience for you

if you do the teardown make sure you get a good sealing face mask, theres alot of dust under the plaster, if your dropping whole ceilings, or walls, definetely mask off that area, otherwise you'll have a coat of dust througout the whole house...more than just a little bit.

[calhoun]

Around here you have to use a covered chute for safety and dust control reasons. I made a wood frame and screwed a large sonotube to it. I did a 45' x 15' ,5 room, 2nd floor, plaster lath, with brick lining. Took 4 days. Would have needed a new tube if I had to do much more.

[spudnuty]

Bruce gives good advice. I will only emphasize the sealing part. What I found was best was to completely seal the room off completely and enter from the other room (like an air lock) or at least a double seal with two doors one to the room and another in the hall. You always wind up tracking all that plaster dust everywhere and that is nasty and hard on tools, fans and anything that has bearings. Oh change those masks often and get the kind that have 2 straps. I used one recently that was nice and had a small valve for the out breath, not 3M. Richard