A machine, a saw, and some patience beats brute force and a sledgehammer every time
Episode 2: Demolition
Last time on the Model remodel Show, Ben and the crew got a jump on spring with some late-fall excavation work. This time, they aim to take back some of the calendar that winter stole with a late March snow storm.
One way to save time and labor costs became clear over the long winter: Forget about trying to save little pieces and parts and knock it down to the bare foundation.
This week, they begin with the roof, newest sections first, then they pluck the walls and cut up the floor, using a small excavator for extra muscle.
"There's a couple of ways to take off roof systems, you can go inside and peel the ceiling out and sit underneath with 2x4s and sledgehammers and beat the sheathing off from underneath, but it's torture on the body.
We've found over the years that we can break the roof up into sections and pick them with the assistance of a machine. If you work smoothly and efficiently, you end up getting more accomplished in a day in a cleaner and safer manner that you would beating it apart by brute strength."
—Ben Bogie, Built to Last Design and Build
Next time, they'll frame and sheathe the floor system.
—The Model Remodel Show is a production of the SGC Horizon Media Network and was shot on location at the 2017 Model Remodel project in southern Connecticut.
