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There's a Better Way - Fine Homebuilding Reader Quick Tips

Using a Zip Line for Quick Demo Removal – AKA “The Flying Bathtub”

Above and beyond (the landscaping and) the call of duty

In the process of remodeling a third floor bedroom/bath, we were faced with the dilemma of finding a way to quickly, safely, and efficiently remove all the demo materials. Going up and down three flights of stairs through a house with tight turns and high-end finishes, proceeding outside and then venturing up steep hardscaping steps – in all, a few hundred feet of time-consuming time, slow-moving work. A traditional demo chute couldn’t be used because of the landscaping/location of the house.

Our lead carpenter on site alleviated the problem with a zip line from the 3rd floor to a dumpster a 100+ feet away. Debris went down (ever see a flying bathtub before?); materials and tools went up. Here’s a clip of the zip line in action, complete with flying bathtub:


 

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  1. TheTimberTailor | Feb 10, 2011 11:50am | #1

    Ingenious "outside the box" thinking! (or should that be "outside the dumpster" thinking?!) Looks like the kind of idea that will evolve in future setups.

    I can imagine a setup with a pole at the far end of the dumpster and a trip line rigged so an operator at the 3rd floor window could send a can down the line, stop it right over the dumpster, pull the trip line to tip and empty the can and then retrieve it without even having to leave the building.

    Excellent, guys, excellent.

    Matt

  2. ChicagoMike | Feb 10, 2011 05:00pm | #2

    Just AWESOME!!

  3. BobboMax | Mar 14, 2011 07:37pm | #3

    LOL. Just hope my brother-in-law doesn't see this.

  4. andybuildz | Mar 14, 2011 07:42pm | #4

    Can't wait till OSHA ruins all the fun.
    The Flintstone's got nuttin' on these boys!
    Rock on~gotta love it!!!

  5. andybuildz | Mar 14, 2011 07:42pm | #5

    Can't wait till OSHA ruins all the fun.
    The Flintstone's got nuttin' on these boys!
    Rock on~gotta love it!!!

  6. mikeymo | Mar 14, 2011 11:03pm | #6

    OSHA, schmOSHA, soon this will be required on all building sites, including basement rehabs.

  7. curtis72 | Mar 17, 2011 04:10pm | #7

    Love it. What a back & time saver. The flying bath tub was hilarious!

  8. TomkoRemodelingLLC | Mar 05, 2012 04:46pm | #8

    hauling 5 gallon buckets of mud tile bathroom debris, and garbage pails of plaster/sheetrock, from second and third floor bathrooms, to a dumpster that seems to always be 150 feet from the house has been a standard for the past 12 years of my life...That video was refreshing!

    Well done guys!

    Drew

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