Using a Zip Line for Quick Demo Removal - AKA "The Flying Bathtub" - Fine Homebuilding FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
There's a Better Way - Fine Homebuilding Reader Quick Tips

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

Article Image

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:


 

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  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

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

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

View All
  • notching deck posts

    Notching Deck Posts With a Chainsaw

  • Using a Zip Line for Quick Demo Removal - AKA "The Flying Bathtub"

  • WINNING ENTRY UPDATE: We're Giving Away a Miter Saw

View All

Up Next

Featured Story

blower door test

The Blower Door: Why Isn't It Called the Sucker Door? And Other Tough Questions

In this archived webinar, building-science expert Peter Yost shares what he's learned over years of using blower doors, IR cameras, and other diagnostic tools so you can make the most of your test results.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • Fine Homebuilding Flashback: 1981, The Magazine's First Year

  • Podcast 318: PRO TALK With Adam Feldman, Pt. 1

  • Fine Homebuilding – February/March 2021, Issue #297

  • Fast, Flexible Car Charger

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • FHB Podcast PRO-TALK #318

    Podcast 318: PRO TALK With Adam Feldman, Pt. 1

  • flared cedar shingle siding detail

    How to Install Flared Sidewall Shingles

  • FHB Podcast 317

    Podcast 317: Natural Air Changes, Flashing Windows in Brick Walls, and Cleaning Construction Messes

  • FHB Podcast 316: Pro Talk With Dennis Bessette

    Podcast 316: PRO TALK With Dennis Bessette

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in