NYC Demolition a Wellspring of Architectural Salvage

A New York City demolition project can yield a trove of architectural features, artifacts, fixtures, and ornaments that can be reclaimed for reuse. With architects, designers, and homeowners increasingly on the hunt for treasures from bygone eras, many demolition contractors, including R. Baker & Son, are salvaging items ranging from doors, hardware, mantels, and vintage bathtubs to large stained glass windows, complete staircases, and entire paneled rooms. Items considered junk in years past are now recognized for their beauty and superior quality and given new life as art, restored and reused in new construction or remodeling projects, and integrated into design elements, such as converting window frames into mirrors or a column into a table base. Architectural salvage keeps these materials of value out of landfills, as well.

There are numerous architectural salvage outlets in New York City and surrounding suburbs in New Jersey and Connecticut, and most offer a variety of related services including restoration, retrofit, installation, and reproduction. Some are small storefronts, while others occupy large, multi-story buildings with thousands of objects on display, drawing serious buyers and window shoppers alike.

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services has long been the New York area’s preferred demolition contractor when it comes to landmarks, historic sites and treasured artifacts, and we have recovered salvageable assets from countless complete demolition, selective demolition, interior demolition, and relocation projects over the years.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Total Demolition, Stadium-Style

Stadiums for professional sports teams are hubs of entertainment for millions of people around the country, and many of us feel a deep nostalgia for our favorite teams’ stadiums. But, like most things, stadiums that were once shiny and new become old and antiquated, and it becomes necessary to replace them with new. Older stadiums lack the seating capacity, private party boxes, restaurants, concession stands, and restroom facilities to meet modern standards, not to mention Jumbotrons, large monitors, and lighting and sound systems. This means total demolition of the old stadium to make way for the new.

In many stadium construction projects, the new stadium is erected, oftentimes directly adjacent to the old stadium, before the old stadium is demolished so there is no interruption to the sports teams’ seasons. Then, everything of any sentimental value – seats, signs, pieces of the scoreboard, grass from the outfield – is recovered from the condemned stadium for sale to the highest bidders. Seats from Yankee Stadium can still be found on eBay for $450.

For some stadiums, such as Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium, total demolition is performed by cutting, chopping and removal by multiple hydraulic excavators and other high-reach equipment. Other stadiums, including Texas Stadium and Seattle’s Kingdome, are reduced to rubble by controlled blast. Due to nostalgic value, stadium demolition is usually well-documented through time-lapse photography, news coverage, and of online videos. The implosion of Texas Stadium was a festive-yet-bittersweet public event preceded by fireworks and attended by 25,000 spectators. Once demolished stadiums have been replaced with parking lots for new stadiums, retail properties, open space, and theme parks.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a  Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB)  in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in four sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities over $10 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

Calculating Interior Demolition Costs

Interior demolition: the nonstructural demolishing of spaces within a structure, usually in preparation for reuse or upgrading the space or area. This includes interior walls, ceilings, flooring, staircases, mezzanines, overhangs, etc., as well as the utilities contained within, such as electrical, plumbing, ductwork, gas lines, flues, etc.

There is no shortage of online calculators that provide estimated per-square-foot interior demolition costs. In theory, it seems practical, but results can be wildly inaccurate. Without the input of an expert interior demolition contractor like R. Baker & Son, unknown variables can put a project’s budget in jeopardy before the renovation work begins.

**Is there asbestos, lead paint or other environmental factors that need to be identified and addressed? The cost of remediation for these hazards can often exceed the cost of the interior demolition itself.
**Are there utilities that must be preserved or rerouted? Interior demolition often uncovers problems or code issues concealed by walls, floors and ceilings. Sometimes an area marked for interior demolition contains utilities that feed through to other tenants that cannot be disturbed such as fiber-optic lines, electrical controls etc.  Demolition of these utilities can shut down another tenant’s business for a period of time until the problem is found and repaired.
**What is the degree of difficulty to perform the demo, and what special equipment is needed to perform the work safely? Interior demolition project budgets should include the cost of a properly-insured, licensed contractor who has the experience, equipment, and safety training necessary for the project.

Demolition calculators, even those from a reputable source, can only provide a budgetary starting-point for an interior demolition project. With over eighty years in the demolition industry, R. Baker & Son has the knowledge and experience to properly estimate a project and leave contingency for the real unknowns.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www/rbaker.com

Industrial Rigging Of A Wind Turbine

For those of us who work at R. Baker & Son, industrial rigging and demolition is a way of life. Imagine the surprise when, on a trip a few years ago to visit family, an R. Baker staff member found himself watching the assembly of a giant wind turbine just a stone’s throw from his uncle’s home in upstate New York. Family members had seen several large tractor trailers transporting enormous conical steel tower sections and fiberglass blades through town, so they decided to visit the nearby wind farm under construction at the top of a mountain. There they watched crews rig and place a tower section and spoke with the industrial rigging contractors charged with erecting the wind turbines. 

A 500-ton high-lift crawler crane and a 100-ton hydraulic crane were strategically positioned at the steel-reinforced concrete tower base. Riggers connected each end of tower section to each crane, and the section was lifted from the oversize tractor trailer, which had somehow negotiated its way over winding roads to the mountaintop. The smaller crane steadied the section as the high-lift crane rigged it into a vertical position.  The section was then carefully rigged onto numerous steel bolts the top of the two sections of tower already in place. The industrial rigging company foreman explained that the rigging of the 40-ton nacelle, the housing for the generator and other main components, would follow once the top tower section had been properly secured. The rotor, assembled onsite with its three 120-ft. blades, would then be rigged in one piece and connected to the nacelle.  Once completed, the wind farm would have a generating capacity of over one hundred megawatts.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www/rbaker.com

Demolition Contractors Are Creators

If you are interested in demolition, R. Baker & Son recommends the National Demolition Association’s video “Introduction to the Demolition Industry”. This informative video explores the history of demolition and the demolition contractor’s role in urban renewal, recycling, environmental cleanup, restoration, and disaster response. 

 

Narrator Ed Asner describes demolition contractors not as destroyers but as creators of space for new construction, of ways to reuse recycled building materials, and of jobs. Demolition brings tax dollars into new communities, creates space for new parks, and protects public safety by removing dangerous structures. 
 

The demolition industry is described as constantly evolving to meet new safety regulations and environments restraints. Interior demolition clears old factory space to make way for new equipment, and remove interior walls to create modern office spaces. The video features footage of building implosion, heavy equipment demolishing homes, buildings, bridges, industrial complexes, and oil tanks, giant shears cutting through steel beams, and machinery is shown crushing and grinding concrete.

Asner talks about demolition contractors’ involvement in the removal of hazardous materials like lead, asbestos and PCBs, as well as the recycling of materials like concrete, steel, iron, copper, and wood. Historic preservation is discussed, describing how demolition contractors dismantle building interiors while leaving facades and other architectural features intact. “Demolition is not destruction”, Asner says. “It’s the first step in creation.”

To view the “Introduction to the Demolition Industry”, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/demolitionassoc

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com

‪#‎rigging‬ ‪#‎demolition‬ ‪#‎construction‬ ‪#‎environmental‬

Tank Farm Dismantling

New York and New Jersey have a fair amount of tank farms serving pharmaceutical, food and beverage, industrial manufacturing and petrochemical industries. Dismantling a tank farm is not typically a complex undertaking, but requires an experienced dismantling contractor to properly identify safety and environmental hazards as well as asset recovery opportunities. R Baker has been involved in dozens of tank farm dismantling projects over the past several years.

One recent dismantling project in New Jersey required mechanical, electrical, and structural dismantling of several tank farms. Erected in the early 80s, the farms mainly consisted of elevated stainless steel tanks ranging from 500 to 10,000 gallons covered by a steel-framed Butler-style roof system. Most of the piping was stainless steel, with some plastic piping, and there were several sets of pumps for product transfer between tanks and delivery trucks. Connection points to the tanks, pumps, and other accessories were either stainless steel weld or tri-clover clamp. There was an extensive grounding system for all tanks, pumps, and piping, along with several grounding bars for static connection of drums. All of the lighting and power for pumps and outlets for portable pumps were explosion-proof due to a hazardous environment Class I, Division 1, groups C and D classification.

Dismantlement of the tank farm entailed unbolting and cutting of all piping, pumps, tanks, and electrical systems after they were cleaned and identified as safe for lockout tag out. Salvageable pumps and fittings carefully removed for reuse at another facility. After all of the mechanical electrical and structural parts and pieces were removed, R. Baker & Son dismantled the parapet wall that surrounds the tank farms. Concrete floor trench drains and holding tank were removed from the ground. The concrete was tested for any contaminants and carefully cut and removed in square blocks. Clean backfill and stone replaced the concrete floor and trench to make the area reusable again.

R. Baker & Son - Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://rbaker.com/dismantling-contractors.php

BIM on Plant Relocation Projects

Building information modeling, or BIM, is digital modeling technology used in building planning, design, construction, operation, and management. It is widely used in new construction, selective demoltion, and renovation projects, and it is becoming recognized as a highly effective tool for plant relocation projects.

BIM-to-field laser scanning equipment can be used create a 3D model of existing mechanical and structural building components at the new facility. By centralizing information in one coherent, readily-accessible system and allowing building owners, designers, and plant relocation contractors to take a virtual tour of the completed facility in the model. Placement of new and existing equipment in the new facility is simplified and problem areas that might not be apparent on paper are more easily identified and corrected. 

BIM can also be used in plant relocation to pinpoint all electrical utilities, such as electrical substation VFDs, motor control centers, large electrical conduit, and racks. Pipes, ductwork lines can be plotted, as well as maintenance and pull spaces. Design changes entered in the BIM model automatically update all trickle-down details, eliminating relocation problems and errors. R. Baker & Son also relies on building information modeling for rigging, dismantling, selective demolition, and plant decommissioning projects.

R. Baker & Son - All Industrial Services
1 Globe Court
Red Bank, NJ 07701
732-222-3553
http://www.rbaker.com