Pipe Replacement

Pipe Life-span and the Need to Replace

In Hawaii, cast iron drain and vent pipes have a serviceable lifespan of approximately 40 years. When your property’s pipes start to fail, it is almost guaranteed that a property-wide issue is on the horizon. Costly and immensely disruptive failures will likely come with ever increasing frequency leading to rising insurance premiums and ultimately denial of coverage.

Make Time to Plan

Associations should bear in mind that a repiping project requires careful planning, months of design, permitting, and multiple stages of competitive bidding. Waiting for complete failure to occur before initiating planning for the replacement project will leave you short on options.

Partial Replacement vs Complete Replacement

Some associations may elect to conduct replacements only in certain stacks and in certain zones, but be warned, this piecemeal approach has some significant drawbacks and only delays the inevitable requirement of complete replacement. Complete replacement has the major advantages of a property-wide warranty, reliable life-cycle management, finance planning, and relieves the risk of future failure in areas that have been left in place. You may also receive a discount on your insurance premiums.

Financing and AOAO Approval

Most associations will find that a bank-funded construction loan is the most appropriate financing option, and most will require AOAO approval to obtain one. Remember that this process can take several months. The voting process can be run concurrently with the design process, but a reasonable construction budget is required so a maximum loan amount can be set. Native Technologies has existing relationships with local banks and can facilitate the acquisition of a construction loan on behalf of the AOAO. Having a professional construction manager in place to manage your construction budget is considered advantageous for many banks when considering a loan application.

Not Just Pipes 

Pipe replacement itself is actually a fairly simple and standard process. A mechanical engineer will design the system, and a plumbing contractor will be able to install the pipes per the engineer’s specifications. You will probably never hear a complaint from any resident about pipes (unless there’s a leak).

Unfortunately, to get to the pipes, the contractor must remove walls and fixtures such as vanities, cabinets, and mirrors. Re-installing these items to the satisfaction of the homeowner is where the real complexity lies. If your building has aged to a point where your pipes require replacement, then a high percentage of units are likely to have undertaken significant amounts of renovation. This means every unit will have its own unique set of finish requirements. Having skilled drywall installers and finishers, and skilled finish carpenters as part of the project team is essential, as is having a skilled project manager aboard to identify finish items that require correction.

During the construction period, Native Technologies personnel visit every unit under active construction every day. We document progress, talk to residents and address their concerns, and work side-by-side with the contractor’s Project Manager to resolve any issues as they arise. Our hands-on approach sets us aside from our competitors, many of whom perform cursory observations on a very infrequent basis.

The Takeaway

When you start seeing evidence of failure, it is time to start planning. Your first step is choosing an experienced project manager. Our services pay for themselves by guiding you from start to finish, helping you avoid major pitfalls, and keeping contractor change orders in-check. Call us for a no-obligation discussion as to how we can help you with your upcoming project.