Renovation Nation: Adjusting Utilities for Existing Buildings
Utility systems are installed throughout almost every building across the world. As time goes on, buildings are renovated, updated, and repurposed. How do we account for the systems that allow these buildings to function? The answer comes with utility adjustments. Utilities often need to be adjusted, removed, or abandoned to fit the new purpose of the structure. This often involves removing, capping, abandoning, relocating, installing and replacing utilities throughout a structure, both inside and out. These may be temporary or permanent adjustments depending on the extent of construction. Let’s talk about what kinds of adjustments can be expected from various types of renovations and how utility conflicts can be solved.
There are a number of reasons why utilities need to be adjusted for a renovation. Building accessibility has become a necessity for allowing people of all bodies access to areas. This often involves new accessible doors, constructing entrance ramps for wheelchairs, and widening throughways. Established guidelines for accessibility compliance rely on the 2010 ADA Standards of Accessibility, which explains the needs for accessibility as well as exception cases. One of the more common needs for accessibility comes with restrooms, which are full of partitions to divide the space and appliances of varying heights. They’re also tighter spaces full of water and sewer pipes. In any of these cases, the utilities within the building may need to be relocated to accommodate for additional floor space.
Another situation comes with dividing and opening up spaces into new rooms. What was once a large office with an open floor plan may be divided into more private spaces, or vice versa. With entire walls going in, electrical and water systems will need to be adjusted to accommodate new lighting and fire prevention needs. With walls being removed, utility systems embedded within the walls will need to be relocated through other areas of the building. There’s also a more extreme example of this – when a building is entirely refitted to provide a different service. A restaurant may be transformed into a doctor’s office, or a car dealership into a coffee shop. These buildings have entirely different needs when it comes to utility systems, often leading to abandonment and capping of lines.
With all of these adjustments of buildings and their working systems, how can we determine if utilities need to be relocated or removed? If it’s a renovation project where surface features and appliances are still visible, it may be relatively easy to have a starting point for locating and disconnecting a utility system. There may also be utilities that were previously abandoned at one point or another, which may present a hazard if not protected during the renovation process. Before saw-cutting, drilling or demolishing portions of an existing structure, ground penetrating radar can be used to determine the extent of utility conflicts as well as conflicts with existing structural reinforcement. By scanning the existing structure, you’ll have a better understanding of the utility systems running throughout the building, protecting both working and abandoned utilities.
Our team at Trinity Subsurface is able to locate existing utilities using a variety of tools and methods to determine the full extent of what’s under your renovation project. Call us or check out the rest of our website to find out more information on our utility investigation services.
