How to Break down a Duplex Apartment

As some of you may know I make my living as a General Contractor. When this contest came about I thought.. "Let's think outside of the box shall we!"
This thread will take you through the current apartment I am rehabbing and show you all of the scrap opportunities I am able to come across, break down, and scrap!

Because each and every apartment is different in its needs, some things stay or are not torn out. So I will be showcasing all of the items that this particular apartment offered me to scrap. In my pictures of breakdowns you get pictures of the good stuff (scrap) and also the waste. Any plastic or rubber is thrown out.

***We are only able to upload 10 pictures per post and as per the rules, only this initial postings "Likes" will be counted. So if you are so inclined, please thank whatever posts you like, but also be sure to post a "Thanks" on this initial Posting pretty please.****


Lets Start with the Bathroom and hunt for Opportunities:
Bath Fan- Dead and Outdated


Bath Fan Pulled and Broken Down: You have an electric motor, steel, #2 copper wire, and an all aluminum housing on this one. Whoot!


Bathroom Sink:


Bathroom Sink After: Sink is cleaned and saved You get brass fittings, brass and aluminum faucet parts, copper, Brass valves, Brass pop-up. Lots of goodies here.


Shower Rod:


Shower Rod After: Aluminum Rod and Steel end cups


Bathroom "Threshold"


Bathroom Threshold Pulled: Nails go into a steel bucket, Threshold is aluminum.


Toilet Paper Holder:


Toilet Paper Holder Pulled: Aluminum Brackets

I am always appreciative of your "thanks" so if you "Thank here" Please also "Thank" Post #1 of the thread. I Thank YOU in advance!
Continuing on our trip....



Electrical Outlets and Switches: These are pulled for a few reasons, wrong color, broken or not code anymore:



I got a NICE load from this apartment as it has not been rehabbed in probably 10 years: You see the pulled plugs and switches and all the screws that hold them into the gang box


Outlets and Switches after meeting the vice: Left is all the plastic garbage, center is steel, Right is all the brass and some of them have copper contacts.


Now every apartment has nails in the walls, screws, hooks, window treatment items and such. All is steel and goes into a bucket as I pull them:


Here is what I ended up finding and pulling in just this one apartment:

I am always appreciative of your "thanks" so if you "Thank here" Please also "Thank" Post #1 of the thread. I Thank YOU in advance!
Continuing on our trip....

Curtain Rods of weird and odd design sometimes:


Multitude of Rods pulled: All steel and scrap:


Now here is another way I "RECYCLE" The curtains in this apartment were nice, not my style nor my wife, but I know another tenant who is always looking for curtains, So I pulled them and went to her apt to let her have them.. they are now hanging in her livingroom:


Cable Jacks: Wrong Color and all paint nasty, they will be replaced:


Cable Jack Plates: Nuts are Steel, Fittings are Aluminum:


Door Knobs:


Door Knobs Pulled: My yard takes em this way as brass.. don't need further breakdown.. so into the bucket they go!

I am always appreciative of your "thanks" so if you "Thank here" Please also "Thank" Post #1 of the thread. I Thank YOU in advance!
Continuing on our trip....

Lets look into the Kitchen for a bit.

Cabinets get kicked in, broken or destroyed. I break them down and scrap the parts I can.


Cabinet Door After breakdown: Steel screws and hardware:


Cabinet Drawers get the same treatment:


Cabinet Drawers After: Steel rails and screws:


Range Hood Filter:


Range Hood Filter After: Screens and surround is all aluminum.


Tenant Placed Smoke Detector: Pulled because it is not standard issue from the landlord:


Tenant Placed Smoke Detector: Steel components

I am always appreciative of your "thanks" so if you "Thank here" Please also "Thank" Post #1 of the thread. I Thank YOU in advance!
Continuing on our trip....

Now Lets look at some of the hardware items in an apartment that we can pull and profit from:

Copper Ground wire that was installed in 1954 but has been abandoned along many years of rehab. I get lucky when I have to pull the floor of the bath or kitchen ceiling to get these bad boys:


Copper Ground Wire Pulled: YUMMY!


Door Stops: Bent, broken or worn:


Door Stops: All of the bodies are steel the really old ones you get a brass screw and a brass "knub" they don't amount to much.. but every ounce counts!


HVAC Vents:


HVAC Vents Pulled from this apt. All steel:


Light Fixtures:


Light Fixtures after breakdown: Aluminum, steel and some #2 Copper wire


Handrail Brackets:


Handrail Brackets: Although they look like brass.. they are cast aluminum. Also have steel from the screws and mounting brackets as well.

I am always appreciative of your "thanks" so if you "Thank here" Please also "Thank" Post #1 of the thread. I Thank YOU in advance!
Continuing on our trip....

Each window has a screen.. if they get worn or torn, they are to be replaced:


One Screen Pulled with spline, plastic corner brackets and screen (All garbage sadly)


This was the haul of screen frames from just this apt: All Aluminum sheet:


Bath Tub Spout:


Bath Tub Spout: Brass, very little waste plastic here:

Abuilder: Yeah but I can't scrap the lead out of the paint HA! It would be like trying to get rich by getting the platinum off a Hard Disc Platter!

I would have to say great job and that you have set the bar high for this contest if someone was to beat you it would have to be a very nice breakdown!!!

Originally Posted by Otto

Sledge, excellent thread. I do a fair bit of reno work myself and I couldn't think of anything you missed. Just a word of caution on smoke detectors. The ionization type detectors contain a small amount of radioactive isotope (Americium 241). They're hazardous when incinerated or when in close proximity for prolonged periods (I wouldn't keep a box of them beside your desk, for example.)

Otto: Thanks for that tip.. I have never seen one of these before.. so that is a valuable piece of information! Thanks for bringing it to not only my attention, but anyone else reading too!

Originally Posted by travistemple202020

omg I love it I always get razzed because I pull nails out of boards for scrap if there being used or friends burn them for warmth and I get the steel that way

Travis:
HA! Well everything "foreign" must be removed before I patch and paint.. so I figure "why not keep a bucket" and I toss them all into it. Gives me weight and gets recycled.. so I'm always happy with that!

Originally Posted by mikeinreco

I would have to say great job and that you have set the bar high for this contest if someone was to beat you it would have to be a very nice breakdown!!!

Thank you sir! I appreciate that very much. Usually when the admin posts an upcoming contest I haven't participated because there are some folks here that on say a "Built from Scrap" contest- they create some wicked things, great ideas, great welders in a lot of cases. Sadly, that isn't my strong suit.
So thank you mike for the kind words.. we shall see if my thread can hold up! Proud of all the folks who are busting chops to submit breakdowns.. this contest is a great one!

Originally Posted by sawmilleng

Sledge,

You are a patient man! Pulling all the guts out of the electrical plugs and switches. I hope the scrap processing time vs material gain adds up to your preferred hourly rate!! Seems a little thin as it stands now.

But you are doing a fine job of documenting it. Lots of detail for others to look over in the future. Keep it up!!!

Jon.

Jon-
Thank you.. and to answer your question. I have to remove them from the wall.. so I'm getting paid my billable time to do so. Once I get them home and put them in a vice, I'm looking at about 30-45 seconds each to break down. So it of course isn't a "set the world on fire" amount of $ in the scrap.. but all of it gets added to its respective sort bucket and it all adds up over time. If left as is- I'd get sheet steel pricing and miss out on all the brass and copper $ in them.. and since I'm breaking down in my spare time, making some coin in my spare time is just fiiiiine with me.