Reinforcement, circa '70s... are they kidding me?

[anders07]

Should I expect it to look like this under the entire staircase and balcony...?

They didn't seem to have a shortage of rebar in the 70s and chiseling it away isn't the most fun...
At least I know the house probably won't collapse anytime soon...

 

[slacker]

I had something similar on my balcony - An absolutely disgusting amount of rebar they used in the 50s!

A good and heavy machine and you'll build axles in no time! Good luck!

 

[MaM]

Had the exact same amount of reinforcement in a balcony that was taken down from our house built in the 50s.

Cut sections to a suitable size and you can break off larger parts, it requires some work but works well once you get the hang of it.

 

[anders07]

Yeah, ugh, this wasn't fun... I might have to rent an even bigger machine. Completely hopeless to loosen it without turning it into small gravel...

 

[Erik Salhammar]

[image]

Should I expect it to look like this under the entire staircase and balcony...?

They didn't seem to have a shortage of rebar in the 70s, and chiseling it away is not the most fun...
At least I know the house won't collapse anytime soon...

Is that supposed to be a lot of rebar? Or do you mean for the 70s?

On the topic: when tearing down, one cuts concrete where possible. Several times more efficient than chiseling by hand. Partly due to the rebar. Then there's also less debris. Just blocks that are easy to carry on a dolly.

 

[anders07]

Is that supposed to be a lot of reinforcement? Or do you mean for the 70s?

On the topic: when demolishing, you cut concrete where possible. Several times more efficient than chipping manually.
Partly because of the reinforcement. Then there's also less debris. Just blocks that are easy to take on a sack truck.

So now, 9 years later, I actually don't remember what I meant... I was probably frustrated that it was slow and troublesome, I guess...

But, yes, there was an incredible amount of iron in that balcony...