Phone: 508.460.9508 | Fax: 508.480.9216
2 Park Central Drive, Southborough, MA 01772
MARCH 2024
The Story About a 3,000 Pound Tub
Last year, our team was hired for project work on a beautiful, newly renovated luxury home in Haddon Hall on Commonwealth Ave in Boston. To create a more comfortable, lived-in feel to the home, we were asked to make additional renovations throughout, which included building a full wall between the kitchen and living areas, as well as customizing a primary ensuite bathroom space. This design included an incredible 3,000-pound tub. And that’s where our executive class construction and expert problem-solving skills kicked in. Keep reading!
Downtown Boston, a Luxury Bathtub, and a Bold Undertaking
Haddon Hall, for those who aren’t familiar, is an 11-story building of steel, wood, and brick – most notable for towering above neighboring buildings of Commonwealth Ave in Boston’s Back Bay. The historic building houses 9 luxury residences/condos, each unit averaging around 4,000 square feet of opulence. With grand windows and high-rise ceilings, the 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom residence begs to boast the finest fixtures and stunning accents.
For our team of experts, creating a luxury home in Boston is nothing new. However, a freestanding bathtub made of stone imported from Mexico to be elevated 9 stories was a unique challenge. While the average acrylic freestanding tub weighs around 100 pounds, this impressive piece needed special attention and care during installation.
A Hefty Project for a Sky-High Investment
Once the tub arrived in Massachusetts, our team worked with the outstanding folks at Shaughnessy Crane to come up with a plan of action. The crane selected for the task was a 70-ton mobile Liebherr crane, which is actually one of the smaller cranes in their repertoire, but perfect for the job. The crane drifted the tub through the window and placed it on 5-ton jacks, securing it with 3500-pound straps on each end.
Now, it was time to prep the porcelain for plumbing. The team lifted the tub up and landed it on a 4,000-pound dolly, rolling it on a polyurethane sheet. Once the plumbing work was completed, we jacked the tub back up and placed it on blocks of dry ice.
Vanishing the Ice and Prepping for Tranquility
While it sounds a bit unconventional in construction, dry ice was the best way to ensure there would be no leakage or excess water for flooring and neighbors below, as dry ice changes directly from solid to gas at room temperature. Once the tub was placed on the dry ice blocks, we pulled the straps out and, from there, waited for the tub to work into position as the ice evaporated.
On average, 10 pounds of dry ice will last about a day in a cooler, so we did not have to wait for very long until the tub was in a permanent spot, sitting adjacent to towering windows overlooking the bustling heart of Boston’s Back Bay.
