Busting up concrete to get to pipe under slab foundation/saving built in bar above

[Don Morris]

Mom, is 99, lives alone in a tri-level part slab home. She has absolutely no dimentia, keeps her own check book, passes an actual driving test every year, (but only drives to the local markets). And she's not moving! Been having problem with the toilet in the family room/slab area for several years with toilet backing up. We had a camera put down it and at a bend there seems to be a disintegration of the old iron pipe under the family room. The plumber thought settling and general disintegration has crushed the pipe because there wasn't enough support. He has a relative in the same development with a similar style home and he has the same problem. That area has a built in bar. In all probability we'll have to go under at least part of the built in bar. I'm not worried about the concrete part, but the built in bar is all good quality wood (architect designed and built home) and has water piped to it. Anyone ever have to remove a built in bar? How do you save/remove items like that without destroying at least some of it? Any tips or hints from past experience with this type of problem would be most welcome.

[Stephen Cherry]

Can you cross it at a right angle? In that case, I would use a rod or short shovel to dig under it without removing the concrete under the bar. I'm not a plumber, but I have installed plenty of tube under side walks by doing this.

[Keith Westfall]

If you have to install a new pipe, why not a new trench? Same amount of digging and nothing disturbed...

[Don Morris]

Looks like the plumber also does the concrete busting. Supposedly they cut the concrete first then bust it. Jack hammaring without cutting is not a good idea from what a friend told me. Will have to rely on his expertise and hope for the best. A handy man/carpenter (they're in Chicago, I'm in Wash, DC) got a lot of the built in bar apart without destroying it. That made 99yo Mom happy. Found an AC vent/shaft she didn't even know was there and hadn't been connected. Needless to say it was really full of debris. So far, the hardest part has been finding a carpet company come in to move two pieces of heavy furniture and roll up the carpet. My brother in law who would normally do the furniture moving had hip surgery one week ago. I understand rolling up a carpet for re-rolling is easier said than done, you can damage/ruin the carpet if not done right. And the carpet companies don't want to move any furniture. Problems, problems, problems. At 99, Mom isn't up to moving the furniture herself. My flight is due to leave on the 28th for Chicago. I'm stuck here painting a powder room with stripes.