Noticed something odd at that old renovated mill in Lowell

Was up in Lowell last month helping a buddy with a duct cleaning job at the old Boott Mills complex, and every single chimney cap had been replaced with these cheap tin cones that rusted straight through already. The property manager said they saved about $180 on each unit by going with the discount supplier, but now they're looking at redoing all 40 of them. I get pinching pennies on a big project, but this is a historic building. Has anyone else run into that kind of short-term thinking on a remodel, and how do you talk them out of it without burning the job?

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tarag281mo ago

Damn, $180 apiece to save on a historic mill? That's wild. Those old chimneys are part of the building's soul, and now they're gonna look like junkyard ornaments if they rust out that fast. I bet the property manager didn't even factor in the labor cost of swapping them twice, let alone the embarrassment of explaining it to the historical society. Honestly, I'd just print out a photo of what they looked like before and after, and ask if that's the legacy they want. Sometimes people need to see the stupid with their own eyes.

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