When it comes time to demolish our house, it will be done with a massive excavator, probably in a day or two. Once the above-grade structure has been removed, the excavator will be fitted with a massive jackhammer to break up the 4″ thick foundation before removing it. The water main for our house enters through the foundation in the corner of the basement. To prevent it from being damaged by the heavy equipment, I carefully removed a section of the slab around the pipe so that it is completely free of the structure. I did this with a hammer drill (baby jackhammer) taking a surgical approach to the task. One false move and I could have ruptured the pipe resulting in a very expensive call to the water company. Patience and the right tools allowed me to complete the task in under two hours with not so much as a scratch on the pipe.