As I mentioned on my Project 365 blog, I opened up the plumbing/electrical chase today to see what’s inside. The answer? thankfully, not much. The main plumbing stack is against the outside wall, as expected, with some power and phone/cable wiring twist-tied to it (I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that 🙂 ). There are also 4 copper pipes; I think these are hot side for the 2nd and 3rd floor heat, and the hot & cold supply for the 2nd floor bathrooms.
There is also a rather steely blue paint on some of the original plaster, and what I assume is original bead-board wainscoting.
Looking up:
This chase does not need to be anywhere near as large as it is. By relocating one of the heating pipes it could easily be 12″ deep (same as an upper cabinet), and by relocating both of them it could be just a few inches deep, shallow enough to actually put something in front of.