Sometimes a process of construction of some object is preceded by a total or partial demolition of another object. This happens whether you’d like to modify a part of the building or your house, or maybe to construct a whole new object from zero. You should know some basic things about demolition and how to do it properly. It’s not a complicated process but it needs to be done neatly in order not to do any damage. For that reason, professional expertise might be necessary and after that, some other steps would be required. Let’s check the most important steps and some useful insights so that this work can be done properly.
Demolishing permit
You can´t demolish any object if you are not a registered demolition contractor which requires a special permit. There are exceptions though, you won’t need a permit if you want to demolish private garages, retaining walls, or carports. Nevertheless, if those are part of the Heritage register or if it affects the safety of the public, then no demolishing can be done. Take into consideration that even before applying for the permit you need a report and consent approval in case you want to demolish an entire building, more than a half of a volume of an entire building over 3 year period, or any part of the facade. This can be different based on the country or even the city where you live. For example, in Western Australia, only a person that is a license holder or their employee may carry out the demolition work.
Conditions to complete, along with safety measures and risks
When a professional takes a look at a property that is to be demolished, there are some potentially dangerous materials that should be taken care of. The demolition company examines those materials before doing anything in order to prevent those materials from doing any harm. For example, they remove asbestos before demolishing the property. Some people are even specialized in asbestos removal, so make sure you hire a professional that is suitable for the service you’re looking for. There are things you can do on your own, like turning off the electricity or gas before starting with the demolition in order to easily prevent potential danger to the neighborhood.
The common approaches to demolition
Some of the most usual approaches to demolition are mechanical demolition and deconstruction. The first one uses heavy machines that tear down a building. The second one uses a more subtle approach trying to save everything that could be reusable, like doors, windows, pipes, tubes, and so on, and deconstructing the object, which is more time-consuming and expensive. You can, of course, combine these two approaches and save what is salvageable and later on tear down the building with machines.
Types of demolition based on demolished properties
Now that we have defined the approaches to the demolition, we can mention some specific properties that people most commonly demolish in order to proceed with the reconstruction of design modification. The two aforementioned approaches can be used on every one of these properties. These types of demolition can be house demolition, barn demolition, interior demolition, mobile home removal, pool removal, concrete removal, oil tank removal, and so on. The difference between these properties is that the demolition of a house or interior will probably require saving some materials while a barn demolition will just be done by tearing down all the wood.
The costs of demolition
If we use a house demolition as an example, the factors affecting its costs can be its size, the materials used to build it, location, method of demolition, and the contractor. Be prepared to spend more money if you don’t want a traditional mechanical demolition, which is the most economical one. It costs from $4000-$14000. The debris should always be carefully disposed of. When it comes to a barn, although it is usually torn down to the ground, you can reclaim the wood and earn some money. It can cost between $1.200-$25000. Interior demolition ranges from $500 to $12000. Mobile home removal usually costs $3.5 per square foot. Pool removal costs from $3500 to $7000.
To sum it up, if you want to build something new or to redecorate your property, you might need to partially or to completelly demolish it. In that case, first, you check it with a specialist, see the precaution measures, risks and how to avoid them, costs, and the debris disposal plan. Then, get a permit. Once you have it, you can hire adequate professionals to proceed with your plan. Choose wisely between mechanical demolition and deconstruction since using one or another can influence your budget. Choose these according to the type of property. Save or reclaim a part of the debris and dispose of the rest. This is the whole process and if done correctly you can soon enjoy your new home, pool, or build a cottage where once was a barn.
