Residential Demolition Services in San Diego

Typically, the price for demolishing a residential building varies widely depending on the condition and sizing of the building, as well as whether it’s a complete or partial demo. However, the accurate estimation of any residential demolition project depends on:

1. Square footage of the building

2. Whether or not hazardous materials are present

3. Landfill and hauling fees

4. Fees for permits, licenses, and other policies

The two most common ways to demolish a house are either traditional, mechanical demolition with the assistance of heavy equipment, or by tearing down the house by hand (also known as deconstruction).
Mechanical demolition is the most common form of demolition — the house is ripped down with the help of hydraulic excavators and other heavy machinery. The resulting debris is then hauled away via trailer or dumpster. The second method, also known as “green demolition” or “demolition by hand,” is deconstruction, which is the process of manually stripping and deconstructing the house piece by piece with the intent of salvaging as many of the materials inside the home as possible.

Most of the building materials on a demolition project are reused, recycled, or salvaged. Common items that may be reused or recycled in some way include flooring, carpets, plasterboard, wood, roofing materials, ceiling tiles, and insulation material. It’s even possible to save or salvage materials like concrete, brick, and porcelain, and occasionally soil.

As the recycling rates from both conventional demolition and deconstruction are generally about the same (often close to 90% of the material on a project site), the main difference between the two processes tends to be that deconstruction is usually much more labor-intensive than conventional demolition, where a considerable amount equipment and technology is used.

Deconstruction involves the hand dismantlement of potential recyclables, and can be more time consuming than conventional structural demolition that utilizes heavy equipment and specialized attachments. The goal of both demolition and deconstruction, however, is the same: to maximize the amount of marketable recycled material generated on a project site.

There are a few things that need to be done before a demolition team can get started. The first priority is to disconnect all of the utilities: electrical lines (if above ground) are removed when the power is cut off and the meter is removed by SDG&E, water is shut off, and gas service should be stopped.
Keep in mind gas service can take up to 45 days for full disconnection. The owner will also be required to sign and notarize their permission to demolish the structure on the permit application.

A contractor must have the proper local and state licensing in order to perform any type of demolition work. These contractor licensing requirements vary from state-to-state. Watkins Environmental is fully licensed and permitted for demolition work in the State of California. Ready to get started on your residential demolition project? Contact Watkins Environmental for a free estimate today!