Stories of Demolition Companies in Los Angeles
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House demolition is used to knock down houses and structure, demolish the foundation, and reduce it to “the dirt”. House demolition is frequently used to knock down old houses that are no longer ft for habitation or to demolish an old home to replace it with a newer home. Some cities like Detroit are using house demolition as a way to reduce the size of the entire city and eliminate abandon homes that create crime.

But do you need a permit for a house demolition?

The answer is almost always yes. If you, or your demolition contractor or company, are going to demolish a house you will need a permit. Most cities are fairly strict in the requirements for a housing demolition permit. A house demolition has to be done in a certain way in compliance with certain laws and ordinances.

Depending on your demolition company, and the area you live in, you may have to obtain a house demolition permit yourself before hiring a demolition company. Otherwise your demolition company will have to obtain the permit.

Deconstruction is a type of demolition that has gained more and more traction across the country. More and more demolition contractors are opting to use deconstruction methods instead of full on demolition.  But what exact is deconstruction?

Deconstruction is  a demolition service where parts of a building (or all of a building) is un-constructed or deconstructed. A demolition contractor looks at a building and says, OK, how can we slowly and methodically un-construct this building? Then asks, how many of the building materials can be reused? Then a demolition contractor begins a slow process of recovering materials from a home.

An experience demolition contractor removes fixtures from a home. A demolition contractor may also remove tile and flooring to be reused elsewhere. Beams and lumber can be recovered as well. So can copper piping and even wiring. Anything that isn’t damaged (and even a few things that are) can be recovered from a building or home under deconstruction.

Deconstruction is a slower process than traditional demolition. But demolition contractors often realize substantial savings from deconstruction because they can oftentimes reuse or resell items in other projects. Deconstruction is also more environmentally friendly than traditional demolition techniques that dump huge amounts of construction debris in landfills. Some cities (the city of Los Angeles for instance) are even offering expedited permitting for those who choose deconstruction over demolition. 

Is deconstruction for you? It’s hard to say. You should consult with your demolition contractor. Not every building or house demolition is a candidate for deconstruction. Your demolition contractor can advise you further about the advantages and disadvantages of deconstruction.

 

House demolition is not a process that is for the faint of heart or the light in the wallet. House demolition can cost upwards of $50,000 and the process of obtaining a permit for demolishing a house can take weeks or months depending upon your municipalities regulations.

But there are some alternatives to house demolition. Or rather some alternative ways to demolish a house that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Fire Department Training

Local fire departments frequently use dilapidated structures, both houses and commercial properties, for live training. These firefighting exercises include interior smoke training and live burning events. In some cases a fire department may complete burn a house or structure to the ground. You will probably be required to obtain an open burn permit and make sure that certain hazardous materials like asbestos shingling are removed prior to the training exercise. The fire department does most of the demolition for you. You may be responsible for disposal of the materials afterwards however.

Habitat for Humanity 

Habit for Humanity sometimes will demolish dilapidated structures in a community. Habit for Humanity salvages and reuses items taken from the home for other projects. Not all Habit for Humanity affiliates do house demolition. Call your local Habitat for Humanity affiliate for more details.