How Much Does House Demolition Cost?

Here, we’ll be discussing how much it cost to demo a house, looking at what the expenses are like for home tear down. You’ll get to understand that residential demolition costs are quite varied than you think.

So, we won’t be wasting any more time but jump right into the juicy details.

The construction industry involves the erection of structures. However, in the course of construction, certain projects may require demolition to make way for new buildings or homes.

Whether a house is being demolished to make way for a new one or not, the cost will still be involved.

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Average Cost To Demolish A House

Demolishing a house involves a lot of work as well as cost. Sometimes, figuring out the time and expenses involved can be overwhelming especially for persons with little to no experience.

This requires some knowledge of cost breakdown for a demolition job.

Various reasons could be given for demolishing a house. These could range from having an unsafe or faulty structure, the need to erect a new structure in its place and so many others.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to demolish your structure, this article should be an interesting read. It unveils the key considerations used in pricing demolition projects as well as any other thing you need to know.

Demolition can be performed in two ways; the most popular demolition technique is mechanical demolition.

The other involves deconstruction which is one of the cheapest ways to demolish a house.

In terms of costs, the extent of demolition, the size of the home, the construction material (such as houses with slab foundation) all factor into total demolition costs.

Home Demolition Cost Calculator [Variables]

When prepping for home demolition, you’ll find several variables involved. These include demolition type, per square foot, presence of hazardous material, and type of house, etc.

All of these variables play a role in determining your eventual demolition costs.

So, how exactly does one know the cost for a demolition project? You’ll need to determine what’s involved. Here, your preferences (especially relating to the type of demolition), size of the home, and what follows after (such as rebuilding) will be important.

How Much Does It Cost To Tear Down A House?

The cost of house demolition depends on multiple variables.

However, there’s an average home demolition cost range of $7,500 to $15,000. Depending on the type of structure, estimates could go as high as $45,000.

i. Demolition Cost by Type

When demolishing a house, several variables come into play.

One of them includes the type of demolition to be performed. Now, there are three types of demolition namely; partial house demolition, total house demolition, and house deconstruction.

Of course, the cost for each demolition type varies as you’ll soon find out.

Partial House Demolition Costs

If your structure requires partial demolition, the average costs for such projects range from $1,000 to $20,000.

From the name, you’re able to picture a structure having certain defective parts that need to be brought down or removed.

Based on the difficulty of the job, demolition could be basic and quick or more complex and slow. This explains the cost variation.

Partial demolition may focus on certain parts of the building such as the deck which costs around $300 to $3,000, the chimney costing anywhere from $300 to $6,000, and the wall ranging from $400 to $3,000.

Bringing down the patio costs around $450 to $2,500, shed demolition costs $500 to $3,500, bathroom demolition will cost anywhere from $550 to $1,500. For foundations, partial demolition will cost around $1,000 to $25,000, while barns will cost $1,200 to $25,000.

Partial demolition may focus on the pool area. Here, demolition costs will amount to about $1,500 to $9,000.

Roof demolition costs around $3,400 to $8,500.

Total Residential Demolition Costs

This is a no-brainer as it gives the idea of the complete removal of a structure.

Demoing involves tearing down the entire structure and costs around $7,500 to $15,000. However, this same cost range won’t apply to larger homes with sizes above 1,500 sq. ft. More will be covered on house demolition cost by size.

A wide range of tools is used for such teardown. These range from wrecking ball, excavator, or high reach among others. Part of the cost breakdown will include expenses for hauling off debris from the demolition site.

House Deconstruction Costs

For house deconstruction, it’s a technical process that ensures that some materials can be reused. One of the main aims of house deconstruction is to enable the recycling of building materials.

As such, special tools (mostly hand tools) are used to carefully take down a house.

House deconstruction costs vary from $10,000 to $50,000. Such costs are characteristically high due to the work involved. Projects such as these tend to be more labor-intensive than others.

ii. Cost To Knock Down A House by Size

The size of a house demolition project is yet another cost-influencing factor. This is mostly done per square foot.

It’s common knowledge that structures vary by size. There are houses as small as 500 sq. ft. and others as large as 2,500 sq. ft. or more.

House demolition is measured per square foot. On average, you’ll find demolition costs around $5 to $10 per square foot. The type of structure matters as well.

Older structures without full foundations may be charged at $3 per square foot or less.

For those with complete basements, demolition costs are much higher.

So, getting into the details, a 500 sq. ft. home will cost an average of $2,500 to $5,000 to demolish. A building twice this size (1,000 sq. ft.) will cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 to tear down.

The cost of demolishing a 1,500 sq. ft. home ranges from $7,500 to $15,000.

Bigger houses such as 2,000 sq. ft and 2,500 sq. ft. will cost around $10,000 to $20,000 and $12,500 to $25,500 respectively to demolish.

iii. House Demolition Cost by The Area to Be Demolished

Partial demolition may be targeted at certain areas of a structure. Now, there’s a long list of sections or areas that may be considered. For instance, if you wish to have a wall demolished, expect a fee of around $400 to $3,000.

Deck demolition will cost about $300 to $3,000.

For a shed, a demolition contractor may charge you around $500 to $3,500. The cost for chimney removal is around $300 to $6,000. For garage demolition prices, expect a fee of around $800 to $10,000.

The demolition cost for an extension is about $550 to $3,000.

That’s not all! Demolishing a bathroom and patio will cost about $550 to $1,500 and $450 to $2,500 respectively.

Other sections or areas of a house include the driveway, pool, and barn. For a driveway, demolition cost is around $600 to $4,000.

Pools attract demolition fees of between $1,500 to $9,000. If you have a barn, you may end up paying anywhere from $1,200 to $25,000 for demolishing. Removing a foundation cost about $1,000 to $25,000.

Basement demolition will attract a fee of $5,000 to $25,000.

iv. Cost of Mobile Home Demolition

Various types of houses exist including mobile homes. Because these structures aren’t permanently located or fixed, their foundations aren’t as difficult to get rid of.

Demolition costs for such houses will fall within the $2,000 to $6,000 range. The most common demolition method adopted is mechanical demolition.

v. Presence of Hazardous Material

A hazardous material like asbestos is likely to shoot up your demolition costs. Asbestos can be found in several areas in a building such as flooring, siding, insulation, or roofing.

Here, you may want to first inspect and test for asbestos to be sure.

Inspection and testing for asbestos alone are likely to cost around $500. Here, demolition cost per square foot will be around $10 to $30. Not every structure containing asbestos will attract significant demolition costs.

This is true for houses having this hazardous material confined to a small space.

vi. Post Demolition Cleanup Costs

House demolition is only one part of the job. This is usually followed by a cleanup of the demolition area.

Here, all debris needs to be cleaned and hauled away. While most reputable demolition services will include cleanup costs, some others may charge you separately.

Post demolition cleanup costs will range from $300 to $1,800. The type of demolition performed as well as construction materials involved will determine whether you attract higher or lower cleanup fees.

vii. House Demolition & Rebuilding Costs

There are times when demolition is only a part of what’s needed.

In other words, a house may need to be demolished and rebuilt. In that case, the cost involved is much more significant as it includes raising a building.

For instance, while it will cost around $10,000 to demolish a 2,600 sq. ft. home, rebuilding costs could amount to over $400,000.

Preparing For Home Tear Down

Having focused on the cost involved for house demolition projects, you’ll need to adequately prepare for the job at hand. It’s important to only patronize reputable demolition services.

When building a new structure in place of the old, a thorough assessment and development plan needs to be made with the help of your architect.

Home Demolition and Rebuilding Costs

As stated earlier, there are various reasons why a structure will need to be demolished. One of them includes demolition to rebuild or raise a structure in the same place.

Here, construction costs are significant as they include demolition costs.

So, a rough estimate for such projects will range from $10,000 to $423,800. This is for a house measuring around 2,600 sq. ft. excluding utility costs.

Conclusion

The cost of demolition of a house is quite varied as seen above. You’ll need to figure out what applies to your needs to know what costs you incur.

We’ve discussed the various aspects of project costs to give you a rough estimate of what to expect.

Here’s your demolition cost calculator for the home. Every demolition job has its own unique cost implication. However, the details supplied above can be used in working out or calculating the cost of any house demolition job.