{
  "url": "https://havedumptruckwilltravel.com/blog/demolition-tips-for-diy-homeowners",
  "path": "/blog/demolition-tips-for-diy-homeowners",
  "title": "Demolition Tips for DIY Homeowners | Have Dumptruck, Will Travel",
  "description": "Demolition can be fun, but also costly or even dangerous for the uninitiated. Learn basic demolition tips for DIY homeowners.",
  "heading": "Demolition Tips for DIY Homeowners",
  "content": "Demolition Tips for DIY Homeowners\n\nView Larger Image\n\nThe most common reasons that people choose to demolish their home are to make space available to build a new home and when the house contains so many structural issues that repairing it doesn’t make sense. People who want to attempt home demolition on their own need a detailed plan before they do any work. They also need to weigh whether they have the skills, physical strength, and proper tools to do the job well.\n\nIf you’re consider doing a DIY tear-down of a room or structure, consider the following demolition tips and advice.\n\nIs the Tear-Down Structural or Non-Structural?\n\nDemolition of a house is structural if involves altering or moving a beam, bearing wall, post, lintel, header, or footing. As a result, people can do significant damage to their homes by attempting to complete a structural demolition on their own. Another consideration for homeowners is that they must be able to determine which structures are load-bearing and which are not load-bearing.\n\nA structure incapable of bearing substantial weight is typically safe for people to remove on their own. Therefore, the simplest way to determine whether a wall is load-bearing is if it runs parallel to joists. Basement stud walls are typically not load-bearing, but homeowners must check all walls since some are the exception. Since headers and posts typically bear weight, homeowners should avoid removing them.\n\nAccording to a recent article published on the website HGTV.com, homeowners can manage a variety of demolition tasks themselves. However, the professional remodeler who wrote the article feels that some tasks related to demolition are too complex for homeowners to manage alone. Therefore, here are examples of jobs that he recommends outsourcing to a professional.\n\nAsbestos, lead, and toxic mold removal\n\nHVAC work\n\nHomes over one story high\n\nElectrical work\n\nGarages, sheds, and other landscape structures\n\nNatural gas\n\nPlumbing\n\nRoofing and siding\n\nPool demolition\n\nHow to Prepare to Take Down a House\n\nHomeowners who still have a mortgage on the property must contact the lender before proceeding with a demolition project. Lenders that grant permission for demolition may also be able to help homeowners secure financing for both demolition and rebuilding. Other preparation and demolition tips include:\n\nAcquire a permit to proceed with the demolition from the city. By contrast, those who choose to work with a demolition contractor, that person should know the steps involved in applying for and obtaining the permit.\n\nTurn off all utilities including gas lines, electric lines, and water. Homeowners also need to contact their utility provider to request that a worker come to the home to cap all utilities. The service provider will also do a walk-through of the home to make sure that the homeowner disconnected all utilities correctly.\n\nRemove all personal belongings and furniture. No bulky items should remain in the home once the demolition starts. This includes things like light fixtures and appliances.\n\nArrange to have a roll-off dumpster onsite to discard debris from the demolished home or hire a construction debris hauling service.\n\nHomeowners will also need to gather or rent several types of tools, heavy equipment, and safety gear. These items include:\n\nBarrier tape\n\nBulldozer\n\nDry wall hook\n\nEye goggles\n\nHard hat\n\nHydraulic backhoe or excavator\n\nLadder\n\nMasonry drill\n\nPutty knife or chisel\n\nPlastic sheeting\n\nPry bar\n\nRatcheting tubing cutter\n\nReciprocating saw\n\nRotary hammer\n\nSafety cones\n\nShop vacuum\n\nSledgehammer\n\nStud finder\n\nSurgical mask\n\nUtility knife or box cutter\n\nVolt cutter\n\nWire cutter\n\nWheelbarrow\n\nWork gloves\n\nThe remaining demolition tips depend on whether the homeowner has decided to rent an excavator or tear the house down by hand.\n\nCompleting Demolition of the Home\n\nPeople who choose to use heavy equipment to tear down their home must secure the area to create a safety perimeter. Next, swing the arm of the excavator over the roof to take it down first. Repeat this process with each wall of the home and cave in the floor as the last demolition step. Finally, transport debris to the roll-off dumpster and arrange for pick-up or determine where to dump the debris.\n\nHomeowners completing a manual demolition process should start with the drywall. This will require removing wallpaper with a putty knife and chisel if necessary. Then, the next step is to locate studs using the stud finder, mark the location of each, and use a sledgehammer to begin knocking out sheets of drywall. Here are the remaining demolition tips steps for manually tearing down a home.\n\nRemove doors and their frames.\n\nRemove all flooring material, starting with the bathroom and kitchen. Then, move on to the hallways, bedroom, and living room.\n\nDemolish the bathrooms.\n\nDisconnect fixtures in the laundry room like sinks, wash machines, and clothes dryers and be sure to uninstall them properly. Then, move on to removing floors, walls, and cabinets.\n\nDemolish the dining room and kitchen.\n\nThis process takes care of the inside of the house, but homeowners will still need to demolish the outside using heavy equipment. Moreover, using heavy equipment for the whole process could potentially save people thousands of dollars.\n\nBy kayvan|March 24th, 2021|Homeowner Tips|Comments Off on Demolition Tips for DIY Homeowners\n\nShare This Story, Choose Your Platform!\n\nFacebookXRedditLinkedInTumblrPinterestVkEmail\n\nRecent Posts\n\nSpring into Action with Have Dumptruck Will Travel!\n\nYour Go-To Solution for Dirt and Concrete Removal!\n\nUnwanted: How to Remove a Hot Tub or Jacuzzi\n\nDIY Tips for Backyard Drainage Solutions\n\nHow to Excavate & Construct an In-Ground Trampoline\n\nArchives\n\nMarch 2024\n\nDecember 2023\n\nSeptember 2022\n\nNovember 2021\n\nOctober 2021\n\nMarch 2021\n\nNovember 2020\n\nSeptember 2020\n\nAugust 2020\n\nJune 2020\n\nJanuary 2020\n\nSeptember 2019\n\nSeptember 2018\n\nCategories\n\nconcreate removal\n\ndirt removal\n\nHomeowner",
  "word_count": 941
}