Demolition Calgary

Garage demolition

A detached garage is our most common demolition job in Calgary, usually because it is being replaced or because the lot is being redeveloped. A typical 20 by 22 foot single-storey detached garage on a back alley is a straightforward job.

What changes the price is what the walls are made of, whether the concrete slab is coming out too, and access. Alley access is normally good news. A garage boxed in behind a fence with no alley is harder.

The slab is the decision worth making early. Leaving it in place is cheaper, and it works if the replacement structure is going in the same footprint and the concrete is sound. Taking it out means breaking it up and hauling it, and concrete is heavy — that is a weight-driven cost, not a volume one.

Decks, fences and outbuildings

Deck teardowns are seasonal and they come in a rush every spring. An average Calgary back deck produces more material than it appears to once boards, joists, beams, railings and stair stringers are separated, and the posts usually come up with concrete footings attached.

Fences are the same story along a longer line. Panels, rails, posts and footings. If you are replacing the fence, getting the old one out and the debris gone before the new posts go in is what keeps that project on schedule.

Sheds, old playhouses, hot tub surrounds and pergolas are all routine. A hot tub itself is worth mentioning separately when you call — they are heavy, awkward, and often need to be cut down to be moved out of a back yard.

Interior strip-outs

Interior demolition is the controlled kind: taking a space back to studs without touching anything structural. Kitchens, bathrooms, basements and old panelled rec rooms are the usual candidates.

The work is drywall, flooring, subfloor, cabinetry, tile, fixtures and old mechanical. It is dusty and it is faster with the right people than it is on a weekend with a sledgehammer and a friend.

Two hard rules on interiors. We do not remove or cut load-bearing structure — that needs an engineer and a permit. And in any Calgary home built before about 1990, the material has to be assessed for asbestos before demolition starts, because vinyl floor tile, textured ceilings, joint compound and pipe insulation from that era commonly contain it.

Permits, utilities and what is on you

Demolishing a permanent structure in Calgary generally requires a permit from the City, and arranging it is the property owner's responsibility rather than ours. It is worth starting early because it is the thing that most often delays a booking.

Any structure with power, gas or water running into it needs those services properly disconnected by the utility first. We will not start work on a building with live services, and no reputable outfit should.

We will tell you plainly when we think a job needs a permit, a disconnect or an asbestos assessment. That is not us being difficult — it is the part that goes badly wrong when it is skipped.