Why a Homeowner Should Never Handle a House Demolition on Their Own
Tearing down a house might seem like a simple enough task, with the right crane or other heavy-duty equipment to manage the work and if the house itself is rather small and seemingly manageable. However, it's never good for a homeowner to assume they can handle a house demolition, no matter their expertise with renovation projects and how "handy" they think they are; this work is always best left to a professional crew. Note a few reasons why this is so you know to call a professional if you're thinking of getting a house demolished.
Safety concerns
Even if your property itself is very large and your home is far from the neighbors and set back from the road, you need to take the right safety precautions for a house demolition. This can mean erecting a certain barricade or fence, closing off certain walkways, and making sure your crane arm doesn't hit overhead power lines and cause an outage or sparks. A professional demolition company will be very experienced in how to do this and also will be familiar with any regulations that concern necessary safety precautions, so you don't face fines or fees for an unsafe demolition site.
Removing debris
Removing the debris from your home may be more difficult than you realize, as it's easy to underestimate the size of skip bin you need or how often you'll need to have it picked up and replaced with a new bin. The debris created by your home will mean more than just the framing and walls, so trying to calculate the debris in terms of your home's square footage may be shortsighted. The interior cabinets, flooring, porcelain fixtures, appliances, and other such materials, if they're not removed before the demolition, will add to the debris. A professional will know how to walk through a home and accurately calculate how much debris will be created with the demolition so it can all be carted away properly.
Preparing the site after demolition
Will you know how to prepare the site for new construction, or for sale, after a demolition? This might mean grading it or digging for a new basement. A demolition contractor will often include this in their work so that the site is ready for your new home or for potential buyers. If you're not sure how to do this yourself, this can mean having to call in a contractor anyway in order to prepare the site for another house or to make it more presentable if you're going to sell the vacant land.
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