Inertia Home

Home Improvement Blog

Home Improvement

What Should You Expect During a Demolition Process?

It does not matter whether you wish to tear down an old home, remove a commercial structure or clear site for a new construction, because the demolition process is much more than bringing heavy equipment. Therefore, the process involves permits, planning, inspections and coordination, among other things.

The best way to learn more about safety guidelines regarding demolition process is by clicking here for more information.

The moment you decide to find a specific contractor, you should be able to start the process from the beginning to an end. If you are new to the demolishing or wish to hire someone, we recommend you to stay with us to learn about each step that happens. That way, you can rest assured and reliably find someone who can help you throughout the process.

Initial Site Visit and Review

Initial step of any demolition project is one of the most important aspects. Idea is to find people who can see the area and review overall plans. That way, they can understand each step along the way, what is being removed and how accessible the structure is, combined with potential challenges that may happen along the way.

Therefore, if you have relevant architectural plans, engineering documents and site survey, they will check out each one. That way, they can identify foundation details, utility lines and other essential characteristics that will offer you a peace of mind. During the site visitation, they will evaluate the location, potential hazards, surrounding buildings and equipment access points.

Preparation is crucial for ensuring the proper safety and reliability. That way, you can prevent potential issues from happening.

Inspection for Asbestos

Before the process can move forward, you should know that state regulations come with asbestos inspections. It is not just a simple step, but also a serious environmental and health consideration that demolition contractors must handle professionally and safely.

You should remember that asbestos could be found in flooring, insulation, roofing material sand ceiling tiles, especially if we are talking about structures build before the 80s. If an inspection has not been completed yet, you should find a verified inspector to ensure the best course of action.

If they find it, you must properly deal with it before the demolition starts. This particular step may add time to the project, but it is crucial for ensuring compliance with state law and overall safety. Enter this link: https://www.acquisition.gov/far/subpart-37.3 to learn more about different factors before making up your mind.

Utility Evaluation

Next step is to determine the existing utilities you have on-site, which you can reuse in the later project. Of course, you can decide to remove or relocate it, which can help you throughout the process. We are talking about sewer, water, gas, telecommunications and electricity.

This particular step is crucial because you can safely disconnect and prevent potential hazards during the process. For instance, if you have a live electrical service or gas line, it may be challenging to handle the destruction before dealing with it properly.

Some people decide to reuse existing sewer or water lines for new construction. If that is the case, you should talk about it and they will protect them during the process. On the other hand, if your goal is to remove everything entirely, they will coordinate with the reliable providers to ensure everything is disconnected before the project starts.

Crawl Space or Basement

You should say something about a crawl space or basement that you have, which is important factor to remember. Generally, basement requires additional planning for compaction, backfill and site grading after the work is done.

If the basement walls are filled with concrete, they may require breaking down and removing or crushing them in place. In some situations, basements may feature foundation drains, sump pumps and other infrastructure that you must handle during the demolition process.

The evaluation process may seem tedious at first, but it is important for ensuring the best course of action. That is why you should check out more about Demolition Contractor in Briarwood, by visiting their location:

Permit Applications

You should know that demolition project requires reliable and relevant permit from local area, state government and other relevant places. It is not just a local issue. You will need a permit from a state as well as separate permit from a local building department.

Each area comes with a specific set of rules you must follow, while in most areas across the US, permits will not be issues until you conduct utility disconnection and asbestos inspection. However, you can rest assured, because most contractors can handle the challenging process of paperwork and permits on your behalf.

Since they already know local rules and codes, you will get reliable paperwork and contacts, which will provide you a peace of mind. They will take care of applications, gathering necessary documentation and coordinating approvals for the overall project, which may come with extra expense, but you can avoid tedious footwork.

Everything depends on the area you reside, but permit approval can take between a few days and a few weeks, which is why you should plan to avoid potential delays from occurring.

Contractor and Insurance Requirements

Apart from getting reliable inspection and permits, you should consider the contractor you wish to hire by following different factors. Before the works starts, your contractor should have valid wrecking contractor’s license, workers’ compensation insurance, general liability insurance and car insurance for equipment transport and roll-off trucks.

They need to be fully licensed and insured, which will help you protect yourself against potential issues that may happen. The main issue can happen if someone is injured, because when contractor does not have relevant insurance, you will be responsible for everything that happens on your property.

That is why you should avoid hiring contractors that are not fully insured, even if they are more expensive than others are. It is important to protect yourself at all costs.

Final Word

As you can see from everything mentioned above, numerous things can happen behind the scenes before the machine enter your backyard or construction site. The full planning process and onboarding can take a few weeks for a smaller project, while it can go up to two months for larger projects, which is why you should start on time.