Brentwood Dirt Works · Brentwood, TN
Demolition
Structures and slabs down and out, what’s buried dug up, and the site graded for whatever gets built next.
Why hire an excavating contractor for demolition?
Because knocking something down is the short part. What takes the time is what’s left: the footings, the old slab, the debris, the capped services, and the ground that needs to be rebuilt. Demolition sits first on our commercial list with excavation, grading and utilities right after it, and on a teardown that’s the actual order of the work. One crew can carry the job from the structure to a compacted pad.
What’s under the old building?
More than people expect. We’ve dug up buried brick and construction debris from when a house was first built, and we told that customer plainly that it “affected grading and cleanup.” Material like that can’t stay under a new slab, since it settles and shifts. So it comes out, and the hole is backfilled in lifts of 1 foot the same way we’d build any pad.
What do I need to have sorted before you start?
- Utilities disconnected by the providers, and a Tennessee 811 ticket called in at least 3 working days ahead
- Whatever the town needs. In Nashville, for example, Metro Water Services decides on a grading permit using limits of 10,000 square feet disturbed and 100 cubic yards moved
- Anything you want to save pulled out, or pointed out to us
- A clear plan for the lot afterward, so we can grade to it rather than doing it twice
How do you price a teardown?
Per job. It depends on what the structure is made of, how close it stands to what’s staying, how a truck reaches it, and how much has to be hauled. We don’t have a per-square-foot rate to give you, and a number without those details wouldn’t mean much. Pictures of the structure from all four sides, plus a sense of what’s planned next, are enough for a free estimate.
The picture at the top of this page shows the kind of work rather than one of our jobs. For our real photos, including lots with stumps, boulders and broken block pulled from the ground, see recent work. We work on commercial sites and on residential outbuildings, and if your project is mostly about what happens after the teardown, start with excavation.
Answers
Demolition: common questions
How much does demolition cost?
It depends on what’s coming down, what it’s made of, how close it sits to anything staying, and where the debris goes. We price demolition per job rather than per square foot. Send pictures of the structure and the access to it, and we’ll give you a free estimate.
Can you demolish a building and grade the lot in one job?
Yes, and that’s the main reason to use one contractor for it. We take the structure down, haul it, deal with what’s buried, and grade the site to whatever comes next. Excavation, grading and utilities all sit on the same commercial list as demolition.
What do you do with buried debris after a teardown?
It comes out before anything gets graded over it. Buried brick and construction debris are common enough that we’ve run into them where a house was originally built, and they affect both the grading and the cleanup. Left in place, they make soft spots under a new surface.
Do I need a permit to demolish a structure in Nashville?
Plan on checking with Metro before any machine arrives. Metro Water Services alone exempts a job from a grading permit only if it disturbs 10,000 square feet or less and moves 100 cubic yards or less, among other limits. Call its review line at 615-862-7225 with your site details.