Demolition 101: Everything You Need to Know Before You Tear It Down

Demolition looks easy from the outside.

Bring in an excavator, knock the building down, load it into bins and start building the new house.

In reality, demolition is a construction project of its own.

Before the excavator ever arrives, you may need permits, utility disconnects, hazardous-material testing, asbestos abatement, tree protection, fencing, waste bins, recycling plans and arrangements for where every type of material is going.

And if you're building a new home afterward, a poorly planned demolition can create problems before construction even begins.

Here is what homeowners and owner-builders should know before starting demolition in Western Canada.

First: Don't Assume You Can Just Tear It Down

Demolition requirements are generally administered at the municipal or regional level, so requirements can be very different from one community to another.

A demolition permit is commonly required when removing an entire building.

Depending on your municipality and property, the application may also require supporting information concerning things such as:

• Site plans

• Property lines

• Existing structures

• Utility disconnections

• Hazardous building materials

• Tree protection

• Waste management

• Recycling or deconstruction

• Heritage status

• Environmental considerations

• Future building plans

Before hiring an excavator, contact your municipality and ask specifically what is required to demolish the structure on your property.

Never assume that because your neighbour demolished a house a certain way, you can do the same thing.

Rules change, properties differ and municipalities have different requirements.

Demolition Permit vs. Building Permit

These are not necessarily the same thing.

If you're demolishing an existing house to construct a new one, your municipality may coordinate the demolition permit with the new building or development application.

Other jurisdictions may treat them separately.

For example, the City of Vancouver requires a demolition permit to remove a building and instructs applicants demolishing as part of a new-house project to submit the demolition application with the new-house application.

The important lesson isn't that every Western Canadian municipality follows Vancouver's process.

It's the opposite:

Find out how your municipality wants demolition and new construction coordinated before you start either application.

Before Demolition: Check for Hazardous Materials

This is one of the most important parts of the entire process.

Older buildings can contain hazardous materials that should not simply be smashed apart with an excavator and mixed into general demolition debris.

Depending on the building's age and construction, potential hazardous materials can include:

• Asbestos-containing materials

• Lead-containing paint

• Mercury-containing equipment

• Silica-containing materials

• PCBs in certain older electrical components

• Refrigerants

• Contaminated soils or other hazardous substances

Asbestos deserves particular attention.

It was used in many different building products, including some insulation, drywall compounds, texture coats, flooring, mastics, cement products and mechanical insulation.

You cannot reliably identify asbestos just by looking at a material.

If asbestos or other hazardous materials may be present, proper assessment, testing and — where required — professional abatement need to happen before normal demolition proceeds.

This isn't an area where you want to guess or cut corners.

B.C. Owners: Pay Particular Attention to WorkSafeBC Requirements

In British Columbia, demolition involving potential asbestos and other hazardous building materials is subject to WorkSafeBC occupational health and safety requirements.

If you're hiring contractors, make sure you understand what hazardous-material assessments, documentation and abatement work are required before demolition begins.

Other Western Canadian provinces have their own occupational health and safety legislation and procedures. Alberta's OHS Code, for example, contains a specific section governing demolition, including hazardous substances and disconnecting services.

The takeaway is simple:

Before demolition, determine what hazardous-material requirements apply in your province and municipality.

Utilities Need to Be Dealt With Before the Excavator Arrives

You don't want an excavator discovering the gas service.

Before demolition begins, identify all utilities serving the building and determine which ones need to be disconnected, capped, removed or otherwise dealt with.

This can include:

• Electricity

• Natural gas

• Water

• Sewer

• Septic systems

• Telecommunications

• Cable

• Propane

• Wells

Different utilities have different procedures.

Do not assume turning off a breaker or closing a valve constitutes a proper demolition disconnect.

The appropriate utility provider and/or qualified contractor may need to complete or confirm the work.

Also determine exactly where underground services run.

Know what's underneath the excavator before digging starts.

Don't Forget About Septic Systems and Wells

Rural properties require additional planning.

If the property has a septic tank, septic field or well, find out what must happen to those systems during demolition and what will happen to them during the new build.

Will the existing septic system remain?

Does it need to be protected from heavy equipment?

Is a new system being installed?

Does an old tank need to be pumped and decommissioned?

Where is the well?

Driving heavy equipment across an existing septic field can create a very expensive problem.

Mark these areas before demolition starts.

Think About Trees Before Bringing in Equipment

Trees are another frequently overlooked issue.

If your municipality has tree-protection requirements, you may need permits or protective measures before demolition begins.

Even if there isn't a municipal requirement, decide which trees you're keeping.

Then physically protect them.

Heavy machinery can damage:

• Trunks

• Branches

• Root systems

• Surrounding soil

Parking an excavator or repeatedly driving trucks over a tree's root zone can cause damage even if nobody touches the trunk.

If mature trees are part of your future landscape plan, protect them during demolition.

Salvage Before You Smash

Before demolishing the building, walk through it and determine what can be reused, sold, donated or recycled.

Potentially salvageable materials include:

• Appliances

• Cabinets

• Doors

• Windows

• Plumbing fixtures

• Lighting

• Hardware

• Hardwood flooring

• Timber

• Lumber

• Architectural details

• Brick

• Stone

• Metal

• Mechanical equipment

There can be real value hiding inside an old building.

Even if you don't personally want the materials, someone else might.

This is where deconstruction differs from conventional demolition.

Instead of simply crushing the building, deconstruction involves systematically taking portions of it apart so materials can remain intact for reuse.

Some municipalities actively encourage this, and some require specific levels of salvage or recycling for certain buildings.

Vancouver Is a Good Example of Why You Need to Check Local Rules

Demolition requirements can become very specific.

For example, Vancouver currently requires minimum reuse and recycling rates for certain older one- and two-family homes.

For qualifying houses built before 1950, at least 75% of materials by weight must generally be reused or recycled, excluding hazardous materials. Certain character houses have a 90% requirement.

Vancouver also has wood-salvage requirements for some heritage-listed and pre-1910 houses.

That does not mean those exact percentages apply everywhere in British Columbia.

It demonstrates why checking your local demolition bylaw is so important.

Two houses located in different Western Canadian municipalities can face very different demolition requirements.

Plan Your Waste Before Demolition Day

A house creates an enormous amount of material when it comes down.

Don't wait until you have a mountain of debris to figure out where it is going.

Before demolition starts, develop a waste plan.

Think of the building as several separate waste streams rather than one giant pile.

You may have:

Clean wood

Potentially reusable or recyclable depending on condition and local facilities.

Metal

Often recyclable and potentially valuable.

Concrete

Frequently accepted separately for crushing and recycling.

Asphalt

May have dedicated recycling options.

Drywall

Often has special disposal or recycling requirements.

Roofing

May need to be separated depending on the disposal facility.

Hazardous materials

Require approved handling and disposal procedures.

General demolition debris

Material that cannot practically be reused or recycled.

Separating materials can make disposal easier and, depending on local tipping fees and recycling options, may also save money.

Know Where Your Demolition Waste Is Actually Going

Don't just ask your demolition contractor:

“Is disposal included?”

Ask:

“Where is the material going?”

You want to understand:

• Which facility will receive it

• What materials need to be separated

• What the tipping fees are

• Whether hauling is included

• Whether bins are charged by weight, volume or time

• Whether contaminated loads incur additional charges

• Whether receipts or weight tickets will be provided

• Whether your municipality requires proof of recycling or disposal

Keep your disposal receipts.

Some municipalities require documentation showing where demolition materials went.

Even when they don't, those receipts provide a useful record of the project.

Drywall Can Be Different

Drywall is one material you should specifically investigate before demolition.

Disposal rules can vary significantly depending on its age, condition and local waste facility.

Some landfills don't accept certain drywall loads at all, while others require drywall to be separated and taken to designated recycling or disposal facilities.

Never assume drywall can simply go into the general demolition bin.

Check the receiving facility's current requirements before starting.

Your Demolition Quote Needs to Be Detailed

A demolition price that simply says:

“Demolish house — $XX,XXX”

doesn't tell you enough.

Ask exactly what is included.

A proper demolition scope should clarify responsibility for items such as:

• Permits

• Hazardous-material assessment

• Asbestos abatement

• Utility disconnects

• Salvage

• Building demolition

• Foundation removal

• Concrete removal

• Septic or well work

• Tree protection

• Site fencing

• Dust control

• Equipment

• Trucking

• Bins

• Disposal/tipping fees

• Recycling

• Final grading

• Backfill

• Site cleanup

One quote may look significantly cheaper simply because several of these items aren't included.

Is the Foundation Being Removed?

Don't assume “demolish the house” includes removing the foundation.

Ask.

If the foundation, basement slab, footings or other concrete structures are being removed, determine how much excavation will be required and what will happen to the resulting hole.

Will it be backfilled?

With what material?

Will the material need to be compacted?

Will the new house be excavated immediately afterward?

This is especially important when demolition and new construction are being performed by different contractors.

You don't want to pay one contractor to fill a hole that another contractor needs to excavate again two weeks later.

Coordinate Demolition With Excavation for the New House

This is where good construction planning can save real money.

If you're demolishing a house because you're building another one, don't treat demolition and excavation as unrelated projects.

Talk to your:

• Builder

• Excavation contractor

• Demolition contractor

• Surveyor

• Engineer, if applicable

Determine what should happen immediately after demolition.

Sometimes it makes sense to coordinate foundation removal, site preparation and excavation for the new house.

Other times permits, engineering, weather or scheduling mean the site needs to be stabilized temporarily.

Either way, have the plan before demolition begins.

Think About Access

A demolition contractor needs significantly more room than you might expect.

You may have:

• Excavators

• Dump trucks

• Disposal bins

• Concrete trucks later in the project

• Workers

• Utility contractors

• Material stockpiles

Consider:

• Driveway width

• Overhead wires

• Neighbouring properties

• Road access

• Traffic control

• Soft ground

• Slopes

• Retaining walls

• Trees

• Underground services

A demolition plan that works perfectly on a wide rural lot may not work at all on a tight urban property.

Protect the Neighbours

Demolition is disruptive.

There will likely be noise, trucks, equipment, vibration, dirt and dust.

Depending on the project and local rules, measures may be required to control dust and debris.

Even when notification isn't legally required, giving neighbours advance notice is often worthwhile.

Let them know roughly when demolition will occur and how long the major work is expected to last.

A little communication before a noisy excavator arrives at 7:30 in the morning can go a long way.

Take Photos Before Demolition

Photograph everything.

Take photos of:

• The existing building

• Property boundaries

• Driveways

• Roads and sidewalks

• Retaining walls

• Fences

• Trees

• Neighbouring structures

• Utility locations

• Existing site conditions

If something is damaged later, you have documentation showing what existed before work began.

Photos are cheap.

Disputes aren't.

Don't Forget Insurance

Before demolition begins, confirm the insurance situation.

Your existing homeowner's policy may not provide the same coverage once a house becomes vacant, undergoes major construction or is demolished.

Talk to your insurance provider before work begins.

Also confirm that contractors working on the project have the insurance and workers' compensation coverage appropriate to their work and jurisdiction.

Demolition Day Isn't the Beginning

The biggest misconception about demolition is that the project begins when the excavator starts swinging.

It doesn't.

By demolition day, most of the important decisions should already have been made.

Your permit should be in place.

Hazardous materials should have been addressed.

Utilities should be properly dealt with.

Trees and areas being retained should be protected.

Salvage should be completed.

Bins and disposal facilities should be arranged.

Access should be planned.

The contractor should know exactly what is staying and what is going.

And everyone should understand what happens to the site when demolition is complete.

Your Pre-Demolition Checklist

Before giving anyone permission to start demolition, confirm:

✓ Demolition permit requirements checked
✓ Required permit(s) issued
✓ Hazardous-material assessment completed where required
✓ Asbestos/other required abatement completed
✓ Electrical service addressed
✓ Gas service addressed
✓ Water and sewer addressed
✓ Septic/well requirements addressed where applicable
✓ Underground utilities located
✓ Tree protection completed where required
✓ Salvageable materials removed
✓ Recycling requirements confirmed
✓ Disposal facilities confirmed
✓ Bins and trucking arranged
✓ Tipping/disposal fees understood
✓ Contractor insurance and applicable workers' compensation requirements confirmed
✓ Site access planned
✓ Neighbouring property protected
✓ Existing conditions photographed
✓ Foundation-removal scope confirmed
✓ Backfill/site-restoration responsibilities confirmed
✓ New-build excavation coordinated where applicable
✓ All required documentation and receipts will be retained

The Bottom Line

Demolition isn't simply about knocking down the old house.

It's the first stage of your new construction project.

A well-managed demolition leaves you with a clean, safe and properly prepared site that's ready for what comes next.

A poorly managed demolition can leave you with unexpected disposal bills, hazardous-material problems, damaged trees, utility issues, permit delays, contaminated loads and a site that has to be repaired before construction can even begin.

So before you bring in the excavator, spend some time planning.

Know what you're removing.
Know what's hazardous.
Know what you're saving.
Know where the waste is going.
Know what your municipality requires.
And know exactly what condition the site needs to be in when demolition is finished.

Good construction management starts before you build anything.

Sometimes, it starts with knowing how to take something apart.