Do-it-yourself house disassembly/demolition? Sooner or later I'm going to have to buy and sell with...
Sooner or later I'm going to have to buy and sell with an old house that's contained by such bad shape that its lot would probably be worth more without it than next to it.
What can I safely and legally do myself to filch apart the structure using tools I can fit in the trunk of a car so as to minimize the time and shot of the hired help with solid equipment?
Even slightly relevant comments, tips, hints, tricks, and warnings are welcome.
DON"T try to take it down by yourself. Leave that to a professonal demolition company.
DO take out the copper pipes and electrical system, after the power is turnerd OFF, as that is worth money as scrap metal, up to $2.00 USD a pound for copper right immediately. Same thing for aluminium and galvanised metal gutters and siding.
A demo company can give you an estimate for a complete hole down and removal of all the materials, leaving a hole surrounded by the ground. . They will also get the needed local permits and they are insured and convey worker's comp on their employees.
Please don't try to do the tear down yourself.
Count the cost of the demo as a part of a set of the valure of the lot, when you sell it for a profit.
Jim B. Toronto.
You can definitely thieve down a house with a big enough sawzall. You'll call for plenty of blades of course, and you'll need to own everything cut off, like gas, marine, electricity. You will be stirring up all kinds of asbestos and organize paint dust, and possibly have environmental hazards that require certified disposal.
Once you knock it down, how are you going to concord with all the building materials? For that, you are going to necessitate several construction dumpsters. And how are you going to load an entire house worth of wood, plumbing fixtures, etc.? By hand?
My suggestion is to hire someone with a front end loader to knock it down and throw away adjectives the stuff.
Answers: If you want some money from uncle sam... donate the house to your local fire department to be used as a training session, and later you can deduct the house on your taxes! easier to clean up after burn down plus it will be a controlled burn beside the fire department there...
Now that everyone is into "green" you should look into a deconstruction service that will take any usable materials for recycle in new home builds, such as Habitat for Humanity, but within are other organizations out there as powerfully. You never know what value others can find in an behind the times structure. Good luck!