How We Take Buildings Down in Atlanta

Atlanta Demolition Contractors removes houses, garages, sheds, pools, concrete and interiors for owners, builders and investors in Atlanta and the surrounding metro. Most of what we do is residential: a worn-out bungalow cleared for a new house, a kitchen and bath gutted down to the studs, a backyard pool filled in, a cracked driveway broken out ahead of a new pour. We also take on light commercial work such as tenant build-out strip-outs and small commercial buildings.

Paperwork before machinery

In Atlanta the permit is usually the longest part of a teardown. The City of Atlanta's Demolition Permit Procedures sheet asks for a current rodent letter from an exterminator, a plumbing permit to plug the sewer, and site plans with erosion control that are reviewed by zoning, site development, plan review, planning and the city arborist. Lots in a designated historic or landmark district add a review by the Urban Design Commission. We lay out each of those steps, who handles it and roughly how long it takes, before we schedule a crew.

How we price

• We look first. Every estimate starts with a visit to the property. We measure, check access for trucks and equipment, note large trees and look for signs of asbestos or lead paint.
• Line items, not a lump sum. Demolition labor, equipment, hauling and disposal, foundation or slab removal, fill and grading are each priced on their own line.
• Testing before tearing. If a building may contain asbestos, we arrange a survey before work starts, because the results can change the scope and the schedule.
• Clear finish line. The estimate says what the lot will look like when we leave: slab out or left in place, holes filled, ground rough-graded or ready for straw and seed.

If a partial demolition or a selective strip-out gets you where you want to go for less than a full teardown, we will tell you that too.