Garage & Shed Removal in Atlanta, GA

Garage and shed removal takes down the smaller buildings on a lot: detached garages, carports, storage and garden sheds, workshops, small barns and old servants' quarters or studios behind intown houses. Some are rotted or termite-damaged, some are in the way of a new garage, addition or pool, and some simply take up yard space nobody uses.

Signs it is time to remove an outbuilding

• A roof that leaks or sags, or rafters with rot
• Sill plates and wall bottoms soft from rot or termites, often where siding meets wet ground
• A slab that has cracked and dropped, leaving the walls racked out of square
• An old structure you plan to replace with a new garage or accessory dwelling
• A shed or carport sitting where a patio, garden or pool will go

If only part of the structure has failed, a repair may be the better choice, and we will say so on the walk-through.

What makes a removal bigger

A small wooden garden shed can often be taken apart by hand in a few hours. A detached two-car garage with a concrete slab, electrical service and a block or brick wall is a different job. Fixr's guide puts garage demolition at $4 to $8 a square foot in most cases, rising to as much as $15 for brick or concrete garages, and adds that a slab can add up to $1,500. Metal buildings often have scrap value, which can offset some of the hauling cost.

Utilities, permits and trees

Many detached garages and workshops have electrical service, and some have water or gas. Those have to be disconnected safely before demolition, usually by an electrician or plumber and sometimes by the utility. Demolishing a garage usually needs a demolition permit, while a small shed may not, depending on its size and your city or county. In Atlanta, trees 6 inches and larger in diameter are protected, and old garages along a back lot line often sit next to large trees, so we plan the work to stay out of their root zones.

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Older outbuildings and hazardous materials

Garages and sheds built before 1980 can have lead paint on siding and trim, and older roofing, siding and floor tiles can contain asbestos. We look for suspect materials on the walk-through and recommend testing when it makes sense, since abatement has to happen before the building comes down.

Slab out or slab stays

If you are building a new garage or shed in the same spot, the old slab may be reusable, or it may be too thin or cracked for the new structure. If the area will be lawn or garden, we break out the slab, remove the gravel base if needed, and bring in soil. Either way, the estimate states what stays and what goes.