House Demolition in Atlanta, GA

House demolition in Atlanta usually starts with a plan for what comes next. An owner wants to replace a bungalow that has outlived repairs, a builder has bought a lot for a new house, or a fire or storm has left a structure that cannot be saved. In each case the goal is the same: a clean, graded lot, the permit closed out, and no damage to the trees, sidewalks or neighbors that stay.

When a teardown makes sense

• Structural problems such as failed piers, rotted framing or a sagging roof across much of the house
• Fire, water or storm damage that would cost more to repair than to rebuild
• A small or dated house on a lot where the new plan calls for something else entirely
• A vacant or condemned building that has become a safety or code problem

If an owner wants a building declared unsafe, the City of Atlanta Office of Buildings now relies on a Georgia-licensed structural or civil engineer's signed letter, which goes in with the demolition application, according to a recent OOB policy notice.

The Atlanta permit, step by step

The city's Demolition Permit Procedures sheet sets out what a residential teardown needs:

• A current rodent letter on an exterminator's letterhead
• A plumbing permit to plug the sewer line
• Twelve site plans with erosion control, showing trees, buildings, roads and driveways, routed to Zoning, Site Development, Plan Review, Planning and the Arborist
• The Georgia EPD asbestos notification if asbestos is being removed

Tearing down without plans for a replacement adds more steps, and houses in designated historic districts go to the Urban Design Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Sandy Springs, Decatur, Marietta and the other cities around Atlanta each run their own process, so we check the rules for your address.

Asbestos and lead in older houses

About 43 percent of Atlanta homes were built before 1980, per Point2Homes' Census summary. Floor tile, mastic, pipe insulation, siding and roofing from those years can contain asbestos. Georgia EPD exempts homes with four or fewer units from its demolition notification rule unless the job is part of a larger project such as a road or commercial development, but abatement itself is a separate, regulated job. Fixr lists an asbestos inspection at about $500. We arrange the survey early, since a positive result changes the scope and the calendar.

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Foundations, crawlspaces and fill

Many intown houses sit on brick piers over a crawlspace; others have a slab or a full basement. Piers and footings come out with the house. A basement means breaking out walls and floor and bringing in fill, which is compacted in layers so the next foundation is not set on soft ground. HomeAdvisor lists foundation removal at $1,000 to $5,000, and Fixr puts basement demolition at $5,000 to $25,000, so it is worth knowing what is under the house before comparing bids.

Protecting what stays

Trees 6 inches and larger in diameter are protected in Atlanta, and the city reviews them on the site plan. We fence the root zones of trees that stay, keep the excavator and dumpsters off them, and plan the haul route so trucks do not cross them. Silt fence and a gravel entrance keep red clay out of the street, and we protect sidewalks, curbs and neighboring fences.

Salvage and recycling

Before the machine starts, owners can pull fixtures, doors, heart pine flooring, brick or anything else worth keeping, or we can set it aside. On the haul, metals are separated for scrap and clean concrete and brick are kept apart from mixed debris where a recycler will take them.