DEMO & Removal costs for a back yard shed?

[prasercat]

I called a demo company that deals in "no job is too small" and I'm not sure they are going to come through with an estimate in time. It looks like a 250 sq.ft. loafing shed where there are no horses (maybe when they first built the house in the 50's it was used for this purpose). It is dilapidated and M&S doesn't have anything reliable here.

If the slab was left intact (because its in very good condition - not even one hairline crack). How would you guesstimate a demo & removal?

Small equipment could drive back into the yard (its a small lot - a fraction of an acre) and level, easy access.

I think a larger project would be easier to calculate, it is because it is so small that I'm having trouble.

Your assistance would be greatly appreciated!

I'm guessing dump fees of $150 -$200, Two Guys with Saws, Hammers, Crowbars, 4 hours each = 8 Man hours @ $50/hour = $400 in labor, Trip Fees $100 (to site and dump) = $700 subtotal + 10% contingency = $770 or $800 Total (rounded)

 

[Michael S]

How long would it take a couple of guys with sledgehammers and a pickup truck to knock it down, throw it in a truck and take it to the dump? $500? Maybe more if you needed to rent a bobcat to help knock it down. I remember a friend and I helping one of his neighbors do something similar with an old barn, although it was quite a bit larger. I was a teenager and happy to get $5-10 an hour to help load wood in the back of a truck to take it to the dump. We had 3-4 people working and it only took a couple of days.

 

[prasercat]

How long would it take a couple of guys with sledgehammers and a pickup truck to knock it down, throw it in a truck and take it to the dump? $500? Maybe more if you needed to rent a bobcat to help knock it down. I remember a friend and I helping one of his neighbors do something similar with an old barn, although it was quite a bit larger. I was a teenager and happy to get $5-10 an hour to help load wood in the back of a truck to take it to the dump. We had 3-4 people working and it only took a couple of days.

Thanks. I'm thinking because the job is rather small, there is a lot more variability in the approach to demolishing it, in the equipment used, the people demolishing it (professional demolishers, random contractors, students, etc.), so an estimate seems rather like throwing a dart blindfolded.

 

[Sid Holderly]

Sounds like enough. Depends on what type of dump they have to haul to! If it is shingles it could be more expensive. If metal take to scrap yard and recoup the trip charge.

About 20 years ago I and 5 other church members took down the neighboring house in one day. Hauled it off the next day.

 

[hastalavista]

... so an estimate seems rather like throwing a dart blindfolded.

I don't know how much the house is worth, but if it is worth, say, $400k, then an estimate of between $500 to $1,000 (which I find totally reasonable) is no more than one-quarter of one-percent of the value. You could have a blind monkey throw that dart, and it wouldn't make any difference in the overall credibility of the valuation.

:new_smile-l:

 

[prasercat]

Thanks Sid and Denis, I appreciate the input!

Aside: Of course, it could be done for about $4 illegally with a match and a gallon of gasoline! (Unfortunately, not what the lender will be looking for).

 

[Peter LeQuire]

I don't know how much the house is worth, but if it is worth, say, $400k, then an estimate of between $500 to $1,000 (which I find totally reasonable) is no more than one-quarter of one-percent of the value. You could have a blind monkey throw that dart, and it wouldn't make any difference in the overall credibility of the valuation.

:new_smile-l:

Getting work like this - and estimates for that work - done can be difficult: it's tough to get even the "no job too small" guys to show up. But if the slab is not removed it sounds like 2 guys, 560 sf or so of siding, roof framing and roof materials to haul off, two trips maybe plus tippage. Here, labor is cheaper but tippage higher, yadda, yadda - but it sounds like your $800 number is reasonable. (I was going to recommend the $5.00 gas and $.001 match removal technique. 'Rong 'chere we also save the dump fee by using the "country road, down the slope, broken tail gate" system of emptying the pick up.

Denis is right - print his comments, keep them in your work file, and you will have satisfied the standard of doing what your peers do.

 

[Pilgrum]

Who(m) is calling for the removal? And why?

 

[prasercat]

Who(m) is calling for the removal? And why?

Ha! Ha! You asked the question.

I thought it beyond the scope of what I was seeking; however, since you asked.

I have performed an FHA appraisal on the subject. The shed or loafing shed has a roof structure over the entire slab and walls around three sides and a couple narrow closets at the back, so it is mostly hollow, but with a substantial roof structure with asphalt roll roofing.

It is very rotted with holes in the roof and collapsing. In the appraisal I have considered it a FHA/HUD "safety hazard" and qualifies as an automatic repair issue. I have called for its demo and removal, since it couldn't be fixed due to the severe depreciation.

However, the slab, due to its very good condition, has some residual value for repurposing, for a gazebo or other outdoor patio use, so the slab is not included in the demo estimate.

 

[Michigan CG]

I bet I could get it done for a case of Bud Light. :new_all_coholic: