Teardowns & Demolition in Minneapolis, MN

Teardowns and demolition clear space for something new: an old detached garage at the alley, a sagging shed, a rotting deck or an entire house on a lot slated for a rebuild. In Minneapolis and the first-ring suburbs, where so much housing is decades old, garage teardowns are among the most common jobs we do.

Before the machine starts

Utilities to the structure must be shut off and disconnected. Older buildings should be checked for asbestos and other regulated materials, which a licensed abatement contractor removes first. Most cities require a demolition permit for a house and many for a garage. We help line those steps up so the teardown date holds.

Garages and alleys

Many Minneapolis garages open onto an alley. We stage dumpsters or trucks so the alley stays passable, protect neighbors' fences and keep debris contained. The slab and footings come out too unless you plan to reuse them.

Whole-house teardowns

A house teardown includes the structure, the basement walls and floor, and the footings, followed by backfill with clean, compacted material if nothing is being built right away. HomeAdvisor lists house demolition at $6,000 to $25,000, about $4 to $17 per square foot, with foundation removal at $1,000 to $5,000.

Recycling and disposal

Concrete and metal are separated for recycling where possible. Wood and mixed debris go to a licensed disposal site.

After demolition

We can roll straight into a basement dig for the new house, or grade and seed the site.

Filling the hole

If a new house is not going in right away, the old basement is filled with clean, compacted material rather than demolition debris. Debris in a filled basement settles and causes problems for whoever builds there next.

Winter teardowns

Demolition can happen in winter, but frozen ground slows foundation removal and backfill cannot go in frozen. A winter teardown may leave the basement hole fenced until spring, or include frost removal at extra cost.

Neighbors and dust

We wet down dusty material, keep debris inside the work area and clean the street and alley at the end of each day.