10 Things You Should Know About Demolition

[All photos by BUILD LLC]

Demolition may very well be the most exciting and speedy phase of construction. For a complete demotion, a home can come down and be entirely removed from the site in a day or two; for a thorough remodel (where large portions of the structure are maintained) the entire demo process can be completed within a week. But while demolition is typically fast and messy, it’s not necessarily mindless and uncomplicated. There’s actually quite a bit to know about demo; beginning demolition without a clear strategy can have significant time and financial repercussions later.

We just completed the demolition on a current project of ours and it’s a good time to share some knowledge and site photos. This is just one situation with its own set of circumstances and the variables change with each project. With that said, here is our top ten list of demo basics:

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The Fascination of Demo

We’ve always found demolition to be an amazing stage of most projects. While messy and raw, it is also informative and in some cases even poetic. All the mysteries of a house or building are finally exposed and the assumptions and discrepancies of as-built drawings can finally be resolved. The layers of history can be peeled back and deciphered. Depending on the project, it can feel like an archeological dig removing the wood paneling of the 80’s to remove the wallpapers of the 70’s to reveal the lathe and plaster of the 40’s. As architects and builders we’ve always had a curiosity about the methods and techniques of those who came before us and a building in demolition is a little museum to their craft. So for today’s post we’re highlighting photos that you wouldn’t normally see on a design blog – demo photos.

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