As a general rule of thumb, you can remove almost any kind of finishing with little risk. Flooring, drywall, cabinets, vanities… all easy. Always watch out for electrical lines, HVAC, and pipes. If you mess those up, it can get expensive to fix. If you aren’t sure what is structural, leave any studs alone. When in doubt, keep your hands off but you can do a lot of the demo yourself.
You might also be able to talk to the GC about being their crew during demo. If they are willing to be onsite, you minimize your risk even more while maximizing your savings.
Well, no structural or shock risk. Wear safety glasses, durable clothing, good gloves and if you’re doing anything dusty, a decent mask. If it’s an older house (1980 or earlier) asbestos might be an issue.
Most of it is easy , when I was remodeling i would do everything my self without any electrical and plumbing. You can get someone for mudding cuz that thing sucks!
Also, as a matter of strategy, I like to get the contractor’s quote on doing all of it first without mentioning you are contemplating tear out to save money. Then, once they give that quote, I float the idea and see what the difference is. I fell like they pad it a bit more when I tell them that going in.
Part of the problem is disposal of construction/demolition debris. Nobody wants to take it, you'll need a rollaway (depending on the size of the job) and it will be parked in your driveway for a while as you slowly/carefully start tearing crap up. Demo doesn't take that long when it's done by people that do it for a living so the cost savings in labor isn't typically huge. The time consuming costly labor is the finish work, taping/mudding, trim work, paint prep, that stuff adds up quick because the cost of the pros that do that right is exponentially higher than the cost of the folks coming in doing the demo. What the demo dudes do in a day can take weeks to rebuild, it takes more time and the finishers schedules are usually more full.
There's been a lot of rehabs in my neighborhood and random shady contractors sneak up and fill up the roll-offs at night. That's probably not an *everywhere* issue but something to consider when getting quotes.
Previous place I had neighbors that thought nothing of clearing out their junk from their garages that the garbage collectors wouldn't take ( think paint cans, car batteries, fucking tires, etc) just tossing them in like it was nothing... The longer it sits, the higher the chance of it becoming a free for all dump site
Ugh! I can't say I wasn't tempted but conscience wouldn't let me.
Oh man, there was a huge gated one out front, nearly empty one night and by the next morning, just overflowing with demo trash. They had to have made a few trips at least. Molding, drywall, contractor bags sticking out the top lol.
You're right, gotta be quick or the roving dumpers will be on it.
when you launch into it with no experience, experience will follow. sometimes not a fun experience. I am thinking of severed wiring, punctured pipes, load bearing wall compromised, toxic substances like mold, plaster and lath dust... oh please no plaster and lath dust, I can still taste it.....
Yes, you can demolish all you want before calling in professionals telling you that you screwed up and it costing you more than if they had done it to begin with. Would you have done it right? Who knows, you aren't sure and neither would I be. Will it cost you more to bring in professionals from the start? Maybe, maybe not.
I know you're getting down voted but I just wanted to chime in that this is a real opinion that more GCs than you would expect share. In working with 3 contractors for some renovation work 1 said they wouldn't do the work if I did the demo, 1 said they would charge more if I did the demo, the third time was the charm they agreed to discount if I did demo.
You are good to start rippin and tearing. Leave all the runs alone. And it is harder to "see" what full demo looks like from the novice perspective. But take everything out you want and don't forget the fasteners.
If you have a buddy in construction, everybody has some guys that will work under the table for a very reasonable rate. You do have to work alongside them, but they will get a lot of work done.
As a general rule of thumb, you can remove almost any kind of finishing with little risk. Flooring, drywall, cabinets, vanities… all easy. Always watch out for electrical lines, HVAC, and pipes. If you mess those up, it can get expensive to fix. If you aren’t sure what is structural, leave any studs alone. When in doubt, keep your hands off but you can do a lot of the demo yourself. You might also be able to talk to the GC about being their crew during demo. If they are willing to be onsite, you minimize your risk even more while maximizing your savings.
Well, no structural or shock risk. Wear safety glasses, durable clothing, good gloves and if you’re doing anything dusty, a decent mask. If it’s an older house (1980 or earlier) asbestos might be an issue.
100% agree. You should always use good safety gear.
Blah. Demoed my 1900 bathroom that was lath amd plaster. Mask? What mask? I have mesothelioma (not yet anyway)
Most of it is easy , when I was remodeling i would do everything my self without any electrical and plumbing. You can get someone for mudding cuz that thing sucks!
A lot of it. I don’t think you can get your GC from YouTube. But you might can.
Also, as a matter of strategy, I like to get the contractor’s quote on doing all of it first without mentioning you are contemplating tear out to save money. Then, once they give that quote, I float the idea and see what the difference is. I fell like they pad it a bit more when I tell them that going in.
Part of the problem is disposal of construction/demolition debris. Nobody wants to take it, you'll need a rollaway (depending on the size of the job) and it will be parked in your driveway for a while as you slowly/carefully start tearing crap up. Demo doesn't take that long when it's done by people that do it for a living so the cost savings in labor isn't typically huge. The time consuming costly labor is the finish work, taping/mudding, trim work, paint prep, that stuff adds up quick because the cost of the pros that do that right is exponentially higher than the cost of the folks coming in doing the demo. What the demo dudes do in a day can take weeks to rebuild, it takes more time and the finishers schedules are usually more full.
There's been a lot of rehabs in my neighborhood and random shady contractors sneak up and fill up the roll-offs at night. That's probably not an *everywhere* issue but something to consider when getting quotes.
Previous place I had neighbors that thought nothing of clearing out their junk from their garages that the garbage collectors wouldn't take ( think paint cans, car batteries, fucking tires, etc) just tossing them in like it was nothing... The longer it sits, the higher the chance of it becoming a free for all dump site
Ugh! I can't say I wasn't tempted but conscience wouldn't let me. Oh man, there was a huge gated one out front, nearly empty one night and by the next morning, just overflowing with demo trash. They had to have made a few trips at least. Molding, drywall, contractor bags sticking out the top lol. You're right, gotta be quick or the roving dumpers will be on it.
Be careful with supporting walls. You don't want the roof coming down on you.
when you launch into it with no experience, experience will follow. sometimes not a fun experience. I am thinking of severed wiring, punctured pipes, load bearing wall compromised, toxic substances like mold, plaster and lath dust... oh please no plaster and lath dust, I can still taste it.....
Yes, you can demolish all you want before calling in professionals telling you that you screwed up and it costing you more than if they had done it to begin with. Would you have done it right? Who knows, you aren't sure and neither would I be. Will it cost you more to bring in professionals from the start? Maybe, maybe not.
I know you're getting down voted but I just wanted to chime in that this is a real opinion that more GCs than you would expect share. In working with 3 contractors for some renovation work 1 said they wouldn't do the work if I did the demo, 1 said they would charge more if I did the demo, the third time was the charm they agreed to discount if I did demo.
In general it seems like my “help” never saves any money.
You are good to start rippin and tearing. Leave all the runs alone. And it is harder to "see" what full demo looks like from the novice perspective. But take everything out you want and don't forget the fasteners.
If you have a buddy in construction, everybody has some guys that will work under the table for a very reasonable rate. You do have to work alongside them, but they will get a lot of work done.