Demolition Contractors in Burbank, CA

Homeowners searching for demolition contractors in Burbank usually own a house that is older than they think. Wikipedia notes that more than 62 percent of the city's housing stock was built before 1970, and most homes in Magnolia Park date to the 1940s, when tracts went up for returning World War II veterans between 1945 and 1950. Burbank, incorporated in 1911 as the first independent city in the San Fernando Valley, counted 107,337 residents in 2020. Many of those 1940s and 1950s houses are now being expanded, rebuilt, or cleared to make room for a second unit in the back.

What Burbank's plan checkers look for

The city's demolition plan check correction list spells out what the Building Division wants to see on a demolition plan. A few items come up on nearly every residential job:

• Live utilities. A list of existing live utilities, with confirmation that each has been disconnected or abandoned, coordinated so water stays on site for dust control.
• Sewer laterals and capping shown on the demolition plan.
• AQMD notice. The list says SCAQMD Rule 1403 requires the contractor to file a demolition notification 10 days before permit issuance.
• Debris diversion. A certification that the minimum diversion requirement will be met, with estimated volume or weight of debris by material and the facility receiving it.
• Fencing. Wall and fence removal shown on the site plan, and appropriate fencing or construction guards in place during the work.

We put those items together for you so the plan check goes through cleanly.

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Masonry and earthquakes

The 1971 San Fernando earthquake damaged poorly reinforced and unreinforced masonry fences and chimneys in Burbank, and the 1994 Northridge earthquake caused more extensive damage across the city. The Verdugo Fault runs through Burbank. When we remove an old block wall or chimney, we take it down in controlled sections by hand and machine so it falls where we want it, not into a neighbor's yard.

The Rancho and the foothills

The Rancho Equestrian District, roughly between Griffith Park, Victory, Olive and Alameda, is zoned so residents can keep horses, and its lots often have barns, corrals and long concrete pads. Those outbuildings and slabs are common removal jobs. Up near the Verdugo Mountains, elevations climb to about 800 feet and access gets tighter, so we size the equipment to the street. Call (213) 377-6198 with the address and what you want removed.

Common Burbank jobs

• Clearing a detached garage and slab to make room for an ADU
• Full teardown of a 1940s house for a new home
• Kitchen and bath gut-outs down to studs
• Removing old pools, block walls and driveways