The End of the Santa Fe Trail, and deep lots full of outbuildings

Demolition Contractors in El Monte, CA

House and garage teardowns, rear structure removal, slab breakout and lot clearing across El Monte.

Free walk-through and written, itemized estimate
Asbestos survey, air district notice and utility cut-offs sequenced before demolition
Concrete, metal and wood separated for recycling

El Monte Demolition on Older, Deeper Lots

El Monte is one of the oldest settlements in the San Gabriel Valley, and demolition contractors in El Monte often find a lot that has been built on, added to and patched for generations. Nicknamed "The End of the Santa Fe Trail," the area had a stagecoach stop, the adobe Monte Station, by 1858 and a Southern Pacific depot by 1873. The city incorporated in 1912 and had 109,450 residents in 2020. It sits between the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers on land that was historically marshy.

Subsistence homesteads and ranch houses

In the 1930s El Monte was a site for the New Deal's Subsistence Homestead project, a Resettlement Administration program that gave single-family ranch houses to qualifying applicants, many of them families from the Dust Bowl migration. Dorothea Lange photographed the homes in 1936. Some of those parcels are still unusually deep, and over the years owners added rear houses, garages, workshops and sheds. A typical El Monte job for us is clearing everything behind the main house so the owner can build a new ADU or rear unit, while the front house stays put.

Working around occupied homes

With 29,893 housing units and 97.5 percent of them occupied in 2020, most El Monte demolition happens next to, or on the same lot as, people's homes. We fence off the work area, keep the driveway passable where we can, and schedule loud breaking work for normal daytime hours.

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Old ground, old materials

On lots this old, demolition can turn up older foundations, buried concrete or abandoned septic and cesspool pits from before sewers were connected. We probe and dig in stages so these are found and handled properly instead of being covered up. Older materials also mean asbestos testing matters: South Coast AQMD requires a certified asbestos survey before every demolition and a notification filed 10 working days ahead. Lead paint on older siding and trim is handled with containment.

What we remove in El Monte

Rear houses, garages, workshops and sheds
Main-house teardowns for new construction
Slabs, driveways and old patios
Interior gut-outs for remodels

El Monte gets about 18 inches of rain a year, so winter jobs get extra erosion control. Call (213) 377-6198 to set up a visit.

El Monte Background for Demolition

Santa Fe Trail. El Monte is nicknamed The End of the Santa Fe Trail; the adobe Monte Station stagecoach stop dates to 1858.
Homestead project. In the 1930s the New Deal Subsistence Homestead project gave qualifying families single-family ranch houses in El Monte.
Rivers. The city lies between the San Gabriel River and the Rio Hondo on historically marshy land.
Rainfall. El Monte averages about 18.06 inches of precipitation a year.

Commercial Demolition in Los Angeles, CA

Our Services in El Monte, CA

El Monte Questions

Can you remove the rear structures and leave my front house?

Yes. Clearing garages, rear units, sheds and slabs behind the main house is one of our most common El Monte jobs. We protect the house that stays and keep utilities to it live.

What if you find an old cesspool?

We stop, show you what we found and handle it according to the permit requirements before backfilling. Old pits are not unusual on older El Monte lots.

Do older houses need asbestos testing?

Every demolition in the AQMD area needs a certified asbestos survey first, regardless of age, and older homes are more likely to have asbestos in ceilings, flooring or siding.

Is El Monte flat enough for large equipment?

Most lots are flat, which helps, but driveways and side yards can be narrow. We size the machine to the access and use smaller trucks when needed.

Free Estimates in El Monte, CA

Send us your El Monte address and a description of the structures, and we will schedule a free estimate.

Call (213) 377-6198 Free Estimate