Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on what is coming down. National guides give a useful starting point: HomeAdvisor lists house demolition at $4 to $17 a square foot and pool removal at $4,000 to $12,000, while Fixr lists concrete removal at $2 to $6 a square foot. Los Angeles labor, disposal and permit costs often push prices higher, so the written estimate after a walk-through is the real number.

Ask who handles the asbestos survey and air district notice, the sewer cap and the LADBS permit, and how long that sequence will take for a building your age. Ask whether the foundation and slab are included, what stays, and where the debris goes. LADBS issues demolition permits to licensed wrecking (C-21) or Class A contractors, so ask for the license number and check it with the Contractors State License Board.

Yes. LADBS requires a demolition permit for each building or structure, a pre-inspection, and a sewer cap permit first if the building has a sewer line. For buildings 45 years or older, the permit cannot be issued until at least 30 days after LADBS mails notice to neighbors, the Council District office and the Neighborhood Council.

Yes. South Coast AQMD Rule 1403 requires a survey by a Cal/OSHA certified inspector and notice to the air district no later than 10 working days before demolition begins. If asbestos is found, it is abated before the building comes down.

Yes. Most of our commercial work is tenant improvement strip-outs, restaurant demolition and small building teardowns. LADBS asks for more on commercial jobs than on houses, including plans for protecting adjacent property and the demolition sequence, and we work around building rules for hours and access.

The physical work for a typical house takes days to about two weeks, and a garage, pool or slab is often faster. The paperwork usually takes longer: the 10-working-day air district notice, the sewer cap, the pre-inspection and, for buildings 45 years or older, the 30-day notice period. We give you a realistic schedule at the estimate.

No. Those cities, and most of the others around Los Angeles, have their own building departments, demolition permits and fees. The air district's Rule 1403 applies across the region, but the local permit steps differ, so we check the rules for your address.

LADBS lists permitted construction and demolition hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, with no work permitted on Sundays. Building managers and other cities may set tighter limits.

Yes. LADBS issues demolition permits for buildings in the city, and the permit is not issued until the air district notice and utility disconnects are taken care of. For buildings 45 years or older, LADBS mails notice to neighbors, the Council District office and the Neighborhood Council, and must wait at least 30 days after that notice before issuing the permit. Cities such as Glendale, Pasadena and Santa Monica run their own building departments with their own rules.

The physical teardown of a typical single-family house usually takes a few days to about two weeks, depending on size, foundation type and access. The permit, asbestos survey and utility cut-offs often take longer than the demolition itself, so plan for several weeks of lead time.

For a demolition, yes. South Coast AQMD Rule 1403 requires a survey by a Cal/OSHA certified inspector and notice to the air district at least 10 working days before work begins. The exemptions for single-unit homes cover small renovations, not teardowns. About 70 percent of Los Angeles housing was built before 1980, per Census figures summarized by Point2Homes, so asbestos in flooring, ceilings, stucco or pipe wrap is a real possibility.

Usually yes, because most new homes need a new foundation design. If your engineer wants to keep part of a footing or a retaining wall, we leave it in place and protect it. The estimate spells out which one you are getting.

Yes, up to the point where utilities are shut off. Once gas and power are disconnected and the sewer is capped, the house cannot be lived in, so we schedule those steps with your move-out date in mind.

Fixr's garage demolition guide gives a national range of about $4 to $8 a square foot, or roughly $1,600 to $3,200 for a 20 by 20 foot garage. Removing the slab adds up to $1,500, and asbestos or lead paint disposal adds more. We give a written price after seeing the structure.

Inside the city of Los Angeles, yes. LADBS's demolition bulletin requires a demolition permit for each building or structure, a pre-inspection, and a sewer cap permit if there is a sewer line. A detached garage being replaced by an ADU is exempt from the on-site demolition placard unless it is in a significant historic district, but the permit itself is still needed.

It depends on the garage. A structurally sound garage with a usable slab may be cheaper to convert, while a sagging or undersized one is often better replaced. Your ADU designer decides; we can price the demolition so you can compare both paths.

Yes. Small sheds and patio covers are quick jobs, often done in a few hours. We take down the structure, pull any footings and haul everything away.

HomeAdvisor's pool removal guide gives a typical range of $4,000 to $12,000. A partial fill-in runs about $2,000 to $7,000, while full removal runs about $9,000 to $19,000. Access, pool size, a spa and the deck change the price, and we price both options on the written estimate.

Filling in (partial removal) is almost always cheaper and faster because less concrete is broken and hauled. Full removal costs more but leaves nothing buried, which is the better choice if you may build on that spot or want a cleaner disclosure when you sell.

A typical backyard pool takes a few days to about a week and a half from draining to final grade, depending on size, access and whether the shell comes out completely. Permit review and any compaction testing add time before and after.

You can if the shell is fully removed and the backfill is compacted and tested so an engineer can sign off on it. Building over a partially filled pool is generally not allowed without engineering, so tell us your plans before we start.

Fixr's concrete removal guide puts national costs at about $2 to $6 a square foot, with unreinforced slabs at the low end and thick, rebar-heavy concrete at the high end. It lists a typical driveway at $1,500 to $2,500 and a patio at $1,000 to $2,000. Los Angeles prices often run higher, so a measured, written estimate is the real number.

Most residential patios and walks are around 4 inches thick, and driveways are often 4 to 6 inches with rebar or wire mesh. We check thickness at an edge or with a test cut before pricing, because a thicker, heavily reinforced slab takes longer to break and weighs more to haul.

Yes. We saw-cut a straight line where the old concrete stops, so the section that stays has a clean edge for new work to meet. This is common when widening a drive, adding a planter strip or replacing only the panels lifted by roots.

Removing a private patio or walkway on your own lot usually does not need a building permit. Work on the driveway apron or public sidewalk is a different matter, because that land is in the public right-of-way, and in the city of Los Angeles the Bureau of Engineering issues an A-Permit for driveway work. We tell you which applies to your project.

Fixr's interior demolition guide gives a national range of $2 to $10 a square foot, and both Fixr and HomeAdvisor list kitchen demolition at $500 to $3,000. A full gut of a house to the studs runs about $2,000 to $20,000. Hidden asbestos, plaster walls and tight access raise the cost, and the written estimate is your price.

Cosmetic removal such as cabinets, flooring and tile generally rides on the remodel permit your builder pulls, if one is needed at all. Removing walls, changing structure, or altering plumbing and electrical requires a permit from LADBS in the city of Los Angeles. We coordinate with your builder so demolition only goes as far as the permit allows.

If the wall is non-bearing, yes, and it is a common part of our kitchen work. If it carries roof or floor loads, an engineer needs to design a beam and the change needs a permit before the wall comes out. We can point out the clues that a wall is bearing during the walk-through.

Often yes, for a kitchen or bathroom. We seal the work area, protect the path out, and keep water and power running to the rest of the house. For a full gut, the home usually is not livable until the trades are done.

HomeAdvisor's interior demolition guide lists commercial demolition at about $4 to $8 a square foot nationally, or roughly $40,000 to $80,000 for a 10,000 square foot building. Abatement, after-hours work, building rules and haul volume move the number a lot, so we price each job in writing after a site walk.

A small office or retail suite can often be stripped in a few days. A restaurant with kitchen equipment, hoods and grease lines, or a large multi-room suite, can take one to several weeks. Building work-hour rules are often the biggest factor in the schedule.

Almost always. South Coast AQMD Rule 1403 covers renovations as well as demolitions, and the exemptions are for single-unit homes. A Cal/OSHA certified inspector surveys the materials being disturbed, and the air district is notified at least 10 working days before work starts when asbestos is present in amounts the rule covers.

When a building or the city allows it and the job calls for it, yes. Many landlords limit loud work to after hours, and city noise rules limit construction hours, so we plan the quiet and noisy parts of the job around both.