Interior Demolition in Los Angeles, CA

Interior demolition is the careful kind. Instead of taking a whole building down, we remove exactly what your remodel needs gone, such as cabinets, tile, drywall, plaster, flooring, ceilings or non-bearing walls, and leave the structure, the rest of the house and often the occupants undisturbed. Los Angeles homeowners, general contractors and designers bring us in at the start of kitchen and bath remodels, whole-house renovations and ADU conversions, so their trades walk into a clean, open shell.

Selective demolition versus a full gut

Selective demolition targets one room or one system: a kitchen down to the studs, a bathroom including the tub and tile, a wall being opened between two rooms, or flooring being taken up through a level. Everything outside the work area is sealed off and protected.

A full gut takes the interior of a house or unit down to framing and subfloor or slab. It is common when a house needs new wiring, plumbing and insulation throughout, or when an older building is being converted to a new layout.

Either way, we do not cut structural members unless your engineer or builder has marked them and a permit covers the change. Bearing walls, posts and beams stay until there is a plan to support the load.

Older Los Angeles houses and hidden materials

Los Angeles has an old housing stock. Census figures summarized by Point2Homes give 1965 as the median year built for the city's homes. About 19 percent were built in 1939 or earlier, and roughly 70 percent date from before 1980. That means many kitchens and baths we open up have been remodeled two or three times, with layers of tile, mortar beds, plaster over lath, and older wiring and plumbing behind them.

Before we open walls or pull flooring in an older home, we look at what is likely to be there and, when needed, have materials tested. Popcorn ceilings, old sheet vinyl and its mastic, pipe wrap, and some plaster and joint compound can contain asbestos, and painted trim and walls in older homes can contain lead. Any material that tests positive is handled by certified abatement before demolition in that area.

Keeping the rest of the house livable

Many interior jobs happen while the owners are still living in part of the home. We set up plastic containment and zip doors around the work area, cover floors along the path to the exit, and run negative-air machines with HEPA filters when the work creates heavy dust. Debris goes out in covered carts or bags, not through the living room. We cap plumbing and make electrical safe at the panel before removing fixtures, so the rest of the house keeps its water and power.

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What your builder walks into

When we finish, the work area is cleared to the agreed depth, nails and screws are pulled or flattened, openings are clean, and debris is gone from the site. If something unexpected turns up, like termite damage, rot, an old leak or knob-and-tube wiring, we stop, photograph it and tell you and your builder before going further. Call (213) 377-6198 to describe the remodel and when your trades are scheduled.