The demolition of commercial buildings comes with certain unique expenses. Costs averages range depending on your location, but there are ways to project roughly how much you will spend to have your building demolished and its materials discarded. To accurately estimate the cost of your commercial demolition project, you will need to consider a few factors.
The Building’s Size
It stands to reason that the larger the building, the more it will cost to have it demolished. The building’s square footage determines many of the costs associated with demolition. You should calculate your building’s square footage to determine the beginning estimated costs of tearing it down.
If you do not have the building’s blueprints, you will need to measure the space yourself. Calculate square footage by multiplying the length and the width of your building together. If the structure is not a simple shape, such as a rectangle, then break it down into measurable shapes and simply add the values together.
Nationally, averages costs per square footage for demolition range from $4-$10 per square foot. Once you have determined a rough estimate of your initial tear down, you can begin planning for other aspects involved in the process.
Inspection For Hazardous Materials
Regardless of your building’s age, you should have it professionally inspected for hazardous materials before demolition. Properties built before the 1980s may contain asbestos or other harmful construction materials that will need to be removed and disposed of properly.
Asbestos can be found in a building’s insulation, millboard, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, steam pipes, and around furnaces and boilers, among other places. Professionally certified asbestos inspectors can determine if your building consists of any hazardous materials. Costs to remove asbestos can range from $2-$5 per square foot for removal and disposal.
Demolition And Removal Costs
You will need to secure all necessary permits and alert utility companies before you begin demolition of your commercial building. Permit costs will need to be factored into your expenses before you schedule demolition. Once you have everything in place, you should hire a reputable licensed, and insured contracting company to perform the building’s destruction.
Many contractors will include debris and material disposal as part of their demolition estimate, but you should always confirm this is the case prior to moving forward. Disposal costs vary depending on the types of debris, local fees, and distance to the disposal center. An experienced contractor can estimate disposal based on the kinds of waste the demolition will produce.