Sometimes a commercial building becomes worn and damaged beyond what is reasonable to repair. When this is the case, you may be better off just knocking down the building and then building anew. But while knocking down the building can be more affordable than fixing it up, the process is not necessarily a cheap one. Here are the major expenses you'll need to plan for when you have a commercial building demolished.
Designated Substance Surveying
A designated substance survey involves having experts go through the building and identify substances that need to be disposed of in a specific manner. Such substances include asbestos, benzene, lead, mercury, and silica. Most older buildings contain at least some designated substances, especially considering that building codes were laxer a few decades ago — and builders did not know the environmental and health hazards associated with all of these building materials yet. You can expect to pay at least $1,000 for this survey — more if the building is very large or intricate.
Once you have a designated substance survey, you can start contacting waste management companies to see who disposes of the designated substances that are in your building. You can send them copies of the substance report so they know exactly what they are dealing with.
Permits
The next "preparatory step in your demolition project is getting a permit. Most municipalities will charge about $50 to $100 for a demolition permit, which you will need to display or have on-hand throughout the project. To get the permit, you may need to allow an inspector to look over your building, your designated substance sheet, and any estimates you get from demolition contractors. They will probably want to visit the site again when demolition is complete to ensure you clean everything up properly.
Demolition
Once you have a permit, you can sign a contract to have a demolition crew do the actual wrecking. Often, they will first remove and set aside any materials on your designated substances survey. A good demolition crew will have the safety clothing and mechanisms to protect themselves from these substances during removal.
Once the major hazardous substances have been removed, they'll use a wrecking ball or similar equipment to bring down the structure in a controlled manner. For this part of the project, you can expect to pay between $40,000 and $80,000, assuming you have a medium-sized commercial building that's around 10,000 square feet. The larger the building and the more designated substances you have to remove, the higher the cost.
Disposal
Once everything has been brought to the ground, you need to make plans to have it disposed of. A waste management company will generally come to pick up the hazardous substances separately, charging you a fee for each one. This fee can vary widely. For example, you may pay $100 to dispose of a few sheets of asbestos insulation, but $1,000 to get rid of a huge pile of wood coated in lead paint.
The non-hazardous waste can be loaded into dumpsters and hauled away. You can often do this part yourself if you're able to rent and drive a bulldozer. You'll pay a few hundred dollars to rent a bulldozer, plus anywhere from $350 to $780 per 40-yard if you rent a dumpster. If you need to pay someone to operate the bulldozer, too, plan on approximately another $300 per day.
As you can see, demolishing a commercial building is not cheap, and it's not easy! However, if you plan for these expenses, you can save money by going this route rather than attempting to fix a large building that's basically unfixable.
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