Knocking down or tearing apart a structure is the cool part of any demolition job; no little kids dream about demolition cleanup. But whether the work is on a commercial demolition or a residential demolition, you need to be paying attention to the finished product from the beginning. If you don’t, you could easily make one of these mistakes. Luckily, AAA Service has your back on this.
Mistake #1 – Cheaping Out on Erosion Control
Looking at line items on a budget or proposal, it can be easy to say “the storm drains will take care of themselves” or “we probably won’t lose /that/ much topsoil!” We get it – demolition isn’t cheap, and it can be tempting to try to shave the final cost down. But there are a few issues with this thinking.
First, it may not be entirely in your control to begin with. Cities and municipalities have many laws and codes enforcing all sorts of regulations around erosion, runoff, and so forth. Your friend in the next town over may not have been required to lay down grass seed, but you could be. This can be for many reasons. Some areas do not have sewers, instead sending their runoff water into the nearest body of water. Some may be more inclined towards lax regulation, while others may have been exploited in the past and become very defensive.
Secondly, dirt is not just dirt, and it also isn’t cheap. Over the course of a medium to longer-term demolition, you’d be amazed how much dirt can be tracked out of, or eroded from, a work site. One online estimate I found says: “Topsoil costs $12 to $55 per cubic yard. Fill dirt ranges from $7 to $12 per cubic yard.” If you think you’re just going to be buying fill dirt, think again. The lesson? Don’t cut costs at the front end, because you will end up buying a lot of dirt in the cleanup phase.
Mistake #2: Skipping Tree Protection
Similar to the last mistake, it can be easy to justify saving a few minutes or dollars by skipping out on tree protection. This will sound something like “we’ll just be careful!” or “how could you miss them? They’re trees!”
And again, the first issues you will run into will be legal. If your city, town, or municipality requires tree protection or permits before demolition starts, and you didn’t get them, keep your eyes peeled for inspectors. You might get away with it the first time, but there are fines coming your way soon.
The second issue is that you don’t need to just protect the trunk of the tree – you need to protect the root system as well. If you don’t take that into account and just start digging, you might very soon have a dead tree on your hands that needs to be taken down and cleared out. You might have saved a bit of time on the front end by skipping the tree protection, but now you have a dead tree to deal with in the cleanup phase. That will probably cost you more time and money than doing it the right way would have.
Mistake #3 – Not Grading the Land Properly
The grade, essentially, is the slope of the ground. One of the last steps in cleaning up a demolition sites is to properly grade the ground so that water runs where you want it to. This is especially important in Florida, where for a solid half of the year it seems to rain every day. If you do not pay attention to the grade, you could unintentionally leave low areas where water could collect and become breeding grounds for mosquitos.
But worse than that, you could again contribute to erosion problems, as well as cause problems with the foundations of the building later down the line. Get this one right in the cleanup phase, and you won’t have to worry about it 10 years down the line.
Mistake #4 – Sending Everything to the Landfill
Are you sorting your metals from your wood products? Are you recycling your concrete? Because we sure are. AAA Service Company proudly partners with our sister company, Weintraub Recycling Corporation to make sure that everything that can be re-used is given a new home and a new purpose. This is a huge plus, for us and for you. And for the planet, too. We save a lot of money on local demolition jobs in Central Florida by routing all of our waste through our own recycling yard, and we can pass those savings on to you. We recycle everything from our demolition jobs for sustainable and environmentally friendly work.
Final Takeaway: Preparation Is Key
The key to a smooth demolition cleanup is all in the preparation. Getting it right in the planning phases will allow you to have a smooth cleanup without incurring any unnecessary costs. And do you know who can help you in those key planning phases? It’s us. AAA Service Company has the experience and the staff to guide your demolition smoothly from start to finish. Reach out to us for a free estimate on your next project!
