Gulf boulevard is a long and winding road, the main artery of the strip of interconnected islands that serve as the outer rim of the Pinellas/Pasco peninsula. In many places, it is a wide and busy road, lined on both sides by high-rises, restaurants, shops, gas stations, and the usual high-foot traffic commercial buildings you would see in a medium-sized downtown district. But follow it far enough down, and the city tapers off. Soon, down at the tip of the rim, you find yourself in a quiet residential neighborhood. It is there that we started our latest demolition.
Small House, big dreams
This house, sitting very close to the road on a thin lot, was about to see its days come to an end. The new owner, a retired contractor, had picked it up as a waterfront retirement home – but also as one last project. It’s on the cozy part of Gulf Blvd, but not so far down that the urban core is unreachable. The dock is small, but it still has all the amenities and great access to water. This was to be his masterpiece. But first, he needed the existing house demolished.
Demolition Commencement
We hadn’t realized this until the excavator operator first tried to pierce the roof, but what had at first looked like Spanish tile roofing was actually steel. It was a lucky day for us – we make a point of separating and recycling all metal from our demolition jobs because we can sell the scrap and make back some of our costs. Win-win!
With the roof peeled off, the dirty work of the residential demolition could begin. The house, being built so close to the water and thus storm surges, was sensibly constructed with a whole lot of concrete block. That meant that a whole lot of sorting was in order, to keep the spent materials and waste separate from the recyclable concrete. The operator crushed the roof of the house into what could formerly have been referred to as the dining room. Insulation, wood beams, drywall, and all sorts of miscellaneous residential waste all mixed into a heap of trash.
Piling all of that demolition mess in one place allowed him to reveal the concrete frame of the building and remove it in one swoop. That concrete was loaded into the first truck that visited the job site, while the next truck received the waste that had been set aside. Once that pile was cleared, he repeated this process on the next section of the house – stripping it, separating it, and then loading the component parts into different trucks. Lather, rinse, and repeat until the house is gone and the lot is clear.
Residential Demolition: Complete
This house demolition has a happy ending. The building was removed completely, but we made sure to leave the dock intact. On our way out, we compacted the dirt to support the new construction, and ran a quick water line back out to the dock from the street. The owner is free to use his dock as he pleases during the entire construction process, thanks to our careful demolition.
If you or someone you know needs precise, skillful residential demolition, whether for a house or a pool or a shed, please reach out to us. We will send a free estimator out to your site, and make absolutely sure that we can give you an honest, fair, and fast quote.
