Residential Demolition
in Sacramento, CA

A typical 1,500-square-foot home runs $10,000 to $15,000 for full structural demolition, and most homes price out at $8 to $15 per square foot. Larger homes scale up: a 3,000-square-foot house generally lands between $24,000 and $45,000. The average demolition cost moves with access, foundation type, and site work.

The teardown is the fast part. A 1,500-square-foot house comes down in about a day. Permits set the real schedule: Sacramento County jobs often start within weeks, while City of Sacramento demolition permits require notarized documents and typically run 1 to 2 months out.

Yes. Sacramento County requires a permit application and waste management plan, usually around $250. The City of Sacramento requires notarized documents, sign-off from multiple departments, then a wrecking permit, and buildings over 50 years old often trigger historical review. We prepare and submit everything, with inspection coordination through final sign-off.

SMAQMD requires an asbestos survey before demolition, so asbestos testing happens on every older home. We file the notification, submit the report, and wait out the 10-day clearance period. If the survey comes back positive, licensed asbestos abatement happens first, then a retest with documented proof. Lead-based paint and other hazardous materials get the same treatment.

Construction debris is sorted on site and hauled to local facilities. Metal goes to Sims Metal Management or Universal Recycling. Concrete goes to GR Trucking, also known as Crete Crush, where it is crushed for reuse. General debris goes to Kiefer Landfill, and every load of disposal is documented with dump receipts.

Yes, unless you want to keep it for a rebuild. Most Sacramento customers want the entire lot cleared but the utilities left in place so a new home can go on the same footprint. Full foundation removal covers the slab, footings, piers, and stem walls, with concrete removal and backfill included in the quote.

Sacramento takes tree protection seriously. In Spencer’s words, "they make you protect trees and a lot of times trees are right in the way of our equipment." We plan equipment paths around protected trees from the first site walk, and where removal is allowed we fold tree work into the same scope. One Arden Oaks job included 50 tree removals.

Partial demolition of structures, yes: additions, garages, and second-story removals with shoring for exposed areas. Interior demolition is different. Interior/soft demolition and selective demolition strip-outs for remodels are outside our scope. If your project is a full or partial structural teardown, that is exactly what we do.

Yes. We have pulled 90-year-old wooden beams out of a demolition and shipped them to a customer in Tahoe. If something in your home has value, vintage hardwood, structural timber, architectural features, tell us before the teardown and we build the salvage into the scope.