7 Demolition Facts That Will Blow Your Mind

As we get further into 2021, you’ll find that despite the current pandemic situation, the construction and demolition industry is still thriving and gaining revenue every day. Despite this, there’s one crucial part about demolition that people don’t often consider when hiring a demolition company, and it’s a crucial point that they miss when they attempt to take on demolition projects by themselves.

The waste. The waste that comes along with taking on demolition is more than most think it could be, and often people don’t really consider it when employing demolition services from a demolition company.

When a demolition company comes in for a job, it’s known that they’re going to be demolishing the structure in one way or another. After all, demolition is in their name. When they’re doing the demolition job, the one thing that people don’t consider and the reason why people think it’s a smart idea to try by themselves is that they don’t realize all the waste that there’s going to be after the job is done, and all the hazards that come along with cleaning up the waste.

Waste is a large point that people don’t think about when employing demolition services and there are plenty of facts about demolition that people don’t consider, so here are 7 Demolition facts that will blow your mind.

FACT: Demolition has many different methods

When you think of demolition you probably just think of a building being destroyed. That essentially is what demolition is, but there are many different methods of doing so that you probably haven’t considered. There are 4 main methods of demolition used most often which are “High Reach Arm demolition”, “Crane & Ball Demolition”, “Selective Demolition”, and “Implosion Demolition”. Here are quick summaries of each one.

High-reach arm demolition is using machinery that has arms that can reach up high and knockdown structures layer by layer.

Crane and ball demolition is using the oldest method, which is a simple large metal ball, weighing 1300 to 1400 pounds, and swinging/dropping it onto the structure.

Selective or deconstruction demolition is based on “reduce, reuse, recycle” and slowly goes through the structure and takes our re-usable materials for recycling, or repurposing them for the future structure to be built.

Implosion demolition is when a controlled explosion is done within a structure to quickly take it down.

Demolition companies primarily stick to high reach and selective demolition since these are the most often used for residential demolition. There are many different types of demolition, but these are the 4 main ones to keep in mind.

FACT: Implosion Demolition accounts for less than 1% of all demolition projects

You may have seen in the movies when they destroy a big building with an implosion, which is a controlled demolition method where explosives are set on the structure support points to make it collapse into itself. There are plenty of videos online where you can see this, and it’s quite satisfying to watch. But did you know that despite all these cool videos, only 1% of demolition projects are done with the implosion method?

A large percentage of demolition projects are done on residential structures or commercial buildings, and these buildings often have neighboring structures surrounding them. This means that there is a danger present for the neighboring structures if the implosion method were to go wrong in any way possible. This danger is present even with larger demolition projects but when they’re done on extreme height structures, it’s less dangerous than machine demolition.

Keep in mind that dust is found all over a site during a demolition job, so this can endanger anything surrounding it not only with physical risks but through health risks.

With these larger structures, a layer-by-layer demolition through machinery would make a demolition project dangerous due to falling debris being possibly swung onto the neighboring structures from a high height, and this can cause major damage that can put civilians in danger.

Implosion demolition is done on larger buildings with fewer surrounding structures since the dangers to surroundings are reduced, and it allows for a quick demolition.

Another thing to consider is that residential and commercial buildings are often not too large, so the implosion demolition method would be ineffective since they could easily recycle materials from the structure for the new structure, and demolishing layer by layer allows for the base of the structure to be reused.

FACT: Nearly all materials used in demolition can be recycled and repurposed

Like we said in our previous point, most demolition projects are done on residential structures or commercial buildings. This means that the buildings often have plenty of materials within them that can be reused or recycled. Demolition companies take full advantage of this to stay as green as possible.

When it comes to demolition recycling, nearly 75% of all non-hazardous materials and debris are recycled, and often repurposed for a new building if one is planned on the site of the original structure.

Demolition is a much greener industry than most would believe it to be. After all, being called “demolition” doesn’t exactly sound friendly. But demolition companies often recycle the materials so they can be repurposed in the future, whether it’s through preserving them for the new build or recycling them so they can be re-made into sturdy materials again.

FACT: The demolition industry accounts for nearly 90% of all waste in construction

You’d think this would be well-known since the industry is all about destroying something, but it’s not common knowledge. We don’t hold it against anyone either, that’s why we’re here to inform you.

The demolition industry is one centered around demolishing a structure, whether it’s only a portion of the structure of the entire thing. As said beforehand, this leaves a big mess and that’s something people don’t often consider when a demolition company comes in for a job.

All this waste must go somewhere, and in the construction industry (which demolition falls under), demolition accounts for 90% of this waste. It makes sense since construction is all about building up, so there wouldn’t be much waste for them to clean up afterward since the materials are now within the newly erect structure.

Demolition holds the crown for waste in the industry. It doesn’t matter what type of demolition job it is, or what type of structure is being demolished. From commercial to residential, implosion to crane and ball, there’s always going to be waste. The waste is often recycled, but it’s still considered waste. Demolition accounts for nearly 90% of this, and this fact alone should give you enough motivation to say, “maybe I should just hire a demolition company to do this for me since they can clean it up after”.

FACT: Demolition only accounts for a small percentage of a new building’s costs

If you’re building a new structure or making way for one, you’re going to be spending money and that’s a fact that we don’t need to tell you. But one thing that people don’t often consider is that demolition doesn’t cost that much money. Demolition services cost next to nothing when compared to overall construction costs, and make sure to keep this in mind when employing a demolition company.

When you’re planning out a construction project, you’re guaranteed to have the money on hand to pay for the new structure. Now if you’re needing to demolish an existing structure to make way for the new one, it’s an additional cost. Don’t worry too much however because despite being an extra expense, it’s nothing compared to your future expenses and can easily help reduce those future costs if you spend the right amount from the demolition phase. Spend money, to make money.

Like we’ve said beforehand, demolition companies often reuse and recycle materials from a demolition job. If you’re looking to spend your money right, then spend your money on a method of demolition known as “Selective Demolition”.

Selective demolition is the method used with the idea of “reduce, reuse, and recycle”. All building materials are taken down slowly from within, and all that can be recovered is done in the best condition possible. It’s costly, it takes time, but it saves you money in the future. Using selective demolition is what leads to demolition services only account for a small percentage of a new building’s costs. Reuse the materials or recycle them for money, and you will realize that the extra money spent on the demolition services will benefit your wallet in the future new building’s costs.

FACT: The average time of house demolition is 1 week

Surprisingly even for us, the average time of house demolition is only 1 week. When it comes to house demolition, the time it takes to finish a demolition job is normally four to eight days, making it on average only 7 days (1 week) to complete.

There are many factors to consider of course such as what type of demolition service you’re employing, or if there are health risks that need to be eliminated beforehand like asbestos. This can make the process longer, and lead to issues that drag a demolition project out longer than it should be. Being in a residential area leaves you to be limited in your options when it comes to what type of demolition can be used. Implosion, as we stated before, is more than likely off the table since it can endanger surrounding structures.

Despite these factors that must be considered before predicting the time for a demolition job, it on average only takes a week and a maximum of 8 days for house demolition. If you’re in a position where your home needs to be demolished and it’s clear of any health risks, you can hope for a low timeline on a complete demolition of your property.

FACT: Recycling through demolition has created 230 thousand jobs

Demolition is a messy job, no doubt about that. All the waste that is cleaned up and brought to the proper waste management sites by demolition companies must be managed by someone, and that has led to the creation of over 230,000 jobs.  

The recycled materials come from both construction and demolition companies yet seeing as over 90% of the materials are from demolition projects, demolition, in turn, has created jobs. Ironic, since demolition is the act of knocking down a building, essentially destroying it, yet such an act has ended up in the creation of jobs that fuel our economy. Demolition may be about destroying structures, but its positives come from what it builds off the foundation of a job.