What Small Demolition Covers
Small demolition is the removal of structures that do not need a wrecking company but are well beyond a weekend with a sledgehammer: detached garages, sheds and shops, mobile and manufactured homes, old barns and lean-tos, decks, and concrete flatwork like driveways, patios and slabs. We take the structure down with the excavator, sort and load the debris, haul it to recycling and disposal, and leave the ground graded, ready for whatever replaces it.
Across the Fraser Valley this work is usually the first step of something better: an old garage making way for a new shop, a tired mobile home coming off an acreage before a new build, a cracked driveway being replaced, or a collapsing barn that has become a liability. Because we also do site prep and driveway construction, demolition and rebuild prep often happen in one continuous job with one mobilization charge.
Permits and the Pre-1990 Asbestos Rule
Two pieces of paperwork decide how a demolition starts. First, the demolition permit: most Fraser Valley municipalities require one for anything beyond a small shed, and the application is straightforward when handled early. Second, and more important, the hazardous materials survey. If the structure was built before 1990, WorkSafeBC requires suspect materials to be identified by a qualified surveyor before demolition, and municipalities generally require that survey with the permit application. Asbestos hides in drywall joint compound, flooring, stucco, roofing felt and duct wrap, and disturbing it without testing is illegal and genuinely dangerous.
We are excavation and demolition, not abatement, and we keep those lines clean: testing happens first (an independent local option is Fraser Valley Asbestos), any asbestos-containing materials are removed by qualified abatement workers, and then we demolish the clean structure. A contractor who offers to skip that step is offering you their liability.
How a Demolition Runs
- Site visit and firm quote. We look at the structure, the access, the ground the machine will travel, and what is underneath and beside the building. The quote covers demolition, loading, hauling and disposal fees, all-in.
- Paperwork. Demolition permit, hazmat survey where the age requires it, and utility disconnections, sequenced so nothing stalls.
- Protection and salvage. Ground protection along the access route, fences and plantings shielded, and anything you want saved (doors, timbers, fixtures) pulled before the machine starts.
- Controlled demolition. The structure comes down in bites, not one push. Sorting starts immediately: wood, metal, concrete and residual waste into separate piles or bins.
- Load out and recycle. Concrete to crushers, metal to scrap, clean wood to wood recycling, residual waste to the transfer station. Sorted loads carry much lower tipping fees, and that saving is built into your price.
- Grade and finish. Footings and slabs out of the ground unless you want them left, holes backfilled and compacted, surface graded to drain. The site should look ready, not wounded.
Concrete and Slab Removal
Old concrete is its own category of job. Driveways, patios, sidewalks, garage slabs and footings are broken with the excavator, loaded and hauled to concrete recycling, where they become the crushed rock that builds the next project. If new concrete or gravel is going back in the same footprint, we excavate and prepare the new base in the same visit: dig to firm subgrade, place and compact road base, and hand the forms crew a surface that will not settle. Slab-to-slab in one contractor.
Mobile Home and Outbuilding Removal on Acreages
Acreage properties accumulate structures, and eventually some have to go. Mobile homes are the frequent flyer: older units are often pre-1990 (asbestos rules apply), they sit on service connections that must be found and capped, and their mixed materials demand disciplined sorting. Old barns and lean-tos add their own quirks: buried debris, hand-dug wells and old fuel tanks have all turned up under Fraser Valley outbuildings, so we probe carefully before the ground gets disturbed. We quote these jobs after a proper look around, and the number we give is the number you pay.
What Happens to the Hole
A demolition is not finished at ground level. Basements, crawlspaces and footing trenches left under a removed structure must be backfilled with compactable material in lifts, not loosely flooded with whatever was lying around, or the spot will settle for years and telegraph through anything built above it. We backfill and compact properly, grade the surface to shed water, and can finish with topsoil, gravel, or a building-ready pad depending on what comes next for the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to demolish a garage or shed in the Fraser Valley?
A typical single garage demolition with full haul-away usually runs $3,000 to $7,000 in the Fraser Valley, small sheds often $1,000 to $2,500, and mobile home removals commonly $6,000 to $15,000 depending on size and disposal requirements. Concrete slab and driveway removal is usually priced per square foot, often in the $3 to $8 range including hauling. Access, disposal fees and any hazardous materials handling are the main variables, and our quotes are firm and all-in.
Do I need a demolition permit?
For most structures beyond a small shed, yes. Fraser Valley municipalities require demolition permits for garages, dwellings and mobile homes, and for pre-1990 buildings the permit application generally requires a hazardous materials survey confirming asbestos-containing materials have been identified and dealt with before demolition. We walk you through what your municipality needs and do not put a machine on the building until the paperwork is real.
What about asbestos in my old garage or mobile home?
If the structure was built before 1990, BC rules presume it may contain asbestos, and WorkSafeBC requires a hazardous materials survey before demolition, with any asbestos-containing materials removed by qualified abatement workers first. This applies to drywall mud, flooring, stucco, roofing and more. We are not an abatement contractor and will not bury the issue, literally or otherwise: testing and any required abatement happen first, then we demolish and haul the clean structure.
Where does the debris go?
To sorted disposal and recycling: concrete and asphalt go to crushing and recycling facilities, clean wood to wood recycling, metal to scrap recyclers, and only true residual waste to the transfer station. Sorting is not just environmental good manners, it is much cheaper, because mixed demolition waste carries the highest tipping fees. Disposal costs are itemized inside our firm quote so you are not surprised by dump fees.
Can you take out my old concrete driveway or patio?
Yes, breaking and removing concrete flatwork is a standard job for us: the slab is broken with the excavator, loaded, hauled to a concrete recycler, and the ground beneath graded, ready for new concrete, gravel or lawn. If you are replacing the driveway, we can excavate and build the new gravel base in the same visit, which saves a full mobilization charge.
Will demolition damage my yard or the neighbour’s fence?
Not if the job is planned. We assess access before quoting, protect surfaces where machines must travel, work tight to property lines carefully, and disconnect or cap utilities before anything comes down. Structures near fences, trees or other buildings come down in controlled bites with the excavator rather than one dramatic push, because the boring approach is the one that never makes an insurance claim.