“A house is made of bricks and beams. A home is made of hopes and dreams”. The saying is true as a house becomes a home with the presence of loved ones. Everyone thinks and plans a lot about their house. But sometimes, in order to improve it or to adjust it according to your family requirements, you need to demolish it and rebuild it. This is where the services of house demolition are opted for. They are specialized professionals who take the responsibility to demolish a structure responsibly, safely and eco-friendly.
There can be varied reasons for demolishing your existing house, both positive and negative. Sometimes the cost of renovation is so high that the owner opts for destructing the house and building it again from scratch. Sometimes the condition of the house is so drastic that the owner may decide to sell the land only after demolishing the house. He may sell it to some builder after a profitable bargain.
Precautions before, during and after house demolition:
- Before the commencement of the demolition process, all precautionary measures should be taken to avoid any kind of accidents. The neighbors should be informed way before the process begins so that they can close their windows and take other necessary measures.
- Before the demolition begins, all electrical cables and apparatus should be disconnected to avoid any untoward incident.
- During the process of demolition, the work should be supervised by an experienced and professional demolisher.
- Demolition work should be carried out storey by storey without any hurry.
- Any asbestos present at the demolition site should be removed before beginning the demolition process.
- A hoarding with a warning site should be placed at the demolition site to warn passersby. This prevents any accident or mishap.
- The demolished material should be stacked in one place and carried away as soon as possible.
- There should be proper dust cleaning systems so that the environment and neighbourhood do not get polluted.
- The dust creating material should be dampened before being dumped somewhere.
- Upon completion of work, a notice should be given to the Building Surveyor that the work has been completed.
Steps of house demolition:
- The first step in the process of house demolition is the survey of the building. This would inspect the different parameters of the building and its surroundings. Surveying is generally of two types:
- Building surveying which consists of inspecting the construction materials, usage of the building, drainage conditions, the presence of any hazardous materials in the building, the neighborhood, etc.
- Structural surveying which consists of inspecting the method of construction, the design of the structure, and the condition of the house to be demolished.
- The second step is the removal of asbestos and any other hazardous materials from the house and its vicinity. This process is carried out by experienced professionals only in a safe and secure manner. The second step is necessary to prevent any untoward incident from occurring during the demolition process.
- The third step is to prepare proper planning for the house demolition process. Planning involves everything from the method of demolition, safety measures, method of handling debris, and time required to finish the work.
- The fourth step is to fix the budget and determine the method of demolition accordingly. There are several methods of demolishing a property, such as deconstruction, implosion, high arm reach method, wrecking ball method, and selective demolition. Selective demolition is very popular nowadays because it helps builders retrieve materials from the demolition site to be recycled and reused.
House demolition is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process that always requires a lot of precision. The above article can help you if you are planning to demolish your house soon.