How to Dismantle a House
Dismantling a house allows the recovery of some of the building materials used in the original construction. Dismantling, sometimes called deconstruction, largely reverses the steps of a home construction project. Dismantling a house is time-consuming, hard, physical work. The amount of effort required should be weighed against the value of the materials that can be salvaged. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ladders
- Wrecking bar
- Hammer
- Reciprocating saw
- Circular saw
- Sledge hammer
Instructions
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Disconnect all utilities. This is necessary for safety during the dismantling or tearing down of the house. Maintain some sort of electrical service at the site for cutting lumber, but make sure none of the wiring in the house carries current.
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2
Remove plumbing fixtures, cabinets and windows. All of these things may or may not have value depending on condition. However they need to be removed for the project to continue. Remove any hardwood floors, millwork or trim, and any other interior components that may have value. As the dismantling continues the house will be opened to the weather and any valuable interior wood could be damaged.
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Remove exterior coverings. Remove the shingles, usually not salvageable. Siding can often be salvaged. After the shingles are removed the roof sheeting can be torn off, followed by the rafters and ceiling joists.
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4
Tear down walls. Start by removing any drywall, plaster or paneling followed by the removal of the studs. If the rafters have been removed, none of the walls are carrying any load and can be removed in any order.
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Remove the floor sheeting, followed by the floor joists and sills. At this point the house should be dismantled and all materials removed to the foundation.
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Tips & Warnings
After any salvageable interior items are removed, dismantling a house becomes a process of working from the top down.
Work carefully with the salvageable lumber. A heavy hand with a pry bar or wrecking bar can destroy lumber that can be used in the future.
Older dimensional lumber may not be the same size as current lumber. A 2-by-4-inch board, for example, now measures about 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 after milling. Older 2-by-4-inch boards may actually be 2 by 4 inches in size.
Check building codes and regulations before dismantling a house. Also, maintain liability insurance on the structure during the deconstruction project.
