House Demolition in Memphis, TN

House demolition in Memphis is usually about one of three things: an owner who wants to build new on a good lot, a house too far gone after fire, storm or years of vacancy to save, or a city condemnation notice with a deadline attached. Whatever the reason, the job is the same at its core. The house comes down, the foundation comes out, the debris leaves the property, and the lot is filled and graded so it can be built on or simply mowed.

Signs a full tear-down beats a rehab

• Fire damage to the roof framing or floor system
• Rot in the sill plates, floor joists or piers across much of the crawlspace
• A foundation that has failed in several places
• Repair estimates that run past the value of the finished house
• A condemnation order with a short window to act

If only part of the house is bad, such as a rotted back addition or a collapsed porch, partial demolition may be the cheaper route, and we will price it that way.

The steps before the machines arrive

Most of a house demolition is planning. Here is what happens first:

• Permit. In Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County, the Office of Construction Code Enforcement issues demolition permits. Suburban cities like Germantown require their own filing too. In one of Memphis's historic overlay districts, the Landmarks Commission has to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness before the permit.
• Asbestos. Point2Homes' Census summary shows about two-thirds of Memphis homes were built before 1980. Those houses can contain asbestos in floor tile, mastic, siding and pipe wrap, and it has to be identified and abated before demolition.
• Utilities. Gas, electric and water are disconnected, and the sewer lateral is capped at the property line.
• Salvage. Anything you want to keep, from antique doors to old brick, comes out first.

Get a Free Estimate

Demolition day

A tracked excavator pulls the house down in sections, working from the far side toward the street so debris falls inward, away from neighbors and power lines. Crews keep the pile wet to hold down dust. Wood, metal and concrete are separated where possible so clean concrete and scrap metal can be recycled instead of landfilled. Most single-story houses come down in a day; loading out the debris can take longer, depending on how many dumpster or truck loads it fills.

Foundations, piers and slabs

Many older Memphis houses sit on brick piers or a short perimeter wall over a crawlspace. Newer ranches often sit on a slab. Either way, the foundation comes out unless you have a plan to reuse it. HomeAdvisor's guide lists foundation removal at $1,000 to $5,000 on its own. Once it is out, the hole is backfilled with clean fill and compacted in layers so a new house, a driveway or even a lawn does not sink later.

Final grade

Memphis gets about 55 inches of rain a year, per Wikipedia's climate table. A lot left rough will pond, erode and send water onto the neighbors. We grade the finished lot to drain toward the street or the natural low point and can leave it ready for seed and straw.