Look around your home. Concrete is everywhere. From your driveway to your patio, your walkway to your porch, even the foundation your home rests on is made from poured concrete.
While concrete does have a long lifespan, there may come a point when you have to remove it. It could be that the concrete was not poured correctly or the ground beneath it was not properly prepped, leading to unsightly and sometimes dangerous settling. It could be that your trees have matured and with it, those roots are pushing up the concrete around it. Whatever the reason, it may be time to tear out that old concrete and start over again.
Before you start searching on YouTube for an easy DIY way to tear out that concrete, think again. Tearing out concrete usually requires heavy equipment and you will have to haul that concrete to the landfill or recycling center. If you are not prepared for that yourself, your best bet is to hire an experienced contractor who will get the job done completely, cleanly, and correctly.
How much does it cost to remove concrete in Phoenix?
On average, you can expect to spend roughly between $2 and $6 per square foot to remove concrete at your house. This seems like a large variance in price. This is due to the large variance in projects. Certain factors play into the cost of removing concrete:
- Complexity: The more complex the project, the more it will cost. If you are removing reinforced concrete, that is going to cost more than tearing out thinner concrete.
- Accessibility: Oftentimes heavy equipment like jackhammers and backhoes are used to remove concrete. If your job is easily accessible to that equipment, your project will cost less. However, if the concrete you want to remove is not so easily accessible, if it’s right up against your house or near landscaping that you want to keep, etc. the project will end up costing more.
How can I save some money when removing concrete?
While the cost may scare you away from initially deciding to remove your old concrete, there are ways to save some cash. Anytime you remove concrete, you have to haul it away, either to a landfill or a recycling center. The best way to save on your demolition project is to send that concrete to a recycling center.
Recycling concrete from a demolition project can result in considerable savings. First, it saves on the cost of transporting concrete to the landfill. You can save as much as 25 cents per ton per mile. Recycling also eliminates the cost of disposal, which can be as high as $100 per ton.
What is recycled concrete used for?
Sure, recycling concrete will save you money on the hauling and landfill costs, but what is that concrete used for? Most old concrete is crushed up and used in a variety of ways:
- New Asphalt: Old concrete can be broken up and used as a base for new asphalt
- New Paving: Old concrete can be transformed into new permeable paving for walkways, driveways and other outdoor surfaces. This technique also reduces the amount of runoff water that spills into storm sewer systems and helps replenish groundwater and aquifers.
- New Concrete: Crushed concrete can replace some of the new aggregate used in ready-mix concrete.
- Landscaping Mulch: Believe it or not, that old concrete can be used to grow plants! When properly crushed and sorted, ground concrete can replace river rock and other gravels used as ground covers and mulch.
- Foundation Material for Utility Lines: Trenches for utility lines are usually covered with gravel to assist in drainage. Crushed concrete makes a good, inexpensive substitute for gravel.
How is concrete removed in Phoenix?
The first thing you want to do is to hire an experienced demolition contractor. An experienced demolition contractor will work with you throughout the process to ensure that it is completed professionally.
Depending on the project, you may or may not have to have a city inspector come out to the site. The inspector will determine if utility lines run under your concrete and if they do, how deep they run. If they could be affected by the demolition, the utility lines will have to be carefully avoided. This step is key. You don’t want to damage any utility lines. You will be left footing that very hefty bill.
Make sure you have a debris disposal plan in place before the actual demolition work begins. The contractor will most likely arrange for the removal and hauling of the concrete, but you want to confirm with them while you are getting your initial quote.
For the actual demolition, expect your contractor to use heavy equipment, such as jackhammers and backhoes, to break the concrete into manageable pieces. The concrete will then be placed in dumpsters and hauled away to a local landfill or recycling center.
Any kind of demolition is very hard work. It is not a DIY job, unless you have a lot of experience with the equipment and the process. The best thing to do with a job this size is to hire a contractor to do the work.
The experienced team at Joe’s Bobcat Demolition has the professionalism, know-how, and equipment necessary to complete such a job. So, if you are thinking of removing your concrete driveway in Phoenix, call (602) 780-3343 today to find out more about the process.