Questions tagged [demolition]
The demolition tag has no usage guidance.
97
questions
9
votes
3answers
1k views
How to demolish old stone walls safely?
We are renovating an old property in France where three walls of an old stone schoolhouse (10ish meters high I'm guessing, maybe more in some places) sit adjacent to the more recent house (1950s). We ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
How should I replace this rotten window header?
Here I have a corner bathroom. Left wall is exterior. My “header/top plate” is rotten. I am able to put my finger through it.
I have never come across a window header that doubles as a wall top plate, ...
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Is this asbestos pipe insulation
I have been doing work around a house I purchased. Never even thought pipe insulation would have or could have asbestos. My home was built in 1976 and is on Long Island NY (not sure if this helps.) I ...
0
votes
2answers
41 views
What kind of material is this (for a shower pan) and how to remove it
I have a house built in 1962. I want to demo the bathroom and I'm seeing this patterned sort of cement looking material (perhaps it's granite?) that is the shower pan. Is this cement? And what is the ...
1
vote
3answers
44 views
How to get up deck boards with rusted screws, want to plane and reuse the boards so the screws have to come out
a slight spin on other questions. I have a deck that is coming out with painted wood and rusted screws. 1 out of 10 comes out OK, the others break off. Since I am going to be re-using the wood, and ...
0
votes
1answer
139 views
Crushed cinder block a substitute for crushed stone?
I have two projects and I'm hoping there's a synergy between them. The first project is the demolition of a small cinder block wall that has just been completed. The second project is building a ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views
Is this brick knee wall tied in to the main wall?
We would like to remove the L-shaped brick "knee wall" in the picture on the left. The picture on the right shows the seam between the knee wall and the main wall of the house. Is the knee ...
0
votes
0answers
46 views
What underlayment material is this? Is it safe?
This underlayerment was found in a bathroom. It was under a cement layer with tiles on top. The house was constructed in the late 1980s.
What material is this underlayerment made of? Is it safe to ...
-1
votes
3answers
62 views
Mold growth in home
My home is a mold catastrophe. My fiancé was sick for a year and we got an air quality test and it tested the highest level. I started ripping the house apart and found that there was mold in three ...
-2
votes
1answer
106 views
Can this stack air duct be removed to tear down small wall?
I have an appointment with the HVAC supply business that installed the furnace 2 years ago but it is months away. My question is can I remove this wall to make my shower bigger? Through research I ...
2
votes
3answers
145 views
Can I remove this post on the lower floor of a two-storey home?
In the living area of my house is this decorative rail and post.
I want to remove them. While I suspect such a narrow, solitary post would not be made to bear a load, I am not a builder so I still ...
0
votes
2answers
125 views
Proper demolition hammer selection for stone wall and concrete steps
I’m looking to replace a wall under my deck, and to remove an old set of concrete stairs under same. I’m currently researching the project, and hoping to do it this fall in cooler weather.
The stone ...
2
votes
1answer
60 views
Pool demolition
Approximately 15,000 gallon pool that I want to demolish and fill to have a regular backyard.
My concern is the established plumbing that is associated with the pool. What happens to it? I dont ...
0
votes
2answers
704 views
Process of removing mold from behind shower tile
Background
Thanks to a shifting foundation, the tile in one of our showers cracked along a corner and water got in behind it. We know that at the least the wall behind the tile has fails as it caved ...
1
vote
3answers
70 views
How to check whether demolition brick is safe to use?
I would like to reuse demolition brick from building that was part of chemical factory. Factory was closed about 10 years ago, I know that sulphides and acids were heavily used there. I wonder if it's ...
0
votes
2answers
501 views
Best tool to cut out back of kitchen sink cabinet?
There are 100% mice under my kitchen sink. I need to rip out the cabinet part to see whether and how I can patch it up to keep them out. I'm digging in from outside beyond the foundation, too, but ...
0
votes
3answers
120 views
1920s stove pipe walled off behind kitchen
I have a giant metal pipe filled with concrete or something, it doesn't go anywhere, it's just taking up space in my closet.
I assume there used to be a big wood burning stove in the kitchen, and ...
1
vote
3answers
484 views
How would I remove a concrete shelf with possible reinforcements
I've had a brick-walled cupboard removed from my kitchen, but the concrete shelf that was in it had to be left because of the gas piping around it.
The piping will be removed for 2 days soon while a ...
2
votes
1answer
66 views
How to demo a partially structural chimney?
Just bought a new home and would like to remove its chimney. It was originally built on the outside of the home and they built a carport up around it. It looks like it may have sprung a leak, so the ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I remove studs and screws from the inside of drywall when installing a pocket door without needing to do paint and patch work on both sides?
I'm planning on taking a few weeks off to do some DIY in the fall, and one of those things is replacing the standard-hinged door in my walk-in closet with a pocket door. This is a non-load bearing ...
1
vote
2answers
191 views
Tools and feasibility of tearing down a wooden shed held together by nails
Is it possible to DIY tear down a wooden shed held together by nails?
I have a hammer and crowbar.
What other tools do I need?
It looks like this shed except I already tore down the door and I've ...
1
vote
1answer
580 views
Would a sledgehammer be okay to break up limestone?
I would be working in an enclosed environment so I don’t want anything too bulky and preferably handheld that’s why I wanted to go with a sledgehammer as you can probably tell I’m new to all this ...
1
vote
2answers
340 views
Is it load bearing? Weird attic config
thanks for taking a sec to read. I just bought a small house in which the ceiling joists in the Attic seem to change from east to west to north to south. I am wanting to remove part of a wall in which ...
0
votes
4answers
328 views
Demolishing large concrete patio slabs
My new (1950s) house has large -- e.g., one is 3.5 feet by 8.5 feet by 5 inches -- concrete slabs in our back yard. I'd like to remove them but don't know which tool(s) to use. Could this be done ...
0
votes
1answer
47 views
What to consider before removing a drop ceiling?
My basement has a drop ceiling in a semi-finished part of it and we've removed many of the panels in the process of updating the house's wiring. With most of the panels off and clear view of how ...
1
vote
1answer
131 views
Temporarily relocating an electrical panel while rebuilding a room
The room where our main power supply comes into the house is actually an old converted porch.
Several inches of the wooden frame, including the sill plate and band board, are buried below grade and ...
0
votes
0answers
158 views
Remove cast iron wood stove
New homeowner here and we would like to remove a cast iron wood stove and the brick structure with minimal damage to the hardwood floor below (see picture below). Two options:
1) Hire someone. We ...
1
vote
1answer
176 views
How to remove shower handle?
I have this handle attached to the shower wall (as a kit):
I frankly cannot figure out how to remove the while plastic piece and the metal piece outside of it in order to pull the large round cover.
...
0
votes
1answer
59 views
Remove and replace kitchen window with just caulking outside
I have an old kitchen window and like to replace it with modern double pane glass. Here is the look from inside:
Here is from outside:
Do I just remove the caulking from the outside (red box)? Then ...
0
votes
2answers
92 views
Removing fibreboard plinth from concrete floor
A previous owner of our property fixed a fibreboard plinth to the concrete floor under our kitchen worktop to raise the height of the dishwasher there; I'd like to remove that plinth to fit a taller ...
6
votes
2answers
313 views
How do I determine if a wall can be removed?
I don't know much of anything about load bearing walls so I can't really decide how necessary this wall is.
So the space for my fridge is 35" almost exactly. Less if you count the trim on the floor. ...
0
votes
0answers
336 views
How to remove tile with mesh embedded in cement bed?
I am doing a bathroom remodel on a late '60s house. The bathroom tile is set on a roughly 1.5" cement bed with embedded wire mesh. I have removed a small portion with a rotary hammer with a pointed ...
0
votes
2answers
86 views
how to remove gypsum board cemented to brick wall?
Renovating a semi-detached house. On the shared wall, the builder mortared gypsum board to the cinder-block (first and second floor, each 8' tall x 30' long).
Tools I have considered:
Belt sanders ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
How to remove countertop from cabinets while sacrificing it to maximize the chance to reuse cabinets
I have a row of "base" cabinets in the living room that I'd like to remove, but I would like to use several of them elsewhere.
I don't care about the top (which is some kind of stone and already ...
0
votes
0answers
2k views
How can I replace a load-bearing header and jack studs without disturbing siding?
My broad question is what tools/technique to use to remove (in order to replace) load-bearing studs and headers on an existing wall with lap siding nailed into said studs. Any videos or tips are ...
0
votes
1answer
146 views
Detaching large ceramic tile without breaking it
Do I have any chance of lifting the tiles you see in the pictures without breaking them?
You can tell from the picture what I tried and how it went!
0
votes
2answers
41 views
Painted Wall Demolition [closed]
Today, as I was walking through campus, I saw a cart full of wall debris. It must be some demolition going on in a building. I noticed one side of the pieces were of a different color. The pieces were ...
0
votes
0answers
115 views
90's house remodel - remove half walls
We are looking at a house and the overall layout has a lot of the half walls we are looking to get rid of. The posts going up are the only thing I think are going to be load bearing. But I am not ...
1
vote
2answers
335 views
What is the best way to remove rubble (from a demolition) from dirt and grass?
We demo'ed a cinder block neighbor fence and now there are small pieces of debris/rubble from the job in our yards. What tools and techniques should I used to remove the debris?
Some are the size of ...
1
vote
2answers
3k views
How to safely and neatly demo a block wall?
My neighbor and I have a cinder block wall between us. The wall is leaning towards her side of the property. She has planter beds next to the wall.
What tools and technique would I use to neatly demo ...
1
vote
2answers
102 views
This wall can be demolished, right?
Seems obvious to me that there is no load bearing on this wall since the wall stops at this point, but would love a second opinion.
0
votes
0answers
55 views
Restoring brick fireplace and wood trim in historic home
My wife and I just started renovating a historic home (built sometime between about 1880 and 1905). The home has quite a bit of old (possibly original) brick and wood details.
As a first step in the ...
0
votes
2answers
983 views
Recessed beam where joists meet in center of room
First. I am getting a contractor. I like to have a good idea what I am dealing with so I can understand what 1,2,3 contractors with estimates propose to me.
Ranch house with Cape Cod roof sitting on ...
1
vote
1answer
380 views
Concrete porch demolition
I'd like to demolish concrete porch.
I’d like to demolish:
- the concrete stairs (it’s about 3’x3’x3’)
- the slab (about 3’x5’x5", all cracked with rusty rebars)
- the 2 brick columns
- the metal ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
Move a shed vs. Demolish and install a new shed [closed]
We are remodeling and our current wooden shed needs to be moved to a new spot. One option is to hire folks to relocated the shed and the alternative is to demolish the current shed, dispose it and ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
Best tool for removing small area of thinset?
I need to do a temporary fix for a sinking toilet. I'm trying to find the right tool to remove a small area of tile, adhesive, and thinset. The layers of flooring are:
old floor
1/4" plywood
cement ...
2
votes
1answer
140 views
Drainage solution for pool area
I have a pool area which was filled with dirt. Side wall are intact but there were three large holes done at the bottom. During heavy rain season i see there is a water logging in the pool area as ...
0
votes
2answers
66 views
Removing Sile Stone Countertop
I am in the process of having some counters replaced. Any suggestions on how to remove the Sile Stone without damaging the cabinet? Trying to determine if the extra cost of demolition is worth it.
3
votes
1answer
759 views
How do I go about removing a garage with asbestos wall panels?
I have a 1904 house and it has a shed that was put in some time in the 1950s. It's a wonky structure made of wooden beams and thin sheets of asbestos panels make up the walls. We want to tear it down ...
1
vote
4answers
2k views
Is it safe to use old wood lath from demolition as firewood?
I removed two room's worth of walls and ceiling horsehair plaster and wood lath from a home built in 1890. Would the plaster or paint used in those days cause the wood to release any toxins when ...
