Construction & Contractors Blog
Partial building demolitions allow homeowners to create extra interior spaces, merge existing rooms and make other major structural alterations to the home. Unlike other demolition projects, partial demolitions only aim at bringing down a selected section of the building. Thus, when done incorrectly, they can lead to costly, irreversible damage to a structure. If you are planning a partial demolition on your home, here are a few tips to guarantee the success of the project.
1. Carefully inspect the building
Partial demolitions require you to determine the portion of the structure you need to take down. However, before doing so, you must find out whether there are any load-bearing walls or beams in the targeted room. Demolishing load-bearing elements of the structure can weaken the foundation and cause future settling or cracking.
The project should only target non-structural walls, beams, and columns to guarantee the structural stability of the building. When conducting this assessment, go through your building plans to locate and isolate structural elements. You can engage a construction engineer to avoid costly mistakes down the road.
2. Determine the right demolition method
The two main demolition methods are explosive and non-explosive demolitions. Explosive methods are only ideal when bringing down an entire structure. This is because explosives cause the structure to cave either inward or sideways. You don't want this level of destruction with partial demolitions, especially if you intend to bring down a small section of the building.
Non-explosive techniques are the best choice for partial demolitions. Demolitions are completed using sledgehammers, wrecking balls, bulldozers, and excavators. Sledgehammers and wrecking balls are ideal when demolishing smaller sections, while bulldozers and excavators are great for tearing down walls and large parts of the building. Choose the technique that will protect the rest of the building from accidental damage.
3. Isolate and disconnect utilities
Before commencing partial demolition, you must isolate and disconnect the utilities in the affected rooms. Failure to do so can expose workers to trip hazards and electrocution from live electrical wiring. It can also cause electrical hazards in the rest of the home.
You can disconnect utilities either for the entire home or for the demolition site only. The former is ideal if you need to use utilities in the rest of the rooms. However, if the house will be unoccupied throughout the project, it's safer to shut down the utilities entirely.
4. Make plans for material salvaging
Most of the materials resulting from a demolition project are reusable in home renovations. Thus, plan for material salvaging. This may require you to remove materials such as floor tiles, sinks, toilets, taps, and electrical components before the demolition. You can also salvage wood, concrete and rebar for the reconstruction project.
Work with your contractor to create a safe and successful partial home demolition.
Share15 December 2021
Hello and welcome to my construction blog. My name is David and I would like to tell you about the process of designing and building a new home from the ground up. I had always dreamed of building my own home and last year, that dream became a reality. I had been saving money for many years so I could afford to buy the materials and employ the contractors needed to construct my home. I learnt so much during the process, I decided to start this blog. It was a wonderful day when the final piece of my home was put into place and I am now very happy.