Building demolition encompasses a multitude of various jobs, and each type of demolition is vastly different. Do you need total demolition of a building or construction site, or do you want to rebuild the interior of your kitchen while keeping the external structure safe and intact?
While both projects require varying degrees of demolition, it is important to be aware of the differences between the two demolition methods so that you get the most out of your construction project.
As professional demolition contractors, we undertake all types of demolition projects, ranging from house demolition, commercial demolition, strip outs of office buildings, pub strip outs, and residential strip outs. This article will outline the various types of demolition we undertake and should help you decide which you will need for your construction project. We will also be touching upon several health and safety measures that you may want to consider before beginning any kind of demolition.
Both demolition methods outlined in this article utilise an excavator to demolish buildings and structures. We have a trained team of professionals ready to use all the tools and equipment necessary to carry out the demolition of your building or structure.
Total Demolition
One of the most known demolition methods is what we call ‘total demolition‘. Total demolition is exactly what it sounds like: fully demolishing a building for the purposes of removing it completely.
Who might need a total demolition job? That depends. People who want to remove buildings and structures from a site so they can build a completely new house on the land would require total demolition of that previous property. Or companies that want to demolish a pre-existing building to construct a brand-new office building in its place. Basically, any time you want to fully remove the entire structure of a building.
There are two ways of going about total demolition, as it isn’t as simple as it may seem. You might be picturing a giant wrecking ball being taken to the walls of your home as you stand watch them implode. Maybe you’re picturing some type of explosive demolition where an entire building crumbles into dust. If you were picturing this, you’re half wrong (or half right, depending on your outlook).
Wrecking balls are illegal in the UK, and explosive demolition requires a lot of paperwork and permits, as they don’t adhere to a lot of the health and safety regulations we uphold. We do, however, use the bucket end of a digger to bash walls down in a much more controlled manner. This method of demolition is a very efficient way of demolishing entire building structures; however, it has a major drawback. This is where manual demolition comes in.
Manual demolition takes longer but saves time in the long run. Manual demolition is demolition done fully by hand, where instead of bashing structures down, we rip them down piece by piece. This is good because it makes for easy recycling as we go.
We can easily separate wood, metal, brick, and plastic as we tear the building down and can recycle immediately, rather than demolishing a building using a machine and having to dig through the rubble after the fact to salvage any recyclable parts. Manual demolition is the better choice for thorough muck away and recycling services, with less harmful impact on the environment.
Interior Demolition
Total demolition is just one of the many demolition methods we undertake at Feltham Groundworks. Another one of our popular demolition methods is interior demolition. Interior demolition, or selective demolition, is when you want to keep the exterior of your home or building intact but want to renovate the inside. For example, if you want to fully refurbish your kitchen but want to keep the general blueprint of your house the same, as in the same walls and structural layout.
This method involves going in and manually demolishing the interior of your kitchen while taking care not to damage the structural integrity of your home. This type of demolition is important as it allows for more precision during the demolition of a building or structure. We can ensure your building won’t collapse while taking special care to dismantle by hand.
My manually demolishing the interior of your home, we can make sure that we’re doing so in a controlled and careful manner to preserve the structural walls and foundation of the building. Manual demolition allows for more careful deconstruction while allowing us to recycle as we go, therefore reducing our carbon footprint and impact on the environment.
Again, by manually demolishing, we can ensure that we’re recycling as much as possible.
We’ve worked on buildings where façade retention was a priority, as the building either had historic significance or was placed under National Trust. We worked on a historic pub in the Chertsey, where it was of utmost importance that we preserve the façade, but safely excavate the interior of the building in preparation for a remodel.
If you only want a portion of your house dismantled and demolished to refurbish a room, interior demolition is right for you. If you’d like more information on price, or anything related to to the interior demolition of your home, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Asbestos
There are several hazardous substances that can be unearthed when demolishing a building. Amongst the numerous chemical substances, asbestos is one of the more dangerous substances we might come into contact with. Therefore, it is important to carry out an asbestos survey prior to the demolition and dismantling of your building.
We are qualified to take care of and remove non-notifiable asbestos from your construction site prior to starting any demolition work. We will conduct an asbestos survey to identify if there is asbestos present on your construction site, what kind it is and how we can go about safely getting rid of it. An asbestos survey is one of the vital safety measures that need to be undertaken prior to any demolition project. If you’d like to know more about our asbestos survey process or any planning permission necessary to begin the demolition of your project, feel free to contact us.
What is right for you?
That depends. We’ve outlined the basics of what total demolition and interior demolition entail, and you might have a better idea. While these two types of demolition are the most sought after and most straightforward, each building or structure demolition requires special care and planning.
You’ll need to consider what exactly you are wanting to demolish and how, and which process of dismantling seems right to you. Selecting the right method of demolition is important to demolish your building safely, without affecting neighbouring buildings and structures.
If you’re still unsure or would like to discuss it with us please feel free to get in touch. We’re sure to be able to find the best solution for you and your project.
