The dump next door is finally mine

[skcj213]

Well, the dump next door is finally mine, we closed this past Thursday. We were planning to rent the place out for a couple of years to try to recover a bit of the investment. However, after looking it over we can't, with good conscience, rent it out, it is just too nasty, has dangerous wiring and the plumbing is bad.

I am looking at options to get rid of the structure. I am considering putting a listing on CL for a free house to anyone wiling to either mover it or demolish it. The requirement would be that the lot is left clean when they are done. Has anyone done this with success?

If I end up demolishing it myself how many 30 yard dumpsters am I looking at? The house is 2 story with a foot print of about 1000 ft^2 over a partial basement.

Paying for demolition is not an option. I have already received a quote for $8,000. We already have probably $10,000 more into the house and lot than what the lot itself is worth. Dropping another $8k is just not an option.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Duct Tape Man]

Sometimes near me, folks who purchase bombs of a house, and want them gone, give the fire department a call. You might still need a demolition permit, but some fire departments, especially volunteer ones, love torching old houses for the practice of putting them out. They'll burn most of it for you.

 

[oscar80]

See if the fire department can do a live fire drill on it.

 

[sublime68charger]

I would look into the fire department angle.

any pics of this dump?

is there any way you can just gut it all out? take it down to just the outside walls and studs? fill the basement in. Make upstairs a loft area Mancave. 1st floor wood shop and build a garage on the front for your auto needs?

just shooting an idea from the hip.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Having the local FD burn it for training is getting rare as their are plenty of EPA restrictions to deal with. The other issue if it is in aresidential area is exposures and liabilty.

 

[skcj213]

The local fire department is not interested. Besides, it is only about 20 feet away from my house and I am concerned the heat would damage my house. Most of the windows in my 1867 Italianate are original wavy/seeded glass, I don't want to lose that.

Unfortunately the house isn't fit for use. It has a center brick chimney that also supports the floor. The joists and sills have rotted to the point that the floor around the perimeter of the house has dropped at least a couple of inches, not a level floor in the place.

The basement is small and won't hold much stuff, definitely not the whole house.

If we are able to find someone to demolish for salvage I would definitely get a deposit to guarantee they finish the job.

Anyone have an idea on how many dumpsters it may take to haul off a 1500 sf 2 story house?

 

[Piece-it Pete]

Do it a little at a time until you're at the point of actually bringing the rest down, that way you can put a lot of it out on the curb and save a few dumpsters

Pete

 

[Duct Tape Man]

Okay, no to the house fire for the fire dept. training - 20 feet is way too close to your own place to do that.

Question: how soon does it need to go? If you can't find someone willing to take it away for free, rent a dumpster and get to work yourself. Anything you salvage that can be resold for a few bucks, there ya go. Anything metal in the demolition, like wiring, pipes and appliances, goes to sell for $$$ to offset demolition costs. Anything wood or burnable, move a bunch of 55-gallon drums near it, with the tops cut off, and start a bunch of barrel fires to dispose of the wood, or a small controlled burn pile in the backyard of whatever burnables you rip out of the house, to save disposal costs in a dumpster. The rest of the house, the stuff you can't burn like glass, insulation, sheetrock, etc., rent a 40-yard dumpster and in it goes.

The house I live in is about 1,300 sq. feet. If the house I lived in was the size of yours, I reckon me and a friend, with the right tools (sawzalls, wrecking bars, etc) could take a week off work and get the entire house gone within that time. Lotta work, but it's an option that might save you a LOT of cash.

 

[aandpdan]

Do you have a loan out on this place? The lender might not take kindly to you tearing the house down, unless they knew about it prior.

If this lot/house is collateral on the loan that is.

 

[gjz30075]

How about auctioning off bits of the house, like bannisters, stairways, windows, doors, etc? I've been to auctions like this and got some interesting items for cheap. There are professional auction places that do this.

The 'remnants' should be more easily discarded then.

 

[bgarrett]

seems like you would have planned this before buying it

 

[RustnGrease]

On another forum, it was mentioned that you can toss insulation on craigslist, if you had it up for free it would be gone quick. Also maybe the local FD would be interested in assisting you with some of the demo aspect for training purposes. Stripping down the walls and ceilings is one thing for sure.

 

[Tweeker]

seems like you would have planned this before buying it

lol

 

[kazlx]

Just throw a little bit out in your trash cans every week...

Around here it would probably cost more than $8k just for disposal of the lowboys even if I did everything myself...

FWIW, I just demo'd 450 sq ft of 4" concrete and that pretty much filled a 30 yarder.

 

[Professur]

There may be 'freecyclers' in your area. Look for them on Craig'slist.

 

[woodstockva]

One other thing to note for people who are considering having the fire dept burn the house down for you.....

In Virginia (where I live), if the house has a septic system & the house gets burnt down...you CANNOT build another house and hook up to that septic system. If you tear the house down, you can re-use the septic.

Check with your local building inspection/zoning dept prior to ever having the fire dept burn an old house down "for free"....the new septic could wind up costing you over $25k to install.

 

[jkwilson]

What do you plan to do with the lot?

I really doubt anyone would be interested in salvaging or moving the house in the condition you describe. Aluminum siding and copper wiring are easy salvage items. Windows and doors can have value depending on the detail and condition.

Around here, the standard way to get rid of a house is to take the windows and doors out, peel the siding and roofing off and then use an excavator to knock the remains into a hole dug next to the house. Then burn the frame in the hole. Being in the hole protects the neighboring houses from the heat, and you can burn it a little at a time to avoid the intense heat.

 

[skcj213]

Duct Tape,
Good suggestions, I am thinking along the same line. If I do it myself I will certainly try to salvage as much as possible to sell for scrap or on CL. I hadn't thought about the burn barrels, that is a great idea.

 

[skcj213]

aandpdan,

Nope, no loan, paid cash. We new we were going to be tearing it down and didn't want to have to deal with a mortgage.

 

[skcj213]

gjz,
There really isn't enough usable stuff in the house to make an auction worthwhile. This is an old house, probably built around the turn of the last century. The old double hung windows are trashed and not many interior doors. The exterior doors may be worth saving, they will be listed on CL. Their is a small amount of woodwork worth saving. There is some solid wood paneling along with a fireplace mantle that I am told came out of a mansion in St. Louis that was being demolished in the 50's or 60's. This will also likely end up on CL.

 

[skcj213]

seems like you would have planned this before buying it

Well, we planned on tearing it down just hadn't worked through the details. I figured the folks on this side would have some good insight on how to get it done with the least expense. We didn't really have a choice on whether to buy the place. It has been rental property for the last 12 years with a steady stream of rotten neighbors, drug dealers, cops called for domestic violence. You get the idea. The landlord did absolutely no maintenance, did not even clean up between tenants. The owner was ready to sell and if we didn't buy it it would have likely went to another slum lord. who knows when we would have gotten another chance. Peace of mind from not having trash next door if worth a lot.

 

[skcj213]

On another forum, it was mentioned that you can toss insulation on craigslist, if you had it up for free it would be gone quick. Also maybe the local FD would be interested in assisting you with some of the demo aspect for training purposes. Stripping down the walls and ceilings is one thing for sure.

I am not sure there is any insulation. House is very old.

 

[skcj213]

Just throw a little bit out in your trash cans every week...

Around here it would probably cost more than $8k just for disposal of the lowboys even if I did everything myself...

FWIW, I just demo'd 450 sq ft of 4" concrete and that pretty much filled a 30 yarder.

I was quoted $375 for a 30 yard dumpster with a 5 ton maximum, $49/ton for every ton over 5. I was figuring probably 4 or 5 dumpsters. If I am able to burn a fair amount I may be able to get by with less.

 

[Falcon67]

I think our city tried that "free house for material" deal a few years ago. Typically, the recycling took 6 months or more or they tore into it and lost interest. Both options seemed to create or leave a huge dangerous mess. Somebody did a single wide mobile home near the elementary school last year and it took them nearly the entire school year to get it gone. People that take those offers are usually individuals and not companies with the financial wherewithal to follow through. Now when the city condemns, it's a back hoe and a couple of big dumpsters, house is gone in a day, two tops. No screwing around.

 

[skcj213]

One other thing to note for people who are considering having the fire dept burn the house down for you.....

In Virginia (where I live), if the house has a septic system & the house gets burnt down...you CANNOT build another house and hook up to that septic system. If you tear the house down, you can re-use the septic.

Check with your local building inspection/zoning dept prior to ever having the fire dept burn an old house down "for free"....the new septic could wind up costing you over $25k to install.

woodstockv,
Thanks for the tip. Burning the house is not an option, fire department will not do or allow. The house is in a residential area 2 blocks away from downtown, no septic system to worry about.

 

[skcj213]

What do you plan to do with the lot?

I really doubt anyone would be interested in salvaging or moving the house in the condition you describe. Aluminum siding and copper wiring are easy salvage items. Windows and doors can have value depending on the detail and condition.

Around here, the standard way to get rid of a house is to take the windows and doors out, peel the siding and roofing off and then use an excavator to knock the remains into a hole dug next to the house. Then burn the frame in the hole. Being in the hole protects the neighboring houses from the heat, and you can burn it a little at a time to avoid the intense heat.

jkwilson,
We figure getting someone to take it is a long shot but may give it a try. Worst case is no one responds to the CL add.

The lot will be the future home of a 3 or 4 car garage/work shop.

Right now I am leaning toward doing it myself next spring, once the weather breaks. I will salvage and sell what I can to offset the cost of the dumpsters.

What would be the chances of salvaging enough usable material to get a start on the garage build? Do you think the wall studs, rafters, joists, etcetera , would be worth stacking neatly and covering for future use?

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Burn as much material as you can (even a little at a time). Buy a dump truck and haul off what you need to. Some people (including you) might want bricks and concrete for fill, saving you some costs on dumping.
Sell the truck when you're done.
It'll be a lot of work, may take several months, and you may get complaints from neighbors. $8K probably isn't a bad price.

 

[sublime68charger]

part out as much as you can on CL.

put the whole house up there for the taking.

I'd maybe try and due a retainer fee if you get somebody who wants to tear it down for the materials that they give you $1000.00 for the house and when its all gone and your happy with how the lot is that you give them the $1000.00 back that way you don't get people who come in and gut it for the easy stuff and still leave you with a empty husk that is still a problem.

just a Idea if you go the CL route.

 

[Mattlt]

Many of the "just have the fire department burn it down" items have already been covered, but I'll add a few more.

In MN, an asbestos abatement needs to be done. Meaning asbestos floor tile, pipe insulation, etc will need to be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor prior to burning. (I think you are allowed up to something like 36 sq ft but don't quote me on that.)

You cannot just burn and bury onsite. All ash, stone, brick, etc leftover from the burn needs to be hauled to a "certified" landfill. It used to be they could just dig a hole out back and bury it - no more!

The Pollution Control Agency (PCA) also has to bless the burn.

It has to be a bona-fide training exercise, not just a burn-down with the FD standing by. There has to be a benefit to the FD in doing the burn.

There can be many other hidden costs that either the property owner or the FD is responsible for, such as: having an excavator onsite during the burn to push things around as needed, firefighter monitoring and rehab, having an ambulance on standby during the burn (we got socked once by a local ambulance service), cost of fire instructors as well.

Moral of the story, it's not as cheap as it used to be.

 

[sublime68charger]

jkwilson,
We figure getting someone to take it is a long shot but may give it a try. Worst case is no one responds to the CL add.

The lot will be the future home of a 3 or 4 car garage/work shop.

Right now I am leaning toward doing it myself next spring, once the weather breaks. I will salvage and sell what I can to offset the cost of the dumpsters.

What would be the chances of salvaging enough usable material to get a start on the garage build? Do you think the wall studs, rafters, joists, etcetera , would be worth stacking neatly and covering for future use?

if you tear down yourself I would try and salvage as much of the old lumber as you can.

heck my whole garage is pretty much used lumber

 

[macgyver37]

I'd like to see pics of the mantle and front door, sounds interesting.

I agree on the dump truck or even a dump trailer, you get to load it at your pace and when you need to back fill the basement hole you can haul in preferred material. This would depend if you have a place that you can dump it for a reasonable price.

Jason

 

[skcj213]

Burn as much material as you can (even a little at a time). Buy a dump truck and haul off what you need to. Some people (including you) might want bricks and concrete for fill, saving you some costs on dumping.
Sell the truck when you're done.
It'll be a lot of work, may take several months, and you may get complaints from neighbors. $8K probably isn't a bad price.

I don't think I will get any complaints from the neighbors. Everyone in the neighborhood is pretty glad to see the place going away, even if it take a little while. I just need to make sure I get it done fast enough that the city doesn't get involved. In general, the city will stay out of it if they see progress. they know in the end it will help the city look better. I've had a couple neighbors volunteer to help take it down. When I was cleaning up the yard this weekend I received several smiles of approval as people would walk or drive by.

 

[skcj213]

if you tear down yourself I would try and salvage as much of the old lumber as you can.

heck my whole garage is pretty much used lumber

Excellent!!

My concern is that the old studs will be hard as a rock. I have tried driving nails into old studs before with no luck. Ended us predrilling, that will bring a construction project to a crawl.

 

[skcj213]

I'd like to see pics of the mantle and front door, sounds interesting.

I agree on the dump truck or even a dump trailer, you get to load it at your pace and when you need to back fill the basement hole you can haul in preferred material. This would depend if you have a place that you can dump it for a reasonable price.

Jason

I'll see what I can do about pics of both the house and the mantle. I am old school, have a flip phone with no data package so posting pics means breaking out the DSLR, transferring to computer and posting from there. Kind of a pain in the ****.

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ Flip phone that takes pictures can just send PIC-txt to yourself. Thus, don't need "Data plan" just ability to text. Just change "Send-To" from being a phone number to instead be your EMAIL.

Gotta SEE this turn of century house.

Sounds like you need "harvester/salvager" guy who'll get all the lumber he wants by tearing it down. I'd strip house first of valuable stuff before turning it over to salvager.

 

[jmarkwolf]

Interesting project!

Whichever way you go, please keep us posted and provide pics of progress!

 

[missionview]

Find a company that deconstructs houses to reuse the materials. They will probably do it for free in exchange for giving them all of the materials.

 

[skcj213]

^ ^ Flip phone that takes pictures can just send PIC-txt to yourself. Thus, don't need "Data plan" just ability to text. Just change "Send-To" from being a phone number to instead be your EMAIL.

Gotta SEE this turn of century house.

Sounds like you need "harvester/salvager" guy who'll get all the lumber he wants by tearing it down. I'd strip house first of valuable stuff before turning it over to salvager.

I understand, I'll see what I can do. I'm at work right now and won't get home until close to dark. Will try to get some pics of the outside if there is enough light.

BTW, the house is nothing to look at. Definitely not a nice old queen anne. It was very modest 5 room house when build, nothing fancy.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Four Sail: a free house, and you will be paid $2000 to haul it away.





mis-spelling intended..

 

[skcj213]

Find a company that deconstructs houses to reuse the materials. They will probably do it for free in exchange for giving them all of the materials.

Problem is...I am in a small town in Southern Illinois. The closest large city is St. Louis which is about 100 miles away. There just aren't recyclers, deconstructors, etc in my area.