Recommended demolition tools

[Al Borland]

I used a Lull to pull down a 2 car garage and munch it, then loaded it into a dumpster. Maybe 3 hours due to "Sacred" fence and landscaping. Way overkill, but FUN!!!

 

[ZRX61]

Just start hitting the **** out of it until the pieces are small enough to haul off, or just set it on fire.

 

[hoye0017]

I agree with all who have suggested a 3-5 lb hammer and good pry bars.

I know this isn't the same thing but I always chuckle when watching first timers start demo on diy shows.

They always start out so excited to use the 16 lb sledgehammer. By the 4th useless hole in the wall, they switch to a crowbar/claw hammer and that brand new sledge sits in the corner for the rest of the show.

 

[OkRider]

Diesel. Match. gone in minutes.

You'll be there all day… Gasoline. Match. gone in minutes

Either / or. Trailer park kids torched our shed at work a few years back. Fire station a quarter mile away couldn't save it in time.

 

[Adam.C]

Worked demo in college. Worst job I ever had. Pulling down structures with a truck or tractor is a stupid idea. Just like wrecking balls and blasting. Pros only do this for masonry structures because of the mess you are left with, which is way more costly dangerous and time consuming to deal with.

Frame buildings are demolished just as they were built but in reverse. You disassemble them, bit by bit. If you are smart, you can do the whole job with a wrecking bar and a pair of work gloves (which is exactly what I did in college)

 

[owenst7]

I don't understand why people are suggesting tearing off the shingles. If the shed is only 8'x8', just get a long demo blade for your sawzall and cut the roof in to two pieces. You might even be able to stand inside and pry the decking up if the ceiling is exposed. Just cut the nails with your saw if they are difficult to fully remove. The fewer pieces you demo it in to, the less of a mess you will make. Tearing off shingles will also leave nails or staples all over that you'll need a wheeled magnet to clean up effectively. Get someone to help you lift the pieces if you need to. Smarter to work with extra people anyway. Most WM operations will take any rubbish up to 4'x4', so that's what we always cut stuff down to before loading it.

I did a lot of demo work as a roofer growing up working for my family's' business. A 22oz shingle hatchet with no razor (used this for chopping through plywood and asphalt), a flatbar, and a sawzall were pretty much all I ever used for removing roof framing. Occasionally I would use a wrecking bar (4' pry bar made of 1x3 steel tubing) if the framers had nailed the **** out of the plywood with ring shanks.

Or, take an old truck and drive in to it at ~30mph. Post the video for us.

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Worked demo in college. Worst job I ever had. Pulling down structures with a truck or tractor is a stupid idea. Just like wrecking balls and blasting. Pros only do this for masonry structures because of the mess you are left with, which is way more costly dangerous and time consuming to deal with.

Frame buildings are demolished just as they were built but in reverse. You disassemble them, bit by bit. If you are smart, you can do the whole job with a wrecking bar and a pair of work gloves (which is exactly what I did in college)

Spoken with true inexperience...

Pulling every piece, by piece is okay... but time consuming. If I needed to bring something down and/or save it, then yes.... your stuck with "disassembly" and being more careful.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Had to roll the ladies over for a better position? Or was that the beach day when you had to use the prybar to fit them in their suits?

A prybar wouldn't roll the ladies over... (We use the bedroom gantry crane.)
Green Peace usually lends a helping hand on the beach... (The problem is, is that they like to drag the ladies out to sea.)