Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [demolition]

156 questions
34
votes
5 answers

How should I remove a swimming pool from my back yard?

Our house had a nice cedar pergola in the backyard, about 20'x16', whose posts began to rot at the base. It was covered in grape vine... Nice for shade but not for a falling down pergola. Needless to say, a few months ago we got a pretty good wind…
tbox
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3 answers

Are there any reasons I shouldn't remove this odd nook from a basement room?

I'm thinking about taking out this weird nook in my basement, along with the white-topped blocks/supports that surround it. Is there any reason I shouldn't? In other words - is there a likely purpose the nook serves that means I ought to leave it…
infinitely_improbable
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14
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4 answers

How can I speed up the removal of stubborn tile?

I am trying to remove tile from the bathroom floor. It was installed in the 70s, and the pieces are tiny, 1 in x 1 in. I've been hammering away but they're not coming up very easily. Is there a product I can use to loosen them up?
Sara
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11
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6 answers

Best way to clean up nails after demolition?

I have a small wooden shed in my back yard that needs to be torn down, and for the most part, I can handle it fine. However, I have one concern about the cleanup afterwards: how can I make sure the nails get cleaned up thoroughly so my kids and…
Tom A
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9
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4 answers

Should drywall used on a ceiling be of a different weight/grade than drywall used on walls?

Should drywall used in a ceiling be of a different weight/grade than drywall used in walls? We are demoing a closet this weekend, and will need to repair the remaining drywall in a few places.
user32492
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9
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3 answers

Typical general purpose sledge hammer weight?

What is the typical head weight (or weight range) for a general-purpose sledge hammer? Background: I've been shopping around online and have seen everything from a small 2 lb hammer to weights up to 20 lbs. Shopping online, I haven't had the…
Wilco
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9
votes
2 answers

What kind of drain pipe appears to be clay?

The photo below shows a venting stack that was disconnected. The stack runs from the basement to the attic and out through the roof. Which means it's perfect to pull new water, gas, and vent lines up through it. It was probably part of a gravity…
MFMauceri
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9
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3 answers

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 need to demolish the walls for a few reasons. 1)…
LeAnn
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9
votes
3 answers

How do I remove a chimney?

I've got a chimney in my 50's-era house that doesn't do anything. It's a regular brick and mortar chimney but it used to be used to vent the old oil heater (it's been converted to natural gas since). The chimney isn't used any more. I don't believe…
Trevor
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8
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3 answers

How do you remove a lot of wall tiles?

How do I quickly remove a lot of wall tiles without damaging the wall?
Walker
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8
votes
5 answers

How should I dispose of material waste during home construction?

The construction of my new home is undergoing now, but I am facing a problem - piling up of trash and unnecessary materials left over at each step of the development which I am moving to my garage. My garage is completely filled with trash. There is…
emma wats
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3 answers

what mil thick plastic to hang for dust management

I'm planning a chimney demo and planning to hang plastic from floor to ceiling to section where I'm working from the rest of the house. What millimeter thick plastic would be best? I want something thick enough to work but not so heavy I can't tape…
user20127
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6
votes
2 answers

Best way to tear up half a concrete parking pad?

I have a concrete parking pad in my back yard (butts up to an alley) that is substantially larger than I need, and I'd like to reclaim some of that space for my yard. To that end I'd like to tear up half the pad but leave the other half untouched,…
Dugan
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6
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3 answers

How would one extract a brick chimney embedded in the middle of a house?

I have a no-longer-in-use brick chimney running from basement to attic (roof was closed over it), left over from earlier heating systems. The space alongside it is being used for plumbing and electrical, so it would probably be a pain to actually…
keshlam
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1 answer

What is the proper personal protective equipment and procedures for removing mouse nesting that may contain Hantavirus?

Me and my uncle are working on cleaning stuff (various auto parts and tools built up over the last 60 or so years) out a garage on my parents' property prior to demolishing it. There are multiple obvious mouse nests of unknown age that we'll need to…
Compro01
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