Demolition in Cherry Hill, NJ

Breaking out thin original driveways

Driveways from Cherry Hill's building boom were often poured thin, directly onto native soil with little or no stone base. After decades of freeze-thaw, they spall at the apron and break up along the garage slab. Replacing one starts with demolition: saw-cutting a clean line where the drive meets anything that stays, breaking out the old slab, and hauling it away.

Once it's out, we can dig below the soft soil it sat on and build the base the original never had.

Additions on poorly compacted fill

Additions and porches added to Cherry Hill homes in later decades often sit on fill that was never properly compacted. When one is being removed — because it has settled, cracked away from the house or is being replaced with something better — we take it down carefully along the connection to the main house so the part that stays is protected.

Removing the old footings and the loose fill under them matters if anything will be rebuilt in the same spot. A new addition shouldn't inherit the problem that ruined the old one.

Garages, sheds and decks

Detached garages from this era usually have a slab and a perimeter footing, and sometimes electrical service run from the house. Sheds may sit on blocks, a gravel pad or a small slab. Decks stand on concrete piers that go deeper than most people expect.

We remove all of it — structure, slab, footings and piers — instead of cutting at grade and leaving concrete in the ground to trip up the next project.

• Detached garages and carports, including slab and footings
• Sheds and small outbuildings
• Decks, including every concrete pier
• Patios, walks and old steps
• Additions and enclosed porches

Pool demolition

Cherry Hill backyards hold plenty of pools from the 1960s through the 1990s. Removing one involves breaking out or removing the shell, pulling decking and equipment pads, disconnecting electric and plumbing, then filling the hole with suitable material in compacted layers.

Utilities come first

Before anything comes down, gas, electric and water serving the structure have to be safely shut off and disconnected. Some disconnects are performed by the utility and some by licensed trades. We sequence them, confirm everything is off, and request a utility markout before any digging.

Water here comes from New Jersey American Water or the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission depending on the address, and sewer is the township's system. If a structure has its own sewer or water connection, we coordinate capping it with the right provider.

Permits in Cherry Hill Township

Most demolition requires a permit from the township construction office, which generally wants to see utilities disconnected before it's issued. We file the application, gather the documents, schedule inspections and close the permit out — a closed permit matters when you sell.

Older materials

Structures built in the 1950s through 1970s may contain materials that need testing before demolition. If something on site looks suspect, we'll tell you before we start, and that work is handled by properly licensed specialists before our crew proceeds.

Backfill on flat, slow-draining ground

Cherry Hill is flat, with sandy loam over pockets of dense clay. Nothing sheds water on its own. After demolition, voids left by footings, slabs or pools are filled in compacted lifts, and the final grade is pitched away from the house toward a legal outlet. Otherwise the spot where a garage stood can become the lowest, wettest part of the yard.

Selective demolition

Sometimes only part of something comes out: a section of slab for a sewer repair, a basement floor for new plumbing, a stoop that has pulled away from the house. We saw-cut clean edges, protect what remains and coordinate with the rest of the work.

Hauling and cleanup

Debris is loaded out and hauled away, with clean concrete recycled where possible. Nothing gets buried on your property.

Protecting the rest of the lot

We plan the equipment route before work starts, protect driveways and walks along it, and keep the site tidy at the end of each day.

Emergency service

If demolition uncovers a failed sewer line, or one fails on its own, our crews respond around the clock.