We are the demolition company that finishes the job. A teardown is not done when the building is on the ground. It is done when the debris is hauled and weighed, the hole is filled and compacted, and the lot is graded so you can build on it, sell it, or mow it. That is how we run every demolition job in Columbia and Mid-Missouri: tear it out, haul it off, put the site back. Chris Kurtz bids the work, runs the crew, and answers the phone at (573) 234-6641.

What we demolish

Houses, garages, barns and outbuildings

Stick-built houses, fire-damaged and condemned structures, attached and detached garages, barns, pole buildings, sheds and decks. The foundation comes out with the building, the basement gets backfilled, and the lot gets graded. See house, garage and barn demolition.

Mobile home removal

Single-wides and double-wides, on private land or in a park. We strip the unit, cut the frame, haul steel to the recycler and the rest to the landfill, then pull the piers and skirting and leave a clean pad. See mobile home removal.

Interior and selective demolition

Commercial strip-outs back to the shell, tenant space demo ahead of a build-out, and selective removal of a chimney, porch, addition or attached garage where the rest of the building stays in service. See interior and selective demolition.

Concrete demolition

Slabs, foundations, footings, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots. Broken with the hydraulic breaker on our 2019 Cat 308, loaded, and hauled to a recycler instead of a landfill, which is where most of the disposal savings on a teardown come from. See concrete removal and parking lot removal.

What's included on every job

  • A site visit and a written proposal with a fixed price for the work.
  • The demolition permit application and fee, inside or outside city limits.
  • Scheduling the required asbestos inspection and coordinating abatement if the inspector finds regulated material.
  • Coordinating utility disconnects: electric meter pulled, gas line cut and capped, water and sewer capped at the property line.
  • The teardown itself. Our Cat 308 with breaker, grapple and thumb handles most residential work. For heavy structures we rent 13 to 15 ton excavators. Skid steers do the loading and cleanup.
  • Sorting on site. Concrete, steel and clean wood go to recyclers when it pays. Mixed debris goes to the landfill. We hand you the tickets.
  • Backfill of any basement or foundation hole with clean fill, compacted in lifts.
  • Rough grade across the disturbed area so water sheds and a mower can cross it.

What's not included

Three things sit outside the demolition contract. Asbestos abatement is done by a licensed abatement contractor, and we schedule it and hold our start until it clears. Hazardous waste such as fuel tanks, chemicals or refrigerants is handled by the right hauler before we mobilize. Moving personal property out of the building is on the owner. Everything left inside on demo day gets crushed and billed by the ton.

How pricing works

Every demolition quote from us is two numbers. The first is a fixed price for mobilization, equipment and crew. That number does not move once the proposal is signed. The second is disposal, billed as a pass-through at actual loads and tonnage. Landfill and recycler rates in Mid-Missouri run $40 to $90 per ton, and we bill what the scale ticket says. You are never paying a markup on trash.

Typical ranges for the work we bid around Columbia:

ProjectTypical range
House teardown, slab or crawlspace$8,000 to $22,000
House teardown with basement fill$12,000 to $30,000
Garage$3,000 to $8,000
Mobile home$4,000 to $10,000
Commercial strip-out$3 to $10 per sq ft
Disposal (pass-through)$40 to $90 per ton

Square footage, basement or slab, access for the machine, and how much of the building is concrete are what move a job inside those ranges. A site visit gives a firm number. You can also get a written bid online with a few photos and the address, and we will follow up with a walkthrough.

Permits and utility disconnects

Inside Columbia city limits, the demolition permit comes from City of Columbia Building and Site Development. Outside the city, Boone County Resource Management issues it. Either way, we pull the permit under our name so the scope on the application matches the work we actually do.

Missouri DNR requires an asbestos inspection before demolition of most structures under the federal NESHAP rule. If the inspector finds regulated material, a licensed abatement contractor removes it and DNR gets a 10-working-day notification before the teardown. We build that into the schedule up front rather than finding it on demo day.

Utility disconnects come before the machine does. We coordinate the electric pull, the gas cut and cap, and the water and sewer cap, and we do not start until the utility has confirmed each one in writing.

Process

  • Site visit. We walk the property, check access, look for the basement, the well, the septic tank and anything buried, and measure the building.
  • Written proposal. Fixed price for the work, disposal as pass-through, a schedule, and a description of what the site looks like when we leave.
  • Disconnects, inspection and permit. Usually two to four weeks of paperwork and utility scheduling. This is the part of the calendar owners underestimate.
  • Execution. Most houses are on the ground in a day. Sorting, loading and hauling take one to three more. Concrete comes out last.
  • Site left graded. Holes backfilled and compacted, surface rough-graded, debris gone, tickets in your hand.
Cat 308 excavator tearing the roof off a house during a demolition in Columbia, MO

After the teardown

A cleared lot is usually the start of something. If you are building, we can carry the same site straight into site work: excavation for the new foundation, pad prep, drainage, driveway base and finish grade, all on one contract with one crew. If the next step is a new slab, driveway or parking surface, our concrete crew pours it under our contract and warranty. One contractor from the first swing to the finished surface means nobody is pointing at anybody else when the schedule slips.

We work in Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Moberly, Fayette, Boonville, Ashland and the rest of Mid-Missouri within about 45 minutes of Columbia. Licensed and insured, with general liability, umbrella and workers' comp, and we can hand a certificate to your lender, property manager or GC before the job starts.

Related

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to tear down a house in Columbia, MO?

Most house teardowns we bid around Columbia land between $8,000 and $22,000 for a house on a slab or crawlspace, and $12,000 to $30,000 when there is a basement to break out and backfill. Size, access, the amount of concrete, and how far the debris travels move the number inside those ranges. Our price is fixed for the labor and equipment. Disposal is billed as a pass-through at $40 to $90 per ton, and you get the scale tickets. A site visit turns the range into a firm number.

Do you haul away all the debris, and how is disposal billed?

Yes. Everything from the structure, the foundation and the yard goes out on our trucks or a hauler we schedule. Concrete and steel go to recyclers, which are cheaper than the landfill, and mixed debris goes to the landfill. Disposal is billed as a pass-through at actual loads and tonnage, currently $40 to $90 per ton in Mid-Missouri depending on the material and the facility. We hand you every ticket so you can check the weights against the invoice.

Do you handle utility disconnects, and who pulls the permit?

We do both. We pull the demolition permit under our name from City of Columbia Building and Site Development inside city limits or Boone County Resource Management outside, and the permit fee is in our price. We also coordinate the electric pull, the gas cut and cap, and the water and sewer cap with each utility, and we do not mobilize until each disconnect is confirmed. The only thing we need from you is the account information for each service so the utilities will talk to us.

How long does a teardown take?

On site, most houses are down in a day and cleared in one to three more. Garages and sheds are usually a single day. Mobile homes take one to two. The longer part of the calendar is before the machine arrives: the asbestos inspection, any abatement, utility disconnects and permit review typically run two to four weeks. Plan on three to six weeks from the first call to a graded lot, with most of that spent on paperwork and utility scheduling.

Do you fill in the basement or foundation hole?

Yes, on every job. Once the foundation walls and slab are broken out and hauled, the hole gets backfilled with clean fill compacted in lifts, not just pushed full of whatever was nearby. That matters if you plan to build on the lot, because a poorly filled basement settles for years. If the lot is going to sit or be sold, we still compact it and rough grade over it so it drains. The backfill is part of the fixed price on a house with a basement.

What is left when you finish: bare ground, a graded site, or a finished surface?

Standard scope leaves you a rough-graded lot. Debris is gone, holes are filled and compacted, and the ground sheds water and can be mowed. If you want more than that, we do it on the same contract. Our site work crew handles finish grade, seed and straw, new foundation excavation, pad prep and driveway base. Our concrete crew pours slabs, driveways and parking lots. Tell us at the site visit what the lot is for and the proposal will describe exactly what you get.

How far do you travel from Columbia?

We work in Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Moberly, Fayette, Boonville, Ashland and the rest of Mid-Missouri within about 45 minutes of Columbia. That covers Boone, Callaway, Cole, Audrain, Howard, Cooper and Moniteau counties. Farther out is possible on larger projects where the mobilization makes sense, and we will tell you up front if the drive changes the number. Disposal costs vary by county because the landfill or transfer station changes, and we price that in.

Are you insured for commercial work?

Yes. We carry general liability, an umbrella policy and workers' comp, and we can send a certificate of insurance naming your company, lender or property manager as additional insured before the job starts. We do commercial strip-outs, light commercial teardowns and parking lot removal alongside residential work. If your project needs specific limits, tell us during the bid and we will confirm coverage in writing rather than finding out on the first day.

Ready to get a number on it?

Tell us what you need torn out or put back. We'll walk the site and send a written bid.

Get a Written Bid