Exterior demolition in Calgary

Detached garages, sheds, decks, carports, outbuildings and partial structures. The work itself is straightforward. What catches people out is what the building is clad in, and what the City and the utilities need before anything comes down.

What we take down

• Detached garages — frame or masonry, slab out or slab left, your choice
• Sheds and outbuildings — including the ones with a concrete pad and old asbestos-cement roofing
• Decks, porches and carports
• Partial exterior demolition — taking off an addition, a wall or a roof structure while the rest of the building stays standing and weather-tight
• Siding, stucco and soffit strip-offs — where an exterior is coming off ahead of a re-clad

Asbestos on the outside of a building

Most people associate asbestos with attics and ceilings. On older Calgary properties it is just as often on the outside: cement-board siding, transite panels, asbestos-cement roofing sheets on a shed, and the stucco and parging on a house built before the mid-1990s. Stucco in particular is routinely missed, because nobody expects it.

A siding contractor who hits it halfway through a re-clad has two bad options, and both cost the homeowner money. Finding it first costs a few hundred dollars. We sample it, and if it is positive we remove it under containment before the demolition continues — same team, same contract.

Permits, locates and utilities

Demolishing a structure in Calgary normally needs a demolition permit, and on a pre-1990 property the City requires the asbestos abatement form filed before it will release one. Requirements differ in other municipalities — Olds, for example, runs its own accredited Safety Codes authority and asks for both a building permit and a demolition permit with a disposal plan. We will tell you which permit office applies to your address, but confirm the requirements with that office before you commit to a date.

Underground locates are free and mandatory before any ground disturbance; Utility Safety Partners handles them for Alberta. Gas and electrical services to a structure are disconnected by the utility or by a licensed contractor, never by us. All of this takes lead time, and it is the single most common reason an exterior demolition date slips.

Where the material goes

Clean wood, concrete, metal and drywall are sorted and taken to the appropriate commercial rate at Shepard rather than dumped as mixed load, which avoids the disposal surcharge. Asbestos waste is double-bagged, taken to Shepard under an Industrial Waste Permit with an appointment, and you get the paperwork. Outside Calgary the route changes — the regional landfill west of Didsbury that serves Olds, Didsbury, Carstairs and Sundre does not accept asbestos at all, so that material comes back to Shepard or goes to Red Deer. That routing is priced into the quote rather than discovered afterwards.

Where we work

Exterior demolition across Calgary and the surrounding communities, including Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, Chestermere, Strathmore, High River and Red Deer.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to demolish a garage in Calgary?

Normally yes, and on a pre-1990 property the City also requires the asbestos abatement form before releasing it. Other municipalities set their own requirements and several are stricter. We will tell you which office applies to your address, and you should confirm the requirements with that office directly before booking a date.

Can asbestos really be in stucco and siding?

Yes, and it is one of the most commonly missed materials on the outside of a Calgary house. Cement-board siding, transite panels, asbestos-cement roof sheets and stucco or parging on pre-1990 buildings can all contain it. A sample answers the question for a few hundred dollars.

Do you take the concrete slab too?

We can, and it is worth deciding at quoting rather than later. Removing a garage slab changes the bin count and the disposal cost, so it is priced as its own line in the quote.

Who disconnects the power and gas?

The utility or a licensed contractor, never us. It has to be arranged before we mobilize, and it usually takes more lead time than people expect, so start it as soon as you have a date in mind.

What happens to the debris?

It is sorted on site so clean wood, concrete and metal go at their own landfill rates rather than as a mixed load, which avoids the disposal surcharge. Asbestos waste goes to Shepard under permit with an appointment, and you get the paperwork.