The average cost to tear down a garage is between $2,000 and $10,000, with an average of $6,000. Detached garages cost far less to tear down than attached ones.
Garage demolition costs range anywhere from $1,500 to $15,000, but the average price is about $6,000. How large the garage is, the materials it’s made of, and whether it’s attached to the home all factor into the price. Depending on the size, expect to pay about $4 to $10 per square foot for garage demolition.
Tearing down an old garage frees up space on your property. You could have anywhere from 250 to 900 square feet for a new garage, workshop, or more yard space.
Because garage demolition experts often charge by square footage, size is one of the biggest cost factors for this project. Expect to pay between $4 and $10 per square foot, but the type of garage and material also factors into the cost. Talk with your demolition contractor about the exact price to expect based on your specific garage.
You’ll also pay more for hauling and disposal of materials from a larger garage. Added costs range from $100 to $600 for construction waste removal.
The demolition doesn’t always require all of the structure to go. You might want to take down just the walls or the flooring. The cost of concrete removal, which most garage floors are made of, is about $1,150. Keeping the frame of the garage so you can build a new one takes the cost down by around $500 to $1,000.
If you choose deconstruction, expect to spend more because of the hands-on nature of the work. Deconstruction includes carefully tearing down the building to preserve components, parts, and materials for reuse or recycling. While less common than deconstructing a house, garage deconstruction saves vintage or expensive components or materials for use in your new garage.
Demolition Type | Average Cost Range | Average Cost |
---|---|---|
Tear down | $1,500–$3,500 | $2,500 |
Total demolition | $2,500–$5,000 | $3,750 |
Deconstruction | $3,500–$7,000 | $5,250 |
If you have an attached garage that needs to go, it will cost more per square foot than tearing down a detached garage. With an attached garage, more safety precautions are needed to protect the rest of the home.
The cost of demolishing detached garages is around $4 per square foot, which increases to $8 to $10 per square foot for attached garages.
It might seem like demolition is an easy job—after all, it’s just knocking down a building, right? But to get it done correctly and safely, you’ll want to hire a pro who is licensed and insured, has the right tools, responsibly disposes of materials, and leaves your property clean.
Demolition contractors charge $50 to $100 per hour per worker. If they charge by the project, labor costs are between 30% and 50% of the total job. Complex jobs requiring specialized equipment or on complicated sites where workers must maneuver around nearby buildings cost more. Likewise, expect to pay more for labor-intensive projects, such as only demolishing a part of the structure or a garage built from materials that are challenging to remove.
Like construction costs, deconstruction prices vary widely across the country, with homeowners in higher-cost-of-living areas paying more than those in lower-cost areas. Those living in cities and urban areas tend to pay more, but some demolition contractors may charge added travel fees on top of hourly or project rates to go to rural areas.
Below are some average costs per square foot to demolish a garage in different states.
Location | Average Cost (Per Square Foot) |
---|---|
California | $8–$10 |
Colorado | $7–$8 |
Florida | $2–$6 |
Illinois | $5–$10 |
Massachusetts | $7–$10 |
Michigan | $5–$8 |
New Hampshire | $4–$6 |
New Jersey | $8–$10 |
New York | $7–$10 |
North Carolina | $4–$8 |
Ohio | $3–$6 |
Texas | $4–$6 |
While the type and size of the garage and contractor fees are the most significant indicators of how much you’ll pay for garage demolition, there are other factors to consider. Knowing which are relevant to your job can help you estimate your budget.
The material the garage was built with impacts the final cost. Bringing down a wood garage is easier than a solid concrete one. It also determines how your pro will dispose of the material, with concrete and metal being easily recyclable.
Material | Average Cost |
---|---|
Metal | $1,200–$2,000 |
Wood | $2,500–$3,000 |
Concrete | $2,000–$2,500 |
Metal: Demolishing a metal detached garage costs $1,200–$2,000. These structures are easy to get down but tougher to break apart.
Wood: A wood garage is harder to bring down and costs $2,500–$3,000 to demolish, while one with a wooden frame with drywall costs around $1,000–$2,000.
Concrete: Concrete garages are the most challenging to demolish but easy to dispose of, bringing the cost to $2,000–$2,500.
The type of foundation can also increase the cost of demolishing a garage. However, leaving a solid foundation and floor intact for a new build can save money on demolition and rebuilding costs.
The opposite is true if you need to remove the foundation, as this can add removal and disposal costs of $2 to $6 per square foot. Excavation costs can add to the overall price if your contractor needs to dig down to remove or replace the foundation.
Demolition permits cost anywhere from $50 to $100, depending on your county and city. You’ll also need a permit if you rebuild a new garage. Permit costs average $50 to $100 but cost more in some locations.
When demolishing a building, you need to take safety precautions. Check for asbestos in an older building, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports it can have harmful health effects. Turn off the gas and electricity to avoid risk of fire or electrical shocks, which is included in the total cost of the demolition. In some instances, extra precautions are needed because of poor wiring or piping, in which case you may be looking at an extra $100 to $500.
Asbestos is a hazardous material that releases fibers that can lodge in the lungs of people and animals and cause cancer and other illnesses. For these reasons, you’ll need to call contractors experienced in removing hazardous materials. Plan to spend between $1,200 and $4,000 to remove asbestos materials from an average-sized garage.
Contractors charge more if accessing the garage is challenging, such as a garage set back on multiple acres or on a tight landscape that requires additional equipment and resources.
What’s left of the old garage needs to be removed from your property. Your demolition service can let you know if disposal is included. If the responsibility falls on you to take care of the cleanup, expect to pay around $600 per truckload of waste material. Green demolitions are possible but are more costly.
Garages built before 1978 likely contain lead-based paint. Demolishing or renovating a garage can expose people to the lead in old paint (even if it’s been covered by newer paint). Many municipalities require that certified contractors handle lead paint removal, which costs $8 to $20 per square foot.
If you’re demolishing your garage because you no longer need it and don’t plan to replace it with a new garage or home addition, your costs will be easier to calculate.
But if you want to replace your old garage with something new, consider those costs before demolishing your garage. Talk with contractors, collect estimates, and consider the entire project scope and cost before. You might find it’s more cost-effective to renovate your existing garage than to demolish it or discover that garage extension costs are less expensive than rebuilding costs.
If you decide to move forward with new construction, the cost to build a new garage in place of your old one averages between $16,900 and $42,200. If you’re replacing your old garage with a home addition or an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), costs range from $22,000 to $225,000 or more, depending on the size and design of the new build.
Rebuild Type | Cost Range | Average Cost |
---|---|---|
New garage | $5,000–$66,000 | $28,500 |
Home addition | $4,500–$150,000 | $50,200 |
ADU | $60,000–$225,000 | $180,000 |
DIY demolition might look fun on home improvement shows, but it can be dangerous and messy. This job requires knowing how to operate heavy machinery and handle the materials in your garage.
Hazardous materials like asbestos and lead have to be removed by a professional. Various safety precautions are required like properly disconnecting the utilities. Hiring a local demolition service will ensure the project is done safely and doesn’t become a hazard to the rest of your property.
Small demo projects like removing flooring or a bathtub are DIYable, but removing a garage is more complicated and risky. Hiring a demolition pro can help you avoid buying tools and protective gear, running into hazards with utilities, or encountering dangerous substances like asbestos.
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The cost of demoing the interior of a garage averages $2 to $7 per square foot. If your existing garage is in good shape, this is a wallet-friendly way to make it look new without a garage rebuild. Garage remodels include gutting existing materials and replacing them with new cabinets and storage, flooring or floor coating, lighting, and workbenches that make the garage more usable and customized to your needs.
Detached garages will likely take around one day for full demolition and another day for waste removal, bringing the total working time to two days. Attached garages will take a minimum of three days since extra precautions are needed to avoid damage to the rest of the home.
Whether you should demolish your garage or renovate it depends on your needs and the condition of the garage. You might want to build a new garage if yours is too small or in bad shape. However, if your existing garage is simply unsightly, outdated, or needs renovations, a garage remodel is a smart answer. Code changes can require you to do repairs, so talk with your contractor for a personalized bid.