Los Angeles excavation
Demolition before a dig means breaking concrete and pulling out what's buried: old footings, slabs and driveway. We saw-cut where the plan needs a clean edge, break the rest, keep dust down under the air district's rules, and sort loads so concrete can go to recycling.
Much residential demolition in Los Angeles is concrete and small structures: a cracked driveway, a patio slab, a garage floor, a block wall, a shed, or the old foundation left after a house comes down. Where part of a slab stays, the edge is saw-cut first so the break ends on a straight line instead of cracking into the concrete you are keeping. Rebar and wire mesh are cut out with the rubble. Buried pieces, such as an old footing under a lawn, are dug up and removed rather than left for the next excavation to hit.
Whether a demolition permit is needed depends on what is being removed and which city the property is in, and we confirm it with the building department before work is scheduled. Removing hardscape can also change how water leaves the lot. In Culver City, for instance, an on-site grading permit is triggered whenever flow lines or drainage patterns change, which a large slab removal followed by regrading can do. If the job clears the way for new construction, we sequence the demolition around that project’s permits and inspections.
Across the South Coast air district, SCAQMD Rule 403 applies to any activity that can raise dust, and breaking concrete is one of them. Dust may not remain visible beyond the property line, and mud or debris tracked onto the street may not reach 25 feet out and has to be cleaned up at the end of each workday. On a residential job that usually means wetting concrete while it is broken and loaded, covering stockpiles, and sweeping the street and sidewalk before the crew leaves. Larger sites also need gravel pads or wheel washers at every exit.
Clean concrete, asphalt, soil, wood and green waste go to different places, and mixing them makes every load harder to dispose of. We separate on site where there is room, so concrete and asphalt can go to a recycler and soil to a site that takes it. Truck size is matched to the street and the driveway approach. After an old foundation is out, the hole is either backfilled and compacted or left open for the new work; see foundation excavation. Old pool shells are covered under pool excavation and removal, and a cleared lot often moves straight into rough grading.
What sets the schedule? The amount of concrete and debris, whether a demolition permit is needed, and truck access.
These often come up on the same lot, and can be planned from the same site visit:
Clearing brush, roots and debris and rough grading the lot so water drains away from where you'll build.
What it involves →Backyard and garage-conversion pads cut level and compacted, with machines brought through the side yard.
What it involves →New pool digs to the pool builder's layout, with a truck line for the export and a plan for where the soil goes.
What it involves →Site visit request
Tell us the address, what you're building and any plans you have. We'll call back to set up a site visit.
We'll call to set up a site visit. To talk sooner, call (213) 319-3620
Something went wrong sending your request. Please call (213) 319-3620 and we'll take the details over the phone. Your answers are still filled in below if you'd rather try again.