Concrete Demolition Contractor in Panorama City, CA
Thank you for contacting us.
We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
We got it.
Most of the jobs we get here are 1950s flatwork, driveways, back patios and garage floors poured when Panorama City was first built out. We start with a walk of the site, mark the cut lines and call 811 for utility marks. Then we saw cut the edges about 1.5 inches deep so the break stays clean, and a skid steer with a hydraulic breaker or a jackhammer does the rest depending on access. Rebar and mesh get cut out, rubble is loaded the same day, and we rake the sub-base level so your next contractor dont have to fix our mess.
How we take a slab apart without wrecking what’s standing next to it
Last September we took out a cracked driveway and the leftover garage slab at 8541 Tobias Avenue, a 1953 tract house just off Roscoe Boulevard. The owner was clearing the backyard for a 600 square foot ADU. It was about 1,150 square feet of 5 inch concrete with wire mesh, and a pepper tree root had pushed one corner up nearly 3 inches. We saw cut it, broke it, and loaded around 18 cubic yards (roughly 33 tons) for a certified recycler. Two days, finished Thursday afternoon, $7,935 all in. She said she expected a week of dust and got alot less.
A cracked driveway and old garage pad cleared off Tobias Avenue
Honestly, anybody can swing a sledge. What you’re paying for with a Reliable Concrete Demolition Contractor in Panorama City, CA is someone who shows up the day they said, stays licensed and insured, and doesn’t crack your neighbor’s block wall. We work out of North Hills, so we’re minutes from most jobs and we know how tight the lots get off Van Nuys Blvd and Roscoe. Our small machines fit through a 36 inch side gate. We protect sprinklers, mark what stays, and sweep the street before we leave. Customers tell us the quiet, on time part is what they remember.
What sets our crew apart from the sledgehammer-and-a-pickup outfits
Here’s where our pricing sits right now. A standard 4 inch slab with no steel runs about $5 to $7 per square foot. Add rebar or mesh and it moves to $7 to $9, and anything 6 inches or thicker, like old garage footings, goes $10 to $12 because it eats breaker time. Our minimum charge is $950 for small jobs like a 10x12 patio. Hauling and dump fees are inside that number, not tacked on later. Tight access where we hand carry debris adds about $1 per square foot. We give written quotes after a free site look, and the price don’t move unless you change the scope.
Per-square-foot numbers for tearing out concrete in the Valley
Demolition Permits, Asbestos Rules and Debris Requirements for Concrete Removal in Panorama City
LADBS demolition permits for structures and attached slabs
Panorama City falls under the City of Los Angeles, so a building teardown needs a LADBS demolition permit before anyone touches it, and the application asks for a city business tax registration certificate too. Whether your garage slab counts as a structure or just flatwork is something we confirm with LADBS first, never assume. A Reliable Concrete Demolition Contractor in Panorama City, CA keeps that permit card posted on site, wich saves everybody a stop work headache.
Asbestos surveys and AQMD notification before a building comes down
Before a house, garage or shed comes down, SCAQMD Rule 1403 calls for an asbestos survey by a certified consultant, then a notification filed at least 10 working days ahead of demolition. Alot of Panorama City homes date to the late 1940s and 50s, so old stucco, tile and roofing get a hard look. AQMD doesnt issue a permit for this, but the notification copy is needed for the city permit, so we build those days into your schedule.
Sidewalks, curbs and driveway aprons in the public right-of-way
Sidewalk panels, curbs and driveway aprons sit in the public right-of-way, and that’s city property rather than yours. Work there needs its own Public Works permit through the Bureau of Engineering, separate from anything LADBS handles. We won’t saw into a sidewalk until that paperwork is in hand. If a street tree root is the culprit, we stop and let the city handle the tree, because trimming it ourselves could get you fined.
Utility marking, disconnects and sewer capping
Every job starts with a call to 811 so Dig Alert can mark underground lines at least two working days before we cut. When a whole building comes down, water and gas get shut off first, and LADBS wants a sewer capping plumbing permit. If there’s an old underground fuel tank, LAFD has its own permit. We’d rather wait a few days than hit a line, honestly, it’s the cheapest insurance there is.
Work hours, dust control and recycling the rubble
City noise rules for demolition run 7 AM to 9 PM on weekdays and 8 AM to 6 PM Saturdays, with no work on Sundays, and we keep to those hours. SCAQMD Rule 403 also expects us to wet down the work so dust doesn’t drift past your property line. All the concrete goes to a recycler, since California’s CALGreen code wants 65 percent of demo debris diverted, and we hang on to the weight tickets as proof.
Frequently Asked Questions About Concrete Demolition Contractor in Panorama City, CA
Does the summer heat in the Valley change how you break out concrete?
Summer afternoons in the Valley regularly push past 100 degrees, and that changes how we schedule. Breaking concrete in that heat wears out crews and kicks up more dust, so we start around 7 AM and try to be done hauling by early afternoon. Santa Ana wind days get the same treatment, we hold off on dry, dusty breaking and keep the hose running. Cooler months are honestly the easiest time to book us.
Will the soil under my old slab need work once the concrete is gone?
Usually a little, yes. The valley floor here is mostly alluvial material, sand, silt and gravel washed down from the San Gabriels, so it drains pretty well but can settle under old slabs. Once the concrete is out we check the sub-base for soft spots or voids and rake it level. If you’re pouring new concrete, we suggest re-compacting before forms go in, it prevents cracks later on.
Can concrete demolition happen during the rainy season?
We can, but we watch the forecast closely. Most of the rain falls between November and March, and wet sub-grade turns to mud fast on a flat lot with nowhere for water to go. We keep slurry and rubble out of the gutter, because storm drains in this neighborhood feed the Pacoima Wash flood channel. A dry week is better, though a drizzle day is usually fine for loading out.
What happens when tree roots are what lifted my slab?
Roots are the number one reason we see slabs lifted around here, mostly from old pepper, ficus and liquidambar trees planted decades ago. We cut roots on your side of the property line and flag anything big, since cutting too deep can hurt the tree. Street trees belong to the city, so we dont touch those. Expect some uneven ground afterwards, and plan to regrade before anything new goes down.
Can your equipment fit on the older, tight lots in Panorama City?
Mostly yes. Panorama City is flat, with tract lots laid out in the 1950s, so access is rarely a hill problem, it’s about gates and side yards. Our mini excavator and walk-behind saws fit through a 36 inch opening, and for tighter spots we hand carry broken pieces to the truck. We’ll look at the gate, the alley and your overhead wires during the free site visit before quoting.