House & Residential Demolition in Maryland

Taking a house down is mostly preparation

The machine work on a typical house teardown is the short part. What decides whether the job runs on schedule is everything that happens first: confirming what is coming down and what stays, getting the demolition permit, having the gas, electric, water and sewer disconnected by the utilities, checking the structure for asbestos and other regulated materials, and planning how debris will leave the lot without damaging the driveway, the trees you want to keep, or the neighbor's fence.

Beltway Demolition handles that sequence for homeowners, builders and investors across Maryland. We are the demolition division of WMB LLC, which holds Maryland Home Improvement Commission license #154299 and Maryland Home Builder Registration #9597, so the same company that tears down can talk sensibly about what you are planning to build next.

Residential demolition services

• Full house demolition — the structure, the foundation if required, and the debris, leaving a rough-graded lot ready for a new home or for sale.
• Partial and selective demolition — removing a wing, a porch, a second story or an old addition while the rest of the house stays standing.
• Garage, shed and outbuilding removal — detached garages, carports, barns and sheds, including their slabs.
• Deck, porch and patio removal — wood and composite decks, concrete steps, and patio and driveway concrete.
• Pool removal — above-ground pools taken down and hauled; in-ground pools broken out or filled according to what the permit and your future plans for the yard require.
• Interior gut-outs — when the shell stays and everything inside goes. See interior demolition.

What affects the price of a house demolition

We do not publish a per-square-foot price, because two houses of the same size can cost very different amounts to remove. The things that move the number most are:

• Size and construction. A one-story frame house comes down and loads out faster than a brick or block home with a full basement.
• Foundation and basement. Whether the foundation is removed or left, and whether a basement has to be broken out and backfilled with suitable fill.
• Hazardous materials. Older homes may contain asbestos in siding, flooring, pipe insulation or roofing. If the survey finds it, licensed abatement has to happen first, and that is a separate cost.
• Access. Tight lots, shared driveways, steep grades and overhead lines slow the work and can limit equipment size.
• Disposal volume. Tonnage and the number of truck loads to landfill or recycling.
• What you want left. A rough-graded lot, a lot ready for a builder's survey, or specific trees, walls and driveways protected.

Send us the address and a few photos and we can usually give a budget range before the site walk, then a firm written quote after it.

Asbestos, lead paint and older homes

Homes built before the 1980s can contain asbestos-containing materials, and homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint. We do not perform asbestos or lead abatement ourselves. Where a survey is needed, we arrange it, and any abatement is carried out by licensed abatement contractors before demolition begins. You get the survey and clearance paperwork for your file.

Permits and where we work

Demolition permits are issued locally, and requirements vary between counties and some incorporated towns. We work most often in Prince George's County, Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County, and across the rest of Maryland. The demolition FAQ covers permits, timing and utility disconnects in more detail.