Tearing down a shed may seem like a daunting task, maybe you dont want it to fall over on your house, maybe you arent sure where to start. Im not a blogger so this will just be a short straight to the point article on a couple ways we remove sheds at Houston Junk Disposal.
Chains and Truck
The chains and truck method is by far the easiest way to tear down and remove a shed. Like it sounds all you will need is a truck and chains!
Pros:
- Very fast
- Least labor intensive
- No need for saws alls, hammers or skill saws.
- Cleanest method
Cons:
- Need a lot of yard space for your truck
- May tear up some grass
- Could damage your truck if you do it wrong.
How to do it
This is quite simple to figure out, theres no critical secret or step to this process. Wrap the chain around the structure or shed you want gone, then attach the chain to the part of your hitch where you attach chains of a trailer.
After you attached the chains, HIT THE GAS!
Bottom Down
The second method I’ll call the “Bottom Down” method requires a lot of time and effort, that time and effort however can be reduced if the proper steps are taken.
Pros:
- Can do no matter how much yard space you have
- Nothing else (use the chains and truck method if you can)
Cons:
- Time consuming
- Need a lot of tools
- Wear and tear on the body
How to do it
First you’ll need tools. Tools needed are:
- Skill saw
- Saws All
- Hammer
- Pry Bar (3foot if you have one)
- Sledge Hammer
The reason this method is called the “Bottom Down” is because you need to start on the demolition of the roof before you do anything to the bottom. the first thing you’ll do is remove the shingles/ roofing material on top of the shed.
Second thing youll do is remov the plywood/ roof sheathing, you will want the roof rafters to be exposed. This can be done by starting at the top of the shed and then moving down to a ladder for the plywood close to the bottom of the roof.
Third step after removing the roof sheathing will be to remove the siding of the shed and then the plywood underneath the siding, if you dont have any siding on your shed then you will just need to remove the plywood until you see the studs of the shed from the outside.
Fourth step would be to tear out of the studs. This can be donw by hitting the studs in the middle of the walls with a hammer on the top and bottom of the studs, once the studs are knocked loose grab one end and twist until the stud is fully removed from the wall. Once the studs in the middle of the wall are removed, remove the top plate on the wall. The top plate will be the 2×4’s on top of the wall. once those are removed you can remove the 4 corner posts. Then just remove the 2×4’s along the bototm of the floor where the wall used to be, after that we just have the foundation left.
Fifth step is removing the foundation of the shed. Now sheds are usually made up of two types of foundations, the one in the picture above, with just 2×8’s and cinder blocks, otherwise known as peir and beam. The other foundation could be a solid concrete foundation.
The peir and beam foundation can be taken down with a hammer, just hit and end of the 2×8 with a hammer until they come loose, then once the wood is removed, remove the cinder blocks.
Concrete foundations are a lot harder, so first consider whether you want to put a new shed on top of the foundation or if you could use the concrete somehow fr a fireplace. If you decide you just want the concrete gone, the easiest way to do that would be to rent a jack hammer wheels from lowes, homedepot, or any tool rental store in your area. If your confused on how to use or start the jackhammer then refer to the manual given or videos on youtube for instruction.
Last Step
Dispose of everything in a safe enviromentally friendly way. Always make sure to check your yard for nails especially if you have animals. We like to spray the area down with roach killer aswell since we operate in houston texas, but depending on where you are you may not need to do so.
Hire the Pros
If everything I explained above sounds like a lot of work… it is! If you dont have time or really just dont like working outside or in the heat, call a local proffesional to tear down yor shed. I am the owner of Houston Junk Disposal so I would obviously recommend us, but if you arent in the Houston area then lookat google to see some of the junk haulers in your area.
Now for a little self promotion, Houston Junk Disposal is a company run by a 19 year old entrepenuer. We offer fair prices and truly have the most transparent pricing I’ve seen. We aren’t salesman trying to upsell you on 1,000$ worth of services, just a father and son duo trying to run a business fairly.
If you want a free qoute, or just want to let us know how our blog is call or text us at (832) 301-9641, or you can email us at [email protected]
