Austin Demolition: Understanding the Risks of DIY Demolition

When it’s time to remodel, homeowners understandingly want to spend their budget as frugally as possible. This has led many homeowners to attempt do-it-yourself projects and while this is a great money-saving idea for some projects such as landscaping and gardening, doing other projects yourself such as demolition can include serious health and safety risks.

Consider the following statistics:

According to Angie’s List, 42 million people attempt a do-it-yourself home renovation job each year and one out of every five of them will suffer an injury from it!

Over 15,000 people were admitted to the emergency room last year for an accident involving a saw.

Almost 4,000 were admitted based on an injury sustained by using a hammer.

An additional 3,900 or so people were admitted for an injury that involved a screwdriver.

Ladders cause about 40,000 injuries per year.

Nails, bricks, metal, concrete blocks and wood are the most common items do-it-yourselfers injury themselves with.

(Click here to view the source for all of these stats…)

So what do saws, hammers, screwdrivers, ladders, nails, bricks, metal, concrete blocks and wood all have in common?

All of these items are commonly used, alongside some heavier duty equipment, for home demolition jobs.

In addition to getting injured by any of these tools and materials, do-it-yourself demolitioners have to worry about things like asbestos or mold that can make them sick if they’re exposed to them. Also sometimes, even seemingly benign things like dust can cause asthma attacks or trouble breathing.

And if the do-it-yourselfers don’t know the ins and outs of selective demolition, they can also shock themselves by hitting the electrical lines in their walls.

According to Peninsula Hauling, eye and head trauma are the most commonly reported demolition injuries, but broken bones and cuts from hammers and saws are also common. You can read more from them here.

Lastly, selective demolition is hard work. If they have any health problems, especially back problems, trying to do demolition themselves is likely to result in an injury.

Are you ready to chance it?

If not, you can find Austin demolition company Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Austin Demolition: What’s the Difference between Demolition and Deconstruction?

While you’re researching demolition contractors to do your home renovation job, you’ll probably come across the term “deconstruction.” So what’s the difference between demolition and deconstruction?

Demolition is a catch all term that encompasses deconstruction. Hence, all deconstruction jobs are demolition jobs, but not all demolition jobs are deconstruction jobs.

Demolition is used to describe any dismantling of a building, home or specific room. There are two main types of demolition: selective and explosive. Explosive demolition is the kind you usually see in the news – the kind where demolition contractors bring down huge buildings using dynamite. They always make the evening news because they’re pretty awesome, but they actually account for only about 2% of all demolition jobs.

The other 98% of demolition jobs are selective demolition jobs – mainly residential ones. Most of the time the term selective demolition is used to include any home remodeling jobs that will include taking anything apart such as tearing down a wall, removing cabinets, ripping up some tile, etc.

Deconstruction, on the other hand, is a term used to describe taking apart a home or building in a way that salvages as many materials for reuse as possible.

According to Green Building Advisor, “Deconstruction is “unbuilding”—taking a building apart, often reversing the order of the construction of the building. There are two general categories of deconstruction. Selective deconstruction is going in before demolition and removing easy, high-value materials such as solid, paneled interior doors; lighting fixtures; “wavy” glass windows; or maybe even hardwood flooring. Whole-house deconstruction includes soft-stripping but goes further to take apart and salvage the structure: framing lumber, sheathing, even bricks.” (You can read more about their stance on deconstruction here)

Deconstruction is considered the more environmentally-friendly option since it reduces the amount of waste sent to the landfill. From old carpet to fixtures such as cabinets, bath tubs, toilets, tile, shutters, etc., many items from a deconstruction site can be donated to charities such as the Habitat for Humanity Restore. The rest of the items such as left over wood, drywall, metal, etc. can all be recycled.

As we mentioned above, deconstruction usually refers to jobs where the old building materials are taken about in a way that allows most of them to be donated. However, many demolition companies now recycle up to 90% of all demolition waste. So while deconstruction has long been considered the more environmentally-friendly option, demolition contractors are working to bridge that gap.

If you’re in need of Austin demolition and/or deconstruction services, you can find Dirty Work on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ or call us at 512-328-3698.