Interior or selective demo runs $2 to $7 per square foot, a full house teardown runs $8,000 to $25,000 or more, and small jobs like a deck or shed run $500 to $3,000. But in demolition the headline rate is the easy part — disposal, permits, and hazardous materials are where the real money and the real risk live. An asbestos finding alone can change the whole number.
We build websites and SEO for demolition contractors across the country, so these are the ranges we see on real bids. Here's how to price by job type, build in disposal and permits, and quote so a surprise dumpster or abatement doesn't turn a profit into a loss.
Gutting a kitchen, bath, or whole interior for a remodel. Hand work around what stays — wiring, plumbing, structure — so it's labor-heavy and careful. Disposal is the swing factor.
A whole house or building, often $4–$15 per square foot of structure. Machine demo, utility disconnects, multiple dumpsters, permits, and possible abatement. Site size and access move the number hard.
Decks, sheds, fences, garages, pools, and concrete removal. Quick to demo but still need hauling and disposal. A job minimum keeps a small teardown from losing money on mobilization.
The job type sets the band; these decide where you land and whether you keep your margin:
Demolition carries real liability, so the lowest bid is often the one cutting corners that come back as fines or injuries. Hold your price when:
Quote disposal, permits, and abatement as clear lines, show you're licensed and insured, and let the customer see why a careful demo costs what it does. The job that goes wrong cheap is far more expensive than the one done right.
Pricing right only matters if customers find you to bid. The harder part is being the demolition contractor a GC or homeowner finds and trusts before the uninsured low bidder gets the call. That is the part we build: a hand-built demolition site with project photos, your license and insurance front and center, reviews, and 24/7 AI lead capture that turns "demolition contractor near me" into named, callable leads.
Our Start Getting Leads plan is $249/month — site, AI lead capture, hosting, and updates, month-to-month, and you own everything. See demolition website design, our estimate template, demolition marketing, or SEO for contractors. The AI receptionist catches bid requests while you're on a site.
We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →
$2–$7 per square foot for selective interior demo, with disposal as the swing factor. Quote dumpsters separately and note anything that has to be worked around, since careful demo costs more than a quick gut.
For pre-1980 structures, almost always — most jurisdictions require a survey before issuing a demo permit. Disturbing asbestos without abatement is a serious liability, so build the survey into your scope and quote abatement separately.
Estimate debris volume from the structure, price by dumpster or by the ton, separate it by debris type, and pass it through as a clear line. A surprise extra dumpster is the most common way a demo job loses money.
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