Knocking down a concrete shed

komodosp

I have a concrete shed in my garden that I want to knock down... It's about a 2m cube, made of what look like standard 4" thick blocks, with a concrete roof.

My dad just reckons I can get a sledge-hammer at it, but I'm not so sure... Is this possible?

One other thing - the shed houses an old oil boiler which I'm getting rid of. But it's so old that I'm told the chimney is made of asbestos. How does this factor in?

Mindme

Yes it's possible with a sledge hammer. Hard work as the roof will be reinforced with steel. Once a block is dislodged the work becomes easier. (For us accustomed to that kind of work) Seal the asbestos chimney in bin bag material before dismantling it.

Good luck.

Paul.C

Remove the chimney safely and dispose of it safely. Asbestos ir dangerous stuff. Once thats done dismantle the roof and sledge the walls

Buford T Justice

Whatever you do, get the roof of it before you tackle the walls, else it'll come down in a crash and possibly on top of someone or something.

Duiske

Op, what condition is the chimney in ? If it's cracked or damaged you need to be very when handling it. And where do you intend dumping it ? Not all landfills are licenced by the EPA to handle asbestos waste.

komodosp

Hi folks thanks for the advice

The shed is down now and lies in a pile of rubble and the Asbestos is safely bagged away.
Anyway, there are quite a few blocks still in tact (at least 60) - I hate to throw things away though and I hate even more to pay to have to throw it away so could these blocks be of use to anyone?
I'm thinking they might have been weakened by all the hammering? Also they have that stoney stuff that you often see on walls on them... Is there any point in putting an ad in the paper?

Spread

komodosp wrote: »

Hi folks thanks for the advice

The shed is down now and lies in a pile of rubble and the Asbestos is safely bagged away.
Anyway, there are quite a few blocks still in tact (at least 60) - I hate to throw things away though and I hate even more to pay to have to throw it away so could these blocks be of use to anyone?
I'm thinking they might have been weakened by all the hammering? Also they have that stoney stuff that you often see on walls on them... Is there any point in putting an ad in the paper?

Someone may want some hardcore. Worth advertising it in a free ads paper

andrewsunbeam

komodosp wrote: »

Hi folks thanks for the advice

The shed is down now and lies in a pile of rubble and the Asbestos is safely bagged away.
Anyway, there are quite a few blocks still in tact (at least 60) - I hate to throw things away though and I hate even more to pay to have to throw it away so could these blocks be of use to anyone?
I'm thinking they might have been weakened by all the hammering? Also they have that stoney stuff that you often see on walls on them... Is there any point in putting an ad in the paper?

Hi Komodosp, I have a similar shed in my back garden which I believe was once a coal shed. No asbestos to worry about just 4 concrete walls and a roof. Also worth mentioning that the outside wall is in effect the boundary wall. I need to break up the roof, knock down three walls and break up the floor. Just wondering how long it took you to get the shed down. I am toying with the idea of hiring help [if it is going to be too much hassle] but would like to do it myself to save money. Any tips, or advice on the approach - thks

andrewsunbeam

Or anyone else any advice on the approach or time

sky6

In terms of knocking it down this should only take you a Day. The Blocks will come down easy once you get the roof off. The Roof will most likely have reinforcing bar in it. you will find that out by starting at one side and smash away at the Concrete edge which will expose the re bar. It might be worth hiring a Breaker for a day. as you will most likely need one to break up the Slab depending on how thick. You will also need a skip to take the rubble away. As rubble always seems to multiply once you start breaking up concrete. The other thing you should do is inform your neighbour as it very unlikely you will be able to take down 3 walls with out causing some damage to the remaining wall, as the blocks are interlaced at the Corners.
Also the remaining wall will become very unstable and dangerous once you remove 3 Walls and could easy fall on anyone especially a child. By talking to your Neighbour they might agree to reduce the height of the wall to a Safer level. like Railings height. The main thing is not to tackle it like a Bull, think about what your doing and the likely dangers before you tackle each section.

andrewsunbeam

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. I have decided to get a professional in who is doing some other work around the house too, as you pointed out I want to make sure every is done right and all safety concerns are addressed.