DECK DEMOLITION & REMOVAL EDMONTON
Deck Demolition & Removal Edmonton - Fast Teardown Service
That old deck in your backyard in Millwoods has seen better days. Wood is rotting, railings are loose, couple boards are broken, and it’s becoming a safety hazard. You’ve been avoiding it for two years but now you’re finally ready to tear it down and either build new or just have the yard space back. Problem is, deck demolition is way more work than you thought. This is where deck demolition Edmonton services save you weeks of backbreaking labor.
Last month we demolished and removed a massive two-level deck in Terwillegar. Thing was 30 feet wide, wrapped around the back of the house, had built-in benches and planters. Previous owners built it 25 years ago and it was falling apart. We brought a four-person crew, tore it down in one day, hauled away every piece of wood, pulled all the concrete footings. Homeowners were shocked how fast we got it done.
Deck removal isn’t just unscrewing a few boards. There’s railings, joists, beams, posts, concrete footings, stairs, sometimes lattice work underneath – way more components than people realize. And old pressure-treated lumber is heavy and full of nails.
Why Deck Demolition Is Harder Than You Think
Decks are built to last, which means they’re built strong. Lots of screws, nails, sometimes bolts and brackets. Taking apart something that was built to withstand Edmonton winters and heavy loads takes time and the right tools.
Old decks have wood that’s weathered and brittle. Boards crack when you try to pry them up. Nails break off instead of pulling out clean. Screws are rusted and strip when you try removing them. Sometimes you just gotta break stuff apart with crowbars and reciprocating saws.
Concrete footings are a pain. Every deck post sits on a concrete footing buried in the ground. Some people leave them, but if you want them out you’re digging and breaking concrete. Edmonton frost line is 4 feet down, so some footings are deep.
Weight adds up fast. A typical 12×16 deck generates 2-3 tons of waste. Pressure-treated lumber is heavier than regular wood. Add in railings, stairs, all the hardware – you’re looking at multiple truck loads of material to haul away.
One customer in Riverbend tried DIYing their deck removal. Rented a dumpster, spent three weekends pulling boards, filled the dumpster twice, still had posts and concrete footings left. Called us frustrated and sore. We finished the rest in four hours.
What's Involved in Deck Demolition
Deck removal Edmonton starts with the railings and stairs. These come off first to give us access to the deck surface. Railings have balusters, posts, top rails, bottom rails – all connected with screws or nails that need removing.
Deck boards come up next. These are screwed or nailed to the joists underneath. On old decks, you’re looking at hundreds of nails or screws. We use reciprocating saws and pry bars to speed things up rather than unscrewing every single fastener.
Joists and beams are the structural supports underneath. These are attached to a ledger board on the house and rest on posts. Taking apart the framing means cutting or unbolting connections. This is where the real weight is – 2×8 or 2×10 joists, sometimes doubled up beams.
Posts and footings are last. Cut the posts at ground level or dig them out completely. Concrete footings can be left buried or excavated depending on what you want. If you’re building a new deck in the same spot, sometimes leaving footings makes sense. Starting completely fresh? We dig them out.
Lattice or skirting underneath gets removed too. That decorative stuff hiding the space under your deck. Usually stapled or nailed on, comes off easy.
Built-in features like benches, planters, pergolas attached to the deck – all that comes down as part of full deck demolition. We’ve torn down decks with built-in hot tub surrounds, bar areas, storage boxes, you name it.
Types of Decks We Demolish
Ground-level decks are the easiest. Not much height, easy access, straightforward demolition. Common in Edmonton backyards, usually 8×10 to 12×16 size. We can demo and remove a basic ground-level deck in half a day.
Elevated decks are more complex. Second-story decks, walkouts from basements, decks that are 6-8 feet off the ground. More structural components, longer posts, stairs to deal with. Safety is bigger concern working at height.
Multi-level decks take longer. Two or three tiers, multiple sets of stairs connecting levels, separate railing systems for each level. We’ve demolished multi-level decks in Windermere and Summerside that took full days because of all the components.
Wraparound decks that go around corners of houses have the most material. More railings, more boards, more framing. A deck that wraps two sides of a house can be 500+ square feet of decking to remove.
Rooftop decks on flat-roof garages or over living spaces need extra care. Can’t just drop stuff off the roof. Everything gets carried down carefully. We’ve done rooftop deck demolition in older neighborhoods like Bonnie Doon and Strathcona.
Floating decks not attached to the house come apart differently. No ledger board connection, usually sitting on concrete blocks or footings. These can literally be disassembled and moved, but most people just want them demolished.
Deck Demolition vs Deck Removal
Demolition means we’re tearing it apart, breaking it down, not trying to save materials. Fast and efficient. Everything gets hauled to disposal. This is what most people want and need.
Careful removal or deconstruction means trying to save materials for reuse. Takes way longer. Only makes sense if the wood is in good shape and you’re planning to reuse it. Most old decks aren’t worth deconstructing – the wood is weathered and damaged.
We’ve done both types but honestly 95% of jobs are demolition. The deck is old, rotting, falling apart anyway. Nobody wants to reuse 20-year-old pressure-treated lumber full of nails. Faster and cheaper to just demo it.
Pressure-Treated Lumber Disposal
Older pressure-treated lumber contains chemicals that can’t go certain places. We know which disposal facilities around Edmonton accept treated lumber and follow proper disposal regulations.
Newer treated lumber uses different chemicals and has fewer disposal restrictions. But most decks we’re removing are 15-25 years old with the old treatment formula.
Burning treated lumber isn’t allowed and isn’t safe – releases toxic chemicals. Some people ask about this. Answer is no, it goes to proper disposal facilities.
Recycling pressure-treated lumber isn’t really an option. It’s treated with chemicals specifically to prevent decay, which means it won’t break down properly for composting or standard recycling processes.
Concrete Footing Removal
Every deck post sits on a concrete footing. Standard practice in Edmonton because of frost heave. These footings are usually 10-12 inches diameter, buried 4 feet deep to get below frost line.
We can cut posts at ground level and leave footings buried. This is faster and cheaper. If you’re sodding over the area or building a new deck, leaving footings works fine.
Full footing removal means digging them out. We use shovels, pry bars, sometimes a small excavator for big jobs or lots of footings. Once exposed, we break them up with sledgehammers and haul away the concrete chunks.
Homeowners planning new landscaping usually want footings out. If you’re regrading the yard, planting trees, or building something else in that spot, buried concrete footings are in the way.
One deck in Ellerslie had 16 footings – it was a huge wraparound deck. Customer wanted them all out so they could landscape properly. Took us a full day just for the footing removal after the deck itself was demolished.
Why Decks Fail in Edmonton
Weather is brutal on decks here. Freeze-thaw cycles every spring and fall. Summer sun beating down. Winter snow and ice. Edmonton weather destroys decks faster than milder climates.
Water damage is the main killer. Water gets into cracks, freezes, expands, cracks the wood more. This cycle repeats for years until boards are rotting and splitting. We’ve demolished decks where boards just crumbled when we stepped on them.
Poor maintenance speeds up decay. Decks need staining or sealing every few years. Most people don’t do it. Unprotected wood weathers badly. We see alot of grey weathered decks that haven’t been maintained in a decade.
Poor original construction causes early failure too. Posts not on proper footings, inadequate framing, wrong hardware used. We’ve torn down decks that were failing after 10 years because they weren’t built right to start with.
Age catches up eventually. Even well-built, well-maintained decks wear out. 25-30 years is about the lifespan for a wood deck in Edmonton. After that, rebuilding makes more sense than trying to repair.
Deck Demolition for New Deck Construction
Most deck demo jobs are because people are building new. Old deck is shot, time for an upgrade. We tear down the old one, haul everything away, leave a clean slate for the new deck builder.
We coordinate with deck contractors. They schedule construction, we schedule demolition right before. Seamless transition from old to new. We’ve worked with deck builders all over Edmonton this way.
Sometimes people want the old deck gone months before building new. Get the demo done in spring, plan and save over summer, build new deck in fall. We’re flexible on timing.
Expanding or redesigning deck layouts means full demo usually. Even if parts of the old deck are okay, starting fresh makes construction easier than trying to work around existing structure.
Deck Demolition Pricing
Deck removal Edmonton pricing depends on size, complexity, and what you want done with footings. Basic ground-level deck 12×16 might be $800-1200 for complete demo and removal including footings.
Larger or elevated decks cost more. Two-level deck or wraparound deck could be $2000-3000. Lots more material, more labor, more disposal volume.
Leaving concrete footings in the ground saves money. Cutting posts at grade and leaving footings might save $300-500 compared to full footing excavation and removal.
Multi-story decks or really complex structures with built-in features get quoted on a per-job basis. We usually do site visits for big jobs to give accurate pricing.
Disposal costs are part of our pricing. Pressure-treated lumber has disposal fees, concrete has weight-based fees. We factor all that into quotes so there’s no surprises.
DIY Deck Removal vs Professional Service
DIY deck removal takes forever. A deck you think you’ll knock out in a weekend takes three or four weekends if you’re working alone or with one helper. By the time you rent tools, make dump runs, deal with injuries and soreness, you’ve invested way more time and effort than expected.
Tool rental adds up. Reciprocating saw, impact driver, circular saw, wheelbarrow, truck rental – you’re spending $200-300 on rentals easy. Plus gas for multiple dump runs.
Dump fees surprise people. Treated lumber isn’t cheap to dispose of. Concrete disposal is expensive because of weight. Your DIY project might cost $150-250 just in disposal fees after making three or four trips.
Safety is a real concern. Old decks have rusty nails everywhere. Wood is splintered and sharp. Working at height on an unstable structure you’re tearing apart is dangerous. We’ve got proper safety equipment and experience.
One customer in Summerside started DIY demo, hit his hand with a hammer, got a nail through his boot, and decided it wasn’t worth it. Called us to finish and wished he’d just hired us from the start.
What Happens to Demolished Deck Materials
Wood goes to proper disposal facilities. Pressure-treated lumber gets handled according to regulations. Regular lumber sometimes gets recycled or reused if it’s in decent shape.
Concrete gets crushed and recycled when possible. Concrete footings become aggregate for road base or new concrete. Better than landfilling when recycling is available.
Metal hardware – screws, nails, brackets, bolts – gets separated and recycled as scrap metal. Not worth alot individually but adds up over multiple jobs.
We sort materials during Edmonton deck demolition when it makes sense. Keeps recyclable stuff out of landfills and is just better practice overall.
Deck Demolition Timeline
Average deck demolition and removal takes 1-2 days depending on size. Small basic deck? Half day. Large complex deck with footing removal? Could take two full days.
We schedule based on weather. Can’t effectively demo a deck in winter when everything’s frozen and buried in snow. Spring through fall is deck demo season in Edmonton.
Most homeowners want it done quick – get the old deck out, start planning the new one. We prioritize speed without cutting corners on safety or thoroughness.
For property managers or contractors with tight timelines, we can sometimes do same-day or next-day service if our schedule allows.
Service Areas for Deck Demolition
All of Edmonton and surrounding areas. Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Leduc, Fort Saskatchewan – anywhere within 45 minutes of downtown we service regularly for deck demolition and removal Edmonton.
Common neighborhoods where we demo decks weekly: Terwillegar, Windermere, Riverbend, Summerside, Ellerslie, Heritage Valley, Millwoods, Mill Woods, Bonnie Doon, Clareview, Manning, Castle Downs, Sherwood Park, St. Albert, and everywhere in between.
Older neighborhoods have older decks that need replacing. New neighborhoods have cheap builder-grade decks that fail early. We work in every area of Edmonton doing deck demolition and removal.
INSTANT QUOTE
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ITEMS WE TAKE
We take almost anything, as long as it’s not hazardous (check out our list of what we don't take) So, whatever’s taking up space in your life, call Load n gone Junk Removal to get it out of the way. Here’s just a few of the common items we take and the services we offer to the edmonton and it's surrounding communities.
Carpets
Office Furniture
Moving cleanout
washers & dryers
rental cleanout
bed bug mattress removal
sofas & couches
home furniture
playsets & trampolines
Carpets
Office Furniture
Moving cleanout
washers & dryers
rental cleanout
bed bug mattress removal
sofas & couches
home furniture
playsets & trampolines
tv's and other electronics
foreclosure cleanouts
clothing
bagged trash
construction debris
garage cleanouts
deck demolition
concrete removal
yard debris & waste
tv's and other electronics
foreclosure cleanouts
clothing
bagged trash
construction debris
garage cleanouts
deck demolition
concrete removal
yard debris & waste
treadmills and weights
storage unit cleanouts
attic cleanouts
shed removal
cardboard recycling
hot tub removal
hoarder cleanout
fence removal
and more!
treadmills and weights
storage unit cleanouts
attic cleanouts
shed removal
cardboard recycling
hot tub removal
hoarder cleanout
fence removal
and more!
Don’t see your item on the list? We still most likely take it! CONTACT US today for more information. We’re here to help!
Why LOAD n GONE Junk Removal?
Because We are Fast & Affordable!
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Give us a call or book online to schedule your convenient junk removal appointment.
WE CALL WHEN WE'RE ON THE WAY
We'll give you a call in advance once we're on the way and arrive promptly on time.
WE ARRIVE READY TO GO
Simply point out what items you want removed and we'll provide a no-obligation cost up front.
