Filling In a Swimming Pool in South Austin

Austin Swimming Pool Demolition
Our client decided that they were tired of dealing with keeping up their older pool. In Austin, the high heat requires a lot of water to be added to the pool during the summer and the filter has to work overtime to keep the pool clean. In addition to the effort, the expense of the cleaning and upkeep can be more than anticipated.

The first step was to bust out large holes in the concrete bottom of the pool to allow for water drainage. If you do not bust out holes in the bottom of the pool it it can fill up the bowl when you get heavy rains. The water has to have a place to drain out of the bottom.

We hauled in fill materials in construction roll off dumpsters from Rubbish Inc Dumpster Rental. As we add the road base material we water it down and then used a ground compacting machine to compact it as much as possible. About every 2 feet of material we would stop and water it down and compact it. The more you can compact the fill in material and dirt the less compaction you will have in the future as the dirt settles over time.

Austin Demolition Services
712 Congress Ave #927
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 298-4167
https://www.austindemolitionservice.com
https://goo.gl/maps/7t9guTpvs4g77SEDA
Austin Demolition Contractors

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Old Deck and Pergola Removal in Cedar Park

Our client in Cedar Park who lives near The View at Cedar Park and the Cedar Park Recreation Center had an old deck with a worn out old aluminum pergola attached to it. Several of the boards had already rotted through and so it had become a safety hazard and way past patching or fixing it up. She asked us to come out and demolish the old deck, take everything down and haul it all away.

We showed up at 8am sharp and got right to work. We started by removing the old rusty aluminum pergola and the only place the deck was connected to the house which was at the patio roof beam. Once disconnected, we removed the two sets of stairs edge from the deck. We then cut the deck up into sections and removed it in about 3×8 foot sections. Underneath the deck all of the posts were set upon concrete pier blocks so we didn’t have to dig out the posts. We did have to remove about 25 of the concrete piers but that beats digging them out any day!

Once we got everything cut up and taken apart, our junk removal crew showed up and we loaded everything into the truck and hauled it off to the dump. We always try to leave the area qwe work in and on in a cleaner state than when we got there. We raked and scooped up lots of wood chips and pieces, rocks, dead grass and old trash that was under the deck.

Austin Demolition Services
712 Congress Ave #927
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 298-4167
https://www.austindemolitionservice.com
https://goo.gl/maps/7t9guTpvs4g77SEDA
https://www.google.com/maps?cid=17137459395109446283

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Two Story Deck Demolition in Southwest Austin

Our customers had only lived in their home for less than a year and decided that they could do without the old 2 story deck on the back of the house. It as rotting through in several places. It was decided that it was no longer safe and needed to come down. We specialize in deck demolition and we were able to deconstruct this deck safely in 2 hours.

We started by taking the top off first. We cut it into sections and then cut the posts off near the top and then lowered them one section at a time. Then we moved on to the top railings. We cut them into sections and then cut the posts off at the floor level and lowered these sections down to the guys to haul off to the truck while we continued to demo the deck to save time and it makes less to clean up at the end.

Once we had all of the railings down we could start working on taking the floor boards off of the second story floor. They were screwed in pretty good so it took two of us with a pry bar and a long wooden board to pry them off. Once we got our rhythm it went pretty quickly.

Once we had all of the boards out we just cut the long boards off on the end farthest away from the house and that allowed us to pull them down and tap them right out of the metal joists that were holding them up. Once they were down we cut the front beam off and carried it off and then bent the outside boards down and tapped them out of their joists. ONce they we removed the corner posts and we had the structure of the second story deck down.

At that point, we replaced the two holes at the corners left by the missing posts with wood blocks cut from the existing boards we took down so the paint matched perfectly. When we got ready to remove the last couple of boards against the house we found a lot of water damage where the deck was attached to it. Whoever built the deck did not add any flashing and water drained down the back of the trim for years.

We spoke with the homeowner and decided to cover the whole section with plastic and screwed in a board on top to keep it water tight until they could get it repaired. We then cleaned up any debris left over on site and went through the work site with a strong magnet to pick up any nails or screws that came off the deck while removing it. After we were all cleaned up we swept off the deck and left it looking like it was built that way,

Note: We screwed the door shut from the inside with 3 inch screws to make sure no one goes strolling out if they forget it is gone.

Austin Demolition Services
712 Congress Ave #927
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 298-4167
https://www.austindemolitionservice.com
https://goo.gl/maps/7t9guTpvs4g77SEDA
https://www.google.com/maps?cid=17137459395109446283

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DIY Concrete Demo and Removal Tips in Austin

When deciding whether or not to take on a concrete removal project, keep in mind that it can be a great deal of work that could easily cause burn out well before the project is finished. To make things easier, first determine what is under the surface. If there appears to be an overflow of concrete around the bottom edges of the pad it can usually be assumed that there is a minimal amount of concrete used and the pad may in fact be hollow. This can make what first seemed to be a huge demolition job, in reality, a much easier task.

If wire is found instead of rebar reinforcement in the concrete, don’t get discouraged. A small, portable reciprocating saw, called a Sawzal, can help cut up the wire so that the jackhammer-demolished pieces can be removed as demolition proceeds. This will give more room to work and make the job much easier than trying to rip the concrete from the wire by hand or picking it all up at the end.

Even if there is not rebar running throughout the concrete, there is a good chance that there will be a rebar anchor attached to the house, up against the foundation. If this is the case, use a reciprocating saw with a metal blade to cut the anchor. Cut it off as close to the wall as possible, but can use a 5-lb. hammer to pound any remaining anchor into the foundation. Then, epoxy the hole to give it a smooth, clean look and keep water from leaking into the house.

To aid in breaking up the concrete, use a “spud bar” in conjunction with the jackhammer. Jam the flat end of the spud bar into the cracks formed by the jackhammer, firmly grip the handle with both hands and use leverage to pry chunks of concrete from the pad for removal.

Safety Tips: Be very careful lifting big pieces of concrete, doing so can cause injury rather easily without the correct form. Bend straight down at the knees and use your legs to lift, not the back. If the wheelbarrow used to haul concrete starts to tip, just let it go. Do not try to save it because the falling concrete could cause serious injury if it falls on you.

Austin Demolition Services
712 Congress Ave #927
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 298-4167

Austin Demolition
Concrete Removal Austin

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