Topeka Demolition: How Long a House Demolition Takes in Topeka, Kansas

The timeline at a glance

Add it up and a straightforward Topeka house usually goes from first call to graded lot in roughly three to six weeks. A house that needs abatement, sits under an insurance claim, or is caught in a wet spring takes longer.

What takes the longest

Utilities. Electric and gas service have to be physically removed by the providers, not just turned off, and water is shut at the curb. Each provider has its own schedule. Starting these calls the day you decide to demolish is the single best way to shorten the job.

Asbestos. On older houses, testing comes first. If the test finds asbestos, a licensed abatement contractor removes it, and Kansas requires written notice to KDHE at least 10 working days before an asbestos-related demolition project.

The sewer cap. Inside Topeka the cap goes on at the property line and is inspected before demolition. It is quick work but it has to fit the inspector's schedule.

The demolition days themselves

Once the paperwork is done, a single-family house usually comes down and is loaded out in one to three days. Day one is often the roof and walls; day two the floor framing and the foundation; and a third day for fill, compaction and grading if there is a basement. A garage or shed is often a single day. City demolition specifications give contracted jobs 15 days from the Notice to Proceed, which shows how much room the machine work actually needs.

Weather and season

Topeka's clay soils turn to mud in a wet spring, and machines on soft ground rut yards, damage curbs and cannot compact fill properly. Dry late summer and fall are the easiest months for demolition. Frozen ground in winter can be worked, but compaction suffers when fill is frozen. A contractor may suggest waiting a week for the ground to dry rather than leaving a soft backfill.

How to keep it moving

The house demolition page lists every step in order. For houses outside the city, in towns like Perry, the permit comes from that city or its county office instead.

• Call the utilities first, the same week you decide
• Test for asbestos early on any house built before about 1980
• Empty the house before the permit is issued
• Decide what the lot should look like at the end, so the contractor brings the right fill

Insurance and estate jobs

Two kinds of jobs often take longer for reasons that have nothing to do with demolition. After a fire or storm, nothing comes down until the investigation and the insurance inspection release the property, and the adjuster may want an estimate before approving the work. In an estate, the house may have to wait for probate, for heirs to agree, or for the contents to be sorted. Neither is in the contractor's control, but getting a written estimate early helps both move faster.

Garages, pools and smaller jobs

Smaller jobs move faster. A detached garage is usually a single day, plus a day if the slab comes out. A pool partial fill-in often takes a few days; a full removal can run three to seven days. Concrete removal is often a day. Interior demolition depends on the size of the space and how much plaster is involved. Because these jobs often need no sewer cap and fewer utility removals, the weeks of preparation shrink too.

A realistic calendar for a Topeka house

Week one: walk-through, written quote, utility removal requests, asbestos test scheduled. Week two: test results back, sewer cap scheduled. Week three: utilities removed, sewer capped and inspected, permit issued. Week four: demolition, haul-off, fill and grading. A job with abatement or a wet stretch of weather adds a week or two; a slab house with quick utility removals can be faster.

Outside the city

In the towns around Topeka, the steps are similar but the offices are smaller. Inside a small city's limits, the city clerk often handles permits and water shutoffs. In unincorporated Shawnee County, a County demolition permit comes from Land Use and Development. Rural jobs add septic tanks, wells and propane tanks to the list, each with its own call. Hauling distances are longer, so a rural teardown may take an extra day of trucking even when the demolition itself is quick.

What you can do to speed it up

Most of the waiting is in calls that can be made early. The day you decide, request service removal from the electric and gas providers and ask for the water to be shut at the curb. If the house was built before about 1980, schedule an asbestos test that week. Empty the house of anything you want to keep, and decide what the lot should look like at the end so the contractor orders the right fill. If there is a deadline from the City, a closing or an insurer, tell the contractor on the first call so the schedule is built around it rather than discovered later.