Most demolition jobs we quote in Scioto County land between $1,500 and $18,000. A kitchen gut is a few thousand. Taking a whole house to the dirt is five figures. The spread is that wide because “demolition” covers everything from pulling cabinets out of one room to knocking down a two story farmhouse and hauling off the foundation. Below are the real numbers we work from, plus the permit and asbestos rules that catch Portsmouth homeowners off guard. Call (740) 357-9020 if you want a firm number on your specific job.
What It Costs to Tear Down a Whole House
Full teardown of a house in Scioto County runs roughly $8 to $18 per square foot including hauling and disposal. For a 1,200 square foot ranch that is about $10,000 to $21,000. A 1,500 square foot two story with a full basement usually lands $14,000 to $26,000 because the foundation and basement walls have to come out and the hole has to be backfilled and compacted.
Three things push that number up fast. A basement instead of a crawl space adds excavation and fill dirt. Poor access, meaning the machine cannot get within reach of every wall, means more hand work. And distance to the transfer station matters, because on a teardown you are paying for dump runs more than you are paying for the machine.
Interior Demolition and Gutting a Room
Interior demo is where most of our demolition work actually happens, usually as the first phase of a remodel. Expect $2 to $8 per square foot of the area being gutted.
In practice that means a kitchen tearout is $1,200 to $3,500 depending on whether the flooring and soffits come out with the cabinets. A bathroom gut to the studs is $900 to $2,200. Taking an entire 1,400 square foot house down to bare studs and subfloor typically runs $6,000 to $14,000.
Anything with plaster and lath instead of drywall costs more. Plaster is heavier, dustier, and produces two to three times the debris volume of drywall, and a lot of houses in the older Portsmouth neighborhoods still have it.
Garages, Sheds, and Outbuildings
A detached single car garage is usually $1,800 to $3,800 to remove. A two car detached garage runs $3,000 to $6,500. Pulling the concrete slab out afterward adds $1,500 to $4,000 depending on thickness and whether it is reinforced. Small sheds and porch removals often come in under $1,500.
If the structure is leaning or partially collapsed, the price goes up rather than down. An unstable building has to be pulled apart in a controlled way instead of pushed over, and that takes more time.
Do You Need a Permit in Portsmouth?
Yes for anything structural. The City of Portsmouth requires a demolition permit for removing a house, garage, or any permanent structure, and typical fees run $75 to $400. You also have to arrange utility disconnects before the permit is issued. Gas and electric have to be cut and capped by the utility, and the sewer lateral has to be capped, which is often a separate inspection.
Outside city limits in Scioto County the process is handled at the county level and the requirements are lighter, but the utility disconnects still apply. Interior demolition inside an existing structure usually does not need its own demo permit, though the remodel that follows almost always does. We cover the whole permit question in more detail in our guide to renovation permits in Portsmouth.
Asbestos and Lead: The Line Item Nobody Expects
If the house was built before 1980, budget for a hazardous materials survey. In Ohio, asbestos notification to the EPA is required before demolishing most structures regardless of whether asbestos is found. A survey runs $400 to $900. If asbestos turns up in floor tile, pipe wrap, or siding, abatement typically adds $2,000 to $9,000.
Lead paint matters for interior demo in pre-1978 homes. Contained work areas and proper disposal add to the labor line but keep dust out of the rest of the house, which is the whole point if you are living there during the remodel.
What Should Be Included in the Price
A demolition quote worth comparing includes labor, machine time, dumpsters or roll off containers, dump fees, and a clean site at the end. Dump fees alone are often 30 to 40 percent of a teardown, so a bid that leaves them out is not a real bid.
Ask specifically about backfill on a teardown and about disposal of appliances, tires, and any hazardous items already on site. Those get charged separately at the transfer station and are the most common source of a surprise on the final invoice.
Get a Real Number for Your Project
We handle demolition across Portsmouth and Scioto County, most often as the front end of a kitchen remodel, a basement finish, or a whole home renovation. Call (740) 357-9020 or request a free estimate and we will walk the site with you. More at hooverhousingsolutions.com.
Full teardown runs about $8 to $18 per square foot including hauling. A 1,200 square foot ranch is typically $10,000 to $21,000, and a two story with a basement usually lands $14,000 to $26,000. Call (740) 357-9020 for a site specific number.
A kitchen tearout in Scioto County generally costs $1,200 to $3,500, depending on whether flooring, soffits, and drywall come out along with the cabinets.
Yes. The City of Portsmouth requires a demolition permit for any permanent structure, usually $75 to $400, and utility disconnects must be arranged before it is issued.
For most structures, Ohio EPA notification is required before demolition regardless of the result, and a hazardous materials survey typically costs $400 to $900. Abatement, if needed, adds $2,000 to $9,000.
It should. Dump fees are often 30 to 40 percent of a teardown cost. Our quotes include labor, machine time, containers, dump fees, and a cleaned up site.