How To Demolish a Concrete Driveway

If you own a concrete driveway or sidewalk that has been improperly installed, it may need to get demolished and ripped up in order to be replaced. Concrete that was improperly installed will crack, sink, and rise to create an unsightly mess! Does the thought of doing concrete demolition yourself scare you?

Have no fear, this article will show you exactly how to demolish concrete yourself. Contrary to popular belief, the only tools you need for concrete demolition is a mini excavator, jackhammer, and a dump truck/dump trailer.

Preparation

Concrete Removal Wilkes-Barre
Demolishing concrete in Wilkes-Barre

The first stage in demolishing a concrete driveway is to understand what you are dealing with. Some variables include the thickness of the concrete, size of slabs, and if there is rebar. If rebar is present, the only way to demolish the concrete is to use an excavator and jackhammer the concrete into small pieces.

Once you know what you are working with, it is time to start the demolition process! Use a jackhammer to break a piece of concrete up, and grab that piece with the excavator.

Make sure everyone is standing clear of the area, and use caution tape if necessary. Pick the piece up with the excavator as high as you can, and drop it onto the concrete slab. The slab should crack into pieces, although it may take a couple tries.

Loading up concrete

Driveway demolition Wilkes-Barre
Demolishing a driveway in Wilkes-Barre

Once you have a pile of concrete chunks, it is time to get rid of them! We started this project using one of our heavy duty dump trailers that we use for our Junk Removal Service, but quickly found that hiring a dump truck service was more efficient.

If you use a dump trailer, you can only get 2 heavily loaded dumps out of a charge, before you need to recharge the battery overnight. Once you have loaded up your dump truck/trailer, haul it to a concrete recycling plant, and keep rolling.

Cleanup

Wilkes-Barre Concrete Removal
Removing concrete from a driveway in Wilkes-Barre

Concrete is an extremely heavy material! When loading up your dump truck or dump trailer, it is important to not overload them because it is very easy to do. In addition, overloading your equipment not only makes them unsafe, but can wear them out much quicker.

Concrete Demolition Cost

Concrete Steps Demolition Wilkes-Barre
Demolishing Concrete Stairs in Wilkes-Barre

The cost of a concrete demolition & removal project can vary greatly depending on your location and the type of concrete that needs to be removed. Unfortunately, most homeowners do not own the equipment needed to demolish concrete.

Therefore, many DIYers resort to using a rental company to rent equipment for their concrete removal project. We have found that after the cost of renting equipment, transporting it to your home, working, and hauling away the concrete – it is cheaper to hire a concrete removal service.

DIY Concrete Demolition Cost Breakdown

  • $500/day mini excavator rental
  • $400/load concrete hauling & disposal
  • $100/day jackhammer rental

For an average DIY concrete driveway removal project that takes 2 days, the cost will be around $2,000.

Call The Concrete Demolition Professionals

Concrete removal company Wilkes-Barre
Concrete Removal Near Me

While it is relatively straightforward how to demolish concrete, the job is often-times left to a professional demolition contractor. Legitimate demolition companies have their own equipment, dump trucks & trailers, and the knowledge to get your concrete demolition job done safely and efficiently.

A+ Enterprises Demolition Service is the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area’s premier demolition contractor. We specialize in small to medium-sized demolition projects such as driveways, sheds, garages, mobile homes, pools, and more! We are fully licensed and insured, and have hundred of satisfied customers to back it up.


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    Call: 570-373-9996


     


    • Excellent communication starting from the first call through our entire demolition project. Answered the phone and responded to emails and texts promptly. Got the job done quickly and efficiently. Highly recommend A+ Enterprises.

      Michelle Pennington Avatar Michelle Pennington
      June 10, 2020

      I would rate over 5 stars if I could. A+ Enterprises is definitely A+! When we called them we were surprised to hear that they do same-day service, and they arrived quickly. The owner, Sal, is a wonderful guy who is honest and friendly. Everybody works very efficiently and is professional. Can't recommend them enough!

      Tara Piech Avatar Tara Piech
      February 23, 2020

      Fast service, excellent price. Picked up on the same morning that we called. Will definately recommend and call again. Sal was very professional. Guys who showed up at our home were professional as well. We prefer to use local companies and this is one we expect to keep on our list.

      T Seidel Avatar T Seidel
      July 8, 2019
    • Absolutely amazing! Highly recommended! I recently moved to Pennsylvania and purchased a fixer upper in Luzern County. I had a large pile of debris from the house that I needed to get rid of. I called A+ Junk Removal and spoke with Sal. He was extremely professional and very personable. He was able to work with my schedule which was greatly appreciated. Sal also contacted me through text to remind me of my scheduled appointment. Joe and Andrew showed up on time to give me an estimate for my junk pile. They gave me a great price and got right to work. Both Joe and Andrew were very polite and extremely professional. Very friendly as well. They did an amazing job! I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to come and do this job for me. I am extremely appreciative for Sal, Joe and Andrew. I highly recommend this company and will definitely use them again on the future. Thank you so much A+ Enterprises!

      Rebecca DeKonty Avatar Rebecca DeKonty
      March 26, 2020

      Very professional and efficient. Came on short notice. Very nice guys. Extremely good job done swiftly.

      Julianne Cusick Avatar Julianne Cusick
      May 27, 2019

      Kyle and Joe were wonderful! Very efficient process. I called and gave brief information to a very professional person. They came out the next day. Wiped their feet, quoted me a very fair price, and removed my furniture. I’m very pleased with their service and friendliness. I will definitely recommend them to my family and friends! Meredith R.

      Meredith Rynkiewicz Avatar Meredith Rynkiewicz
      August 14, 2019
    • EXTREMELY PLEASANT AND PROFESSIONAL! Gave them a call to remove some old furniture and assorted boxes of junk. They said the had a crew in my area the next morning and could be here at 9am. Arrived right at 9 on the dot and got straight to work. They battled through all my cobwebs and work quick and efficiently. No trouble or damage from moving some big items in narrow areas. The price they quoted was great value for all the work they did. I have already and will continue to HIGHLY recommend them.

      Michael Machion Avatar Michael Machion
      August 3, 2019

      Incredibly professional and responsive to all of my questions. Each time I called I spoke directly with sal. No need to leave a voicemail and wait for a call back. Sal, Shawn and Mackenzie have been amazing to work with. I would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for dumpster rentals.

      Jennifer Bitters Avatar Jennifer Bitters
      May 17, 2020

      I highly recommend A+ Enterprises. Sal the owner called and was great. Joe and Richard were prompt, efficient, honest, respectful, kind and took their time listening to what I wanted done. They really went above and beyond to make sure I was satisfied. I couldn't believe they came, did the estimate started the job and were out of my house in under two hours! And I had lots of stuff to get rid of...lol!!! I will DEFINITELY recommend to others and use again. Thanks for a job well done!

      Lou Ann Naughton Avatar Lou Ann Naughton
      November 18, 2020
    • Called A + enterprise junk removal to have a few items removed from my apartment. Sal and his team were GREAT!!! Fair price and fast service plan on using them again.

      John Steve Avatar John Steve
      March 20, 2019

      The 3 man crew did a fantastic job in clearing out and disposing of several large and small items that still remained after a 2 day estate sale. Items removed included beds and mattresses, 3 couches, bedroom chest of drawers, old refrigerator and electric stove, computer desk, old and very heavy television, several tools plus much more.Very courteous workers and owner was great to work with. Highly recommend and you won’t be disappointed.

      Rich Winslow Avatar Rich Winslow
      August 21, 2019

      Sal was great to work with. I was so stressed about a large deck in the back of my house that was collapsing. Sal came right over and gave me a very fair price and two days later the job was done. And a really good job. He even hauled away a piece of junk for me at the last minute. I highly recommend this company and plan to use them again as the need arises

      Pam cortese Avatar Pam cortese
      April 10, 2019
    • I had called them to remove an old couch.. not only did they accommodate at a reasonable rate, they had it removed within hours!! Called 2-3 different places, tied prices w 2, however the customer service was phenomenal!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Thank you so much again!!

      Jennifer Mieczkowski Avatar Jennifer Mieczkowski
      January 22, 2021

      I can't say enough about Sal. He was very patient, knowledgeable, and went out of his way to ensure my company was taken care of. I absolutely recommend anyone to use this company. They get in and out very quickly and offer a great price. They also stick to their word which is very rare now-a-days!

      Mark Van Dyke Avatar Mark Van Dyke
      October 25, 2019

      I would highly recommend A+ Enterprises. Very professional staff. Fast response to my request for information. Sal is very friendly, answered all my questions and set a date for pick up, much faster than I had expected. Day of pick up was better than prompt. Joe called en-route to say he was a little ahead of schedule and could actually be at my house sooner. Great Job at a reasonable price. Would definitely refer family and friends. Thank your for A+ service!

      Barbara Siana Avatar Barbara Siana
      October 16, 2020