As any little kid with a bag of Lincoln Logs will tell you, destruction can be as much fun as creation. In adulthood, we just don’t get to indulge in this primal pleasure that often. (When’s the last time you burst open a piñata or smashed up a Play-Doh village?) It’s that self-same destruction high we got in childhood—coupled with hopes of saving money—that leads many people to undertake their own DIY demolition work during a remodel. But real-life demolition is definitely not kids’ play, and not something to be undertaken lightly.
- It’s more backbreaking than you might think. The most fun you’ll ever get out of a sledgehammer is the first five times you swing it. Demolition is hard labor, and even if you can handle that sledgehammer like a rock star, the collapsed plaster and drywall debris make for really heavy hauling. Think chain-gang labor, not piñata-on-steroids fun.
- It’s more dangerous than you might think. Older tubs can weigh as much as three hundred pounds and are too dangerous to move without a helper. Nails (and broken glass and tile) on the floor can pierce right through shoes not built to take a hard-core beating. Hidden asbestos or lead-based paint pose serious inhalation risks. There are lots of ways to get hurt during a demolition, and knowing the risks is only half the battle.
- It’s messier than you might think. Plaster, lathe, drywall, broken glass, broken tiles, nails, hunks of pipe, and the inevitable water leakage all amount to an unholy sight. If the room isn’t properly sealed, the debris will find its way out any opening you missed. Bathroom demolition messes never fail to shock the uninitiated. Cleanup is hard-core.
- It’s more expensive than you might think. Proper gear, proper tools, proper manpower, and proper disposal are all critical—and securing these for your one-time demolition project can get costly. Buying or renting what you need in order to do your own demolition can end up costing as much as you were hoping to save by not hiring a pro.
- It’s more time-consuming than you might think. Done correctly, demolition is far more than a few hours’ work, and the “destruction high” wears off quickly. That’s why so many DIY’ers come out of the gates strong but end up stretching the job out over weeks or even months.
- It’s more complicated than you might think. Calling the whole ordeal a demolition is a little off; it’s not all destruction. Much of the job involves protecting those things you don’t want demolished, like electrical wiring and plumbing. Amateur demolition mistakes are easy to make and can get very expensive, very fast.
Yes, there’s something cathartic about swinging a sledgehammer or crowbar into a wall, but do the math before you take the DIY demolition route. Even if you save yourself a couple hundred dollars—and don’t assume you will—you could be spending more blood, sweat, and tears than you anticipated. Leave it to your remodeler, and it will get done faster, smarter, and cleaner!
