Before anything comes down, we want to know what is inside it. In a market where the ground and the buildings both carry industrial history, demolition is as much a records job as a machine job. We handle selective interior demolition, structure removal and full site clearing for Casper and Natrona County owners, and we start with surveys, utility disconnects and a plan for every ton that leaves the site.
Demolition comes in several kinds. Selective demolition removes part of a building so the rest can be renovated. Structural demolition takes a building down to the slab or the foundation. Site clearing removes slabs, footings, pavement and underground structures so the ground can be built on again. Each carries different risks, and each ends in a clean surface ready for the next contractor.
We do not treat demolition as a cheap prelude. The wrong approach can damage a neighbor's wall, release hazardous dust or leave buried foundations that wreck the next foundation job. We plan it as a full scope with a start, a sequence and an end condition.
Safety starts with information. Hazardous material surveys for asbestos, lead and other regulated materials are normally done before demolition, and abatement is completed by licensed specialists before we start. We confirm that gas, electric, water, sewer and communications are disconnected and capped at the right points, and we mark them so the crew does not guess.
Then we protect what remains. Adjacent buildings, utilities, sidewalks and public areas are protected with barriers, shoring, dust control and monitoring. Casper Mountain wind can carry dust a long way, so we wet down work, cover loads and manage debris so it stays on site. A demolition plan that ignores the wind is a plan that produces complaints. We also keep a log of daily conditions, photograph neighboring structures before we begin and respond to any concern the same day it is raised.
Our scope covers permits and notifications, utility coordination, protection, interior stripping, structural demolition, foundation and slab removal, debris sorting, hauling, recycling and backfill. Concrete and masonry can be crushed and reused as fill where the engineer allows. Metal is separated and recycled. We keep disposal tickets and recycling records for the owner.
When the site will be built on next, we leave it in the condition the next contractor needs. That may mean compacted structural backfill, a graded surface and clearly documented locations of any buried items left in place. We coordinate with mass grading and site development and utilities crews so demolition leaves a clean handoff instead of a surprise. Footings and slabs left in place are surveyed and shown on the record drawings, which saves the next foundation contractor a day of probing.
Natrona County has seen plenty of industrial change. The Casper refinery replaced crude units built in 1928, 1948 and 1955 with a new unit in a roughly $200 million, two-year modernization, so old equipment came out as new equipment went in. At Platte River Commons, the former refinery property that closed in 1991, the site is still recovering from contamination, and any removal there needs environmental care. The Platte River Commons story is a reminder that demolition decisions have long tails.
In Evansville, the Mystery Bridge/U.S. Highway 20 Superfund site involves groundwater contamination believed to come from former industrial operations. Sites in or near such areas need extra review before any soil is disturbed. Out at Hell's Half Acre, a small restaurant and motel closed in 2005 and were later demolished, a reminder that even small roadside buildings eventually come down.
Demolition sits at the front of the schedule, so delays move everything behind it. Notifications, permits, surveys and abatement take time, and we start them as soon as the owner commits. Then the physical teardown goes in sequence: strip, abate, disconnect, demolish, sort, haul and backfill.
Seasons matter. Frozen ground makes backfill and compaction harder, and winter weather slows hauling. We try to finish demolition and site restoration before the hard freeze, and when we cannot, we tell the owner what a winter hold means for the next phase. Work that supports renovation and adaptive reuse often needs to be staged so the part that stays remains safe and dry.
Building size and construction type, hazardous material, access, distance to disposal and recycling outlets, foundation depth and buried structures all matter. A simple wood-frame structure on a flat lot is cheap. A heavy concrete building with abatement, a basement and tight neighbors is not. Salvage value can offset some cost when metals or reusable materials are present.
The unknown below grade is the biggest budget risk. Old foundations, tanks, vaults and abandoned utilities turn up regularly on sites with history. We price with allowances for what the survey and records suggest, and we report anything unexpected right away. Buried items are priced as unit rates where we can, so a found tank or vault has a known cost instead of a negotiation. For manufacturing owners clearing space for new lines, we plan removals to protect operating equipment and keep the plant running.
We take demolition work across the Casper metro and nearby towns, including Mills, Evansville, Bar Nunn, Glenrock and Douglas. Local permit requirements differ, and we confirm them with each town before mobilizing.
For owners of aging warehouses and similar buildings, we can price a teardown and a replacement together, so the cost of removal and the cost of the new building are both visible when the decision is made.
Send the address, the building description and what comes next. We will arrange surveys, price the work and propose a schedule. Use the quote form or call us.
Almost always for older buildings. Asbestos, lead paint and other regulated materials are common in buildings from earlier eras, and the survey tells you what has to be abated before demolition begins.
The utility owners or licensed contractors, depending on the service. We coordinate the shutoffs, confirm them in writing and mark the capped lines before the machines start.
Often yes. Crushed concrete can serve as fill or base where the engineer approves it. We sort and track what goes where, and provide recycling records on request.
We stop work in that area, protect the site and notify the owner and the engineer. The next steps depend on what is found. It is best to plan for the possibility on sites with industrial history.
Once the site is cleared, backfilled and compacted, and inspections are complete, construction can start. We coordinate with the next contractor so the handoff is smooth.