Teardown and Rebuild in Florida: Demolition Steps and Timeline

A teardown and rebuild in Florida runs in this order: sign the contract, file the demolition permit the same day, run utility disconnects and the survey while the permit is pending, tear the house down, haul it off, rough grade the lot, and hand a compacted pad to your builder. From signature to build-ready pad, plan on 4 to 8 weeks. The permit takes 3 to 6 weeks of that. The machine work itself is 5 to 6 hours for a small house and 2 to 3 days for a larger one, with 6 to 7 days on site including haul-off. We are Mintel Land Management, Apopka's hometown demolition contractor, and this is how we sequence it so your builder is not standing around waiting on us.

Step 1: The Permit Starts the Clock

Every demolition in Florida needs a permit. Your builder cannot start on a lot that still has a house on it, and the demolition permit close-out is the paperwork that proves the lot is clear. That is why the demolition permit is the first thing we file. We file it the day you sign.

Central Florida permits are running 3 to 6 weeks right now. Volusia, Lake, and Seminole move faster. Orange County is the slowest of the four. The permit fee is $40 to $200, but full permitting cost with county licensing and processing fees lands between $900 and $2,300. Skipping the permit is not a shortcut. It means a stop-work order, extra fees, and a possible lien on the property, and a lien is the last thing you want when a lender is reviewing your rebuild.

Step 2: Disconnects Run in Parallel

While the permit sits in the county queue, we run everything else at the same time so nothing waits in line twice. The county wants three things before it releases a demolition permit: a current survey, power disconnect confirmation from the utility, and, if the home is on septic, a pump-out completion form for the septic abandonment. Wells get shut off too.

Septic is the slowest disconnect because it runs through the health department, so if your home is on septic we start that paperwork first. If the house is older, the county will also want an asbestos survey before teardown. Start it early. A storm or fire does not waive it. Share the rebuild plans with us at the walkthrough, because where the new house sits and how it ties into utilities changes how we leave the lot.

Step 3: Teardown and Haul-Off

Once the permit is in hand and the utilities are confirmed dead, the fast part begins. We can mobilize the machine and dumpsters the same day. Our main excavator weighs 30,000 pounds, and it is our machine with our crew on it, no rented equipment and no subcontracted machine work. The man who quotes your job is the man on the machine.

A small single-story house comes down in 5 to 6 hours of machine time. A larger or two-story house, or one sitting on a heavy foundation, takes 2 to 3 days. Haul-off runs alongside. A typical house fills 4 to 12 thirty-yard dumpsters, and on-site time including haul-off is usually 6 to 7 days. For a rebuild we pull the old footings and slab out rather than leaving them, because your builder cannot pour a new foundation over old concrete.

Step 4: Rough Grade and the Build-Ready Pad

This is the step that decides whether your builder shows up to a job site or a problem. After haul-off, we backfill the foundation hole in lifts and compact each lift with the 30,000 pound machine, then rough grade the lot. Loose fill settles later, and a settled pad under a new slab is a permanent problem.

If your rebuild plans call for a specific pad elevation or a finished build-ready pad, tell us at the walkthrough. Grading and excavation work carries a $600 minimum that includes 4 hours with drive time, and a full pad for a new home is scoped from the plans. Then we call for the final county inspection to close the demolition permit. We do not consider the job done until that inspection is signed, because that close-out is what your builder is waiting on.

Where the Calendar Time Goes

Owners usually assume the teardown is the long part. It is the short part. Here is where the weeks actually go on a typical Central Florida teardown before the builder takes over.

The lesson is simple. The permit is the critical path. Every week you delay signing is a week your builder waits at the end. If you are choosing a demolition contractor and a builder at the same time, hire the demolition side first so the permit clock starts running while you finalize house plans.

What the Demolition Side Costs

Demolition is a small line on a rebuild budget, but it is the first money out. Our turn-key prices include the permit, utility disconnect coordination, teardown, haul-off, rough grade, and the final county inspection close-out.

• Small single-story house under about 1,200 sq ft: $7,000 to $10,000 turn-key.
• Larger or two-story house, 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft: $10,000 to $14,000 turn-key.
• Heavy concrete can add around $2 per sq ft.
• Detached shed, barn, or garage coming down with the house: $1,200 to $3,500.
• Grading or excavation beyond the rough grade: $600 minimum, includes 4 hours with drive time.

You get a free written estimate after a walkthrough, no obligation, usually with a same-day reply. Certificates for our $4,000,000 general liability and $2,000,000 workers compensation coverage are available before any job, and your lender may ask for them.

Questions About Teardown and Rebuild Sequencing