Interior Demolition Cost: What You Pay and What Changes It

How much does interior demolition cost?

HomeAdvisor reports that interior demolition costs $2 to $7 per square foot, with labor making up $1 to $5 of that. For commercial work it reports $4 to $8 per square foot, or $40,000 to $80,000 for 10,000 square feet. HomeGuide reports a similar range, $2 to $8 per square foot, or $1,000 to $5,000 for an average demo project. These are national figures. They are not AES prices, and they leave out dumping fees, permits and any asbestos work.

The range is wide because “interior demolition” covers very different jobs. Pulling one kitchen is not the same as stripping a 10,000 square foot office to the studs. The table below shows how HomeAdvisor breaks it down.

HomeAdvisor ties room costs to the items removed, local rules and fees. It also notes you may pay extra when crews must move slowly to protect fixtures you want to keep. HomeGuide says labor is about half of the total, with equipment, permits, dumping, recycling and hauling making up the rest. Use the table to check a quote for sense, not as a budget.

AES quotes each job; call (314) 865-2662 or use /contact.

What does interior demolition actually include?

Interior demolition removes the inside of a building without touching the outer structure. AES describes it as removal of walls, pipes and fittings, partitions and ceilings, to leave a clear area for the next stage of a project. Renovations, tenant fit-outs and restoration work often start this way.

Interior demolition is also the step that follows a flood, a broken pipe or a roof leak. Wet drywall and moldy ceiling tiles have to come out before anyone can rebuild. AES can also handle hazardous material abatement and mold remediation as part of an interior demolition project. That means one contractor can coordinate the teardown and the cleanup inside a contained workspace.

What makes the price go up?

Five things move an interior demolition quote more than anything else:

1. Square footage and height. Bigger floor area means more labor. High ceilings need lifts and more care.
2. What is being removed. HomeAdvisor reports drywall at $0.50 to $1 per square foot, but hardwood flooring at $1 to $13 per square foot and tile at $2 to $4. Plaster, masonry and concrete cost more to break and haul.
3. Hazardous materials. Asbestos, lead paint and mold change the whole plan. See the next section.
4. Access and hauling. A third-floor walk-up with no elevator costs more than a ground-floor storefront with a dumpster at the door.
5. Occupancy and schedule. Working around tenants, patients or customers takes planning. AES says it can sometimes carry out demolition while a building is occupied, which means containment and dust control come first.

HomeAdvisor’s own note applies here: the labor share is $1 to $5 per square foot, and the rest pays for dumping, recycling, permits, hauling and equipment.

Does asbestos change an interior demolition in Missouri?

Yes. Missouri requires a certified asbestos inspection of the areas before most renovation or demolition work starts. That inspection can add a line to your budget and a step to your schedule, but it also tells you what you are dealing with before a wall comes down.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says regulated structures, or the areas that will be demolished or renovated, must be thoroughly inspected by a Missouri certified asbestos inspector. If the inspection finds 160 square feet, 260 linear feet or 35 cubic feet or more of regulated asbestos-containing material that the work will impact, a Missouri registered asbestos abatement contractor must remove all of it.

DNR also states an exception: a single residential structure that contains four or fewer dwelling units. The exception has limits. Projects that involve two or more residential structures are not exempt. A structure converted from residential to commercial use, or the reverse, is not exempt. Confirm with DNR before you rely on it.

For regulated asbestos abatement, DNR says the notice must reach the department at least 10 working days before the work starts. Plan that wait into your schedule. Our post on the 10 working days notice explains it.

HomeAdvisor lists asbestos removal as a separate cost of $1,200 to $3,000. Older St. Louis buildings can carry asbestos in floor tile, mastic, plaster, pipe wrap and ceiling texture. Our guide on asbestos in older St. Louis homes lists where it hides, and our asbestos survey entry explains what the inspector produces.

Permits add a local layer. The City of St. Louis and St. Louis County each run their own asbestos and demolition permit steps. Read the City permit guide or the County permit guide for your address. For timing, see how long a demolition permit takes in St. Louis.

What can I expect to pay for my own building?

Multiply your floor area by HomeAdvisor’s per-square-foot range to get a first check. This is arithmetic on a national range, not a quote.

The house result sits near HomeAdvisor’s separate figure of $2,500 to $9,800 for gutting an entire home. Add dumping fees of $200 to $1,000 and any asbestos work. A real quote also reflects stairs, plaster, heavy tile and tight access, which a flat rate cannot see.

What happens to the debris and hazardous materials?

AES says materials that can be recycled are separated for reuse, and harmful materials are disposed of by the correct means. It names fluorescent light fixtures, old wiring, PCBs and asbestos-containing materials as examples.

On projects that include abatement, AES says it uses containment, runs air filtration machines (see HEPA filter), cleans the air and surfaces in the contained workspace and does final air testing before the work area gets final approval. Dumping and hauling are real line items in a quote, so ask who pays for them. See hazardous material disposal if the job produces regulated waste.

How do I compare interior demolition quotes?

Compare scope, not just price. One quote may include hauling and another may not.

Use this checklist when you read each quote:

• Does it list which walls, ceilings, floors and fixtures come out?
• Who orders and pays for the asbestos survey, and is abatement priced separately?
• Are dumping and recycling fees included, and how are they counted?
• Who pulls permits?
• How will dust, spores or fibers be contained? AES says it confines the area and uses air filtration machines so dust, spores and asbestos fibers do not enter the atmosphere.
• What is left behind: bare studs, a clean slab, or utilities capped?
• What does the quote leave out?

For a small job, ask yourself whether the work touches suspect material. If it does, treat it as a regulated job, not a weekend project. If you are unsure, get the inspection before the crowbar.

Which interior demolition path fits my building?

Next step

AES provides interior demolition for homes, offices, retail, hotels, schools and other buildings in St. Louis, St. Charles and Columbia, Missouri. AES quotes each job; call (314) 865-2662 or use /contact to describe your building and your timeline.