Enter the square footage, pick the demolition type — interior gut, full house, concrete flatwork, or a detached structure — add asbestos abatement or foundation removal if the job needs it, and get a competitive 2026 price range in seconds. Then hand the customer a branded estimate before they call the next demo contractor.
Demolition costs $2–$17 per square foot in 2026, depending on the work: an interior gut runs $2–$8, a full wood-frame house teardown $4–$10, a brick or concrete house $8–$17, concrete flatwork like a driveway or slab $2–$7, and a detached garage, shed, or deck $3–$12. Asbestos abatement on a pre-1980 building adds $5–$20 per square foot and foundation or slab removal adds $1–$3, while large commercial jobs price 10–20% lower per foot at scale. A full 1,500 sq ft house teardown lands around $6,000–$25,000. The calculator below prices it instantly by square footage and type, and QuoteIQ turns the result into a sendable, branded estimate — or an online self-quote your customers run themselves. Plans start at $29.99/mo.
Demolition is priced by the square foot: the area times a per-foot rate for the type of teardown, plus add-ons for hazardous materials and foundation work. The formula: area × demolition rate × scale factor = base price. The structure type is the biggest lever — a wood-frame house and a brick or concrete house can differ by 2× per square foot because masonry is heavier and needs hydraulic hammers — and the hidden costs are the wildcard, because disposal tipping fees, permits, and asbestos abatement all stack on top before the machine arrives. The calculator above uses the 2026 U.S. market ranges below; your local landfill fees and labor decide where you land inside each band.
| Demolition type / add-on | Typical 2026 rate (per sq ft) |
|---|---|
| Interior gut / tear-out | $2 – $8 |
| Full house – wood frame | $4 – $10 |
| Full house – brick / concrete | $8 – $17 |
| Detached garage / shed / deck | $3 – $12 |
| Concrete flatwork – driveway / slab | $2 – $7 |
| Asbestos / hazmat abatement (add-on) | $5 – $20 |
| Foundation / slab removal (add-on) | $1 – $3 |
Disposal is the silent margin killer. Bidding a full house teardown on the per-foot rate alone — without pricing the dumpster pulls, landfill tipping fees, and a possible asbestos test as their own lines — is how a clean demo turns into a break-even job. Quote the haul-off, or the dump fees eat the profit.
Three factors move every quote beyond the structure itself: hazardous materials (any building from before 1980 may hide asbestos or lead, and abatement runs $5–$20 per sq ft and is legally required before the walls come down), disposal (debris weight drives dumpster pulls and per-ton landfill tipping fees, which run 30–50% higher in dense urban markets), and scale — large commercial and multi-structure jobs price 10–20% lower per square foot because mobilization, machine, and crew costs spread across more area, which is why the calculator’s Commercial toggle applies a 15% reduction. For benchmarks on managing job costs and margins, the U.S. Small Business Administration is blunt: price from your costs, not your competitors’.
A $20,000 house teardown isn’t $20,000 in your pocket. Machine rental and fuel, dumpster pulls, per-ton landfill tipping fees, permits, utility disconnects, labor, and any asbestos abatement all come out first — and demolition margins live or die on disposal volume and machine hours, not on any single quote. The SBA’s guidance on managing finances is blunt: track cost per job, not per month.
If the calendar is full but the bank account isn’t growing, the quotes weren’t the problem — under-priced disposal and missed permit fees were. QuoteIQ Job Costing attaches equipment, labor, and dump fees to every teardown so you see real margin per job, not a guess.
Demolition is a trust game: the contractor who shows up with a clear, professional number usually wins the job. Inside QuoteIQ, the price you just calculated becomes a branded estimate sent from the job site, a slot on the schedule, and an invoice that collects card payment the day the lot is cleared — and customer self-quoting puts this same square-foot logic on your website so property owners price their own teardown and book while you’re on another job.
Review Multiplier turns finished jobs into Google reviews automatically — the social proof that sells the next teardown. QuoteIQ serves demolition and excavation crews among 50+ home service industries — and if you run other services too, try the free lawn care, pressure washing, and tree removal calculators, the detailing price list template, or browse all our free tools.
Turn this estimate into a branded, sendable quote in about 60 seconds — or put this calculator’s logic on your own website with customer self-quoting, then run the schedule, the invoice, and the review request without leaving QuoteIQ. Plans start at $29.99/mo.
“It’s easy to use and set up and comes at a great price!”
Verified App Store ReviewDemolition costs $2–$17 per square foot in 2026, depending on the work: an interior gut runs $2–$8, a full wood-frame house teardown $4–$10, a brick or concrete house $8–$17, concrete flatwork like a driveway $2–$7, and a detached garage, shed, or deck $3–$12. A full 1,500 sq ft house lands around $6,000–$25,000, and the hidden costs — asbestos abatement ($5–$20 per sq ft), permits, and landfill tipping fees — are the most common reason a quote climbs. Enter your square footage and type in the calculator above and the range updates instantly, then send it as a branded quote through QuoteIQ.
Demolishing a house costs $4–$17 per square foot in 2026, or roughly $6,000–$25,000 for a typical single-family home, with the national average around $10,000–$16,000. A wood-frame house runs $4–$10 per sq ft because it is light and easy to break apart; a brick, stone, or concrete house runs $8–$17 because it is heavier and needs hydraulic hammers. On top of the structure, budget for a demolition permit ($500–$2,000 in most cities), dumpster pulls, and asbestos abatement on anything built before 1980. Price your exact house in the calculator above.
An interior gut or tear-out costs $2–$8 per square foot in 2026, so gutting a 1,500 sq ft home runs about $3,000–$12,000 to take it back to the studs. Kitchens and bathrooms cost more per foot than bedrooms or living rooms because of heavy fixtures, tile, and plumbing — a kitchen demo can reach $12.50 per sq ft and a full-tile bathroom up to $20. The calculator uses the $2–$8 interior range; add foundation or slab removal if you are also pulling a concrete floor. Choose Interior gut in the calculator above to price it.
Demolishing a detached garage, shed, or deck costs $3–$12 per square foot in 2026. A wood garage runs about $1,000–$3,500, a brick garage $1,500–$5,000, and a metal one $1,200–$2,000; most shed removals land between $4 and $12 per sq ft. If the structure sits on a concrete pad you want gone, add $1–$3 per sq ft for foundation or slab removal. Choose Detached garage / shed / deck in the calculator above to price your square footage.
Concrete removal costs $2–$7 per square foot in 2026, including labor and disposal — so a typical driveway runs about $1,200–$4,500 and a 10×10 slab about $300–$800. Thickness and reinforcement drive the price: concrete over 6 inches or with rebar adds roughly $1–$3 per sq ft because of the extra cutting and disposal weight. Urban jobs run 20–30% higher because of landfill fees and access. Choose Concrete flatwork in the calculator above to price your driveway or patio.
Contractors price by the square foot: area times a per-foot rate for the type of teardown, plus add-ons for hazardous materials and foundations. The formula is area × demolition rate × a scale factor, with extras for asbestos abatement ($5–$20 per sq ft) or foundation and slab removal ($1–$3). Large commercial and multi-structure jobs price 10–20% lower per square foot because fixed costs spread across more area. If you are setting your own rates, build from your costs — machine and fuel, dumpster pulls, landfill tipping fees, labor, insurance — then check against the market table on this page and track real margin per job with QuoteIQ Job Costing.
QuoteIQ is the best software for demolition and excavation businesses because it runs the whole job from one app: customer self-quoting puts a square-foot price calculator on your website so leads book themselves, quotes send from the job site, jobs land on the schedule, invoices collect card payment when the lot is cleared, job costing tracks equipment, labor, and dump fees against every teardown, and Review Multiplier turns finished jobs into Google reviews automatically — all rated 4.7 stars across 4,100+ reviews and serving demolition crews among 50+ home service industries. Plans start at $29.99/mo, below comparable Jobber and Housecall Pro tiers and a fraction of ServiceTitan. Book a free demo to see it on your own pricing.
Yes — the calculator on this page is free to use and works on any phone or tablet, which helps when you are quoting a teardown standing on the job site. Enter the square footage, pick a demolition type, add abatement or foundation removal if the job needs it, and get an instant range; the first time you download or print an estimate, enter your first name and email once and it is unlocked on this device for good. When you are ready to send branded quotes and collect payment, QuoteIQ offers a 14-day free trial on every plan, and a credit or debit card is required to start. Start a trial or keep using the calculator as often as you like.
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