(Please note: this post will make more sense if you've already read my previous post from today regarding The Decision of what we'll do with the house)
When weighing our house options, we realized that part of the "Scrap it and start over" option involved getting rid of the existing structure. We wanted to make sure we were comparing like costs, so we worked hard to find out what other costs (aside from the home cost) are involved with a new home build.
We contacted the county and found out that we won't have to pay local impact fees. Since a home is already on the property those fees don't apply. The existing electricity, water, and septic will all be connected to the new house. The current house is sited well on the property, so we'll be building on nearly the very same location. This means there will be only slight changes to the driveway and connections to septic, etc.
Then we met with an excavation company that was recommended to us, and has lots of relevant experience, to find out what tear down and haul away would cost. As we were talking about cost, work involved, etc, the excavation guy mentioned that we should talk to the local fire district.
Apparently, the local fire districts appreciate being able to use homes for practice. The excavation guy thought our home would be a promising candidate, as it's away from other homes, etc.
Later that week we met with the training supervisor for the district. He thought the house would suit them nicely, and let us know what would be involved with a burn of this sort. Basically, the fire fighters use the house for drills/practice most of the day. When they're done later in the afternoon, they let the house go up in flames.
We've had to spend a bit of $$ on permits, applications, and a bit of asbestos remediation, but we're really excited about this method of demolition.
It enables us to help the local fire department and save a ton of money on excavation costs! As an added bonus, the training supervisor says we can lean the rest of our brush pile up against the carport so it will go up in flames when the whole house goes.
The date for the burn is this Saturday. We're headed out to the property in a couple of days to board up the windows and remove the hot water heater (both of which the fire dept require). We'll also be salvaging the bathroom mirrors (to be used as training mirrors in my future dog training barn), the kitchen cabinets (to be used as garage storage), and the rough-hewn mantle piece on the fireplace (don't know what we'll do with it). Everything else is going up in flames.
Oh, and the coolest part? We get to go out and watch! I'll be working hard to get some good pics/video...
When weighing our house options, we realized that part of the "Scrap it and start over" option involved getting rid of the existing structure. We wanted to make sure we were comparing like costs, so we worked hard to find out what other costs (aside from the home cost) are involved with a new home build.
We contacted the county and found out that we won't have to pay local impact fees. Since a home is already on the property those fees don't apply. The existing electricity, water, and septic will all be connected to the new house. The current house is sited well on the property, so we'll be building on nearly the very same location. This means there will be only slight changes to the driveway and connections to septic, etc.
Then we met with an excavation company that was recommended to us, and has lots of relevant experience, to find out what tear down and haul away would cost. As we were talking about cost, work involved, etc, the excavation guy mentioned that we should talk to the local fire district.
Apparently, the local fire districts appreciate being able to use homes for practice. The excavation guy thought our home would be a promising candidate, as it's away from other homes, etc.
Later that week we met with the training supervisor for the district. He thought the house would suit them nicely, and let us know what would be involved with a burn of this sort. Basically, the fire fighters use the house for drills/practice most of the day. When they're done later in the afternoon, they let the house go up in flames.
My pre-enactment of what will happen. ;)
It enables us to help the local fire department and save a ton of money on excavation costs! As an added bonus, the training supervisor says we can lean the rest of our brush pile up against the carport so it will go up in flames when the whole house goes.
The date for the burn is this Saturday. We're headed out to the property in a couple of days to board up the windows and remove the hot water heater (both of which the fire dept require). We'll also be salvaging the bathroom mirrors (to be used as training mirrors in my future dog training barn), the kitchen cabinets (to be used as garage storage), and the rough-hewn mantle piece on the fireplace (don't know what we'll do with it). Everything else is going up in flames.
Oh, and the coolest part? We get to go out and watch! I'll be working hard to get some good pics/video...
Oh, cool. Wish I could go watch:-)
ReplyDeleteWow! That is way cool! What a really neat way to get rid of the old house! I definitely want to see lots of pictures and video!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to make it leave! So, will it burn up or will it burn down?
ReplyDeleteNiiiiiiiice! What an awesome way to demo a house! LOL Definitely take some pics and video.
ReplyDelete