ABOUT OUR COMPANY
Professional Foundation Tear Down Services
Foundation tear down isn’t something you rush. You’re dealing with thick reinforced concrete, footings buried deep below grade, and structures that were built to hold a lot of weight. Cracks, shifting, water damage, or full rebuild plans are usually what bring people to this point, and getting it done properly is key.
We handle foundation tear down with the right equipment and a clear plan. That means using excavators, concrete saws, and heavy-duty hauling equipment to break, separate, and remove every section safely. We manage access, watch for underground services, and take care of debris removal so the site is clean, stable, and ready for rebuilding.
- 20+ years of concrete and foundation demo experience
- Fully licensed, insured, and WSIB-registered
- Equipped for residential and full structural foundation removal
How a Foundation Tear Down Runs
- Locate what is buried. Before a machine touches the ground, buried services get located and marked. Water, sewer, gas, hydro and old abandoned lines all sit around a foundation, and a locate is the cheapest hour of the whole job.
- Confirm what is holding what. If any part of the structure above is staying, the foundation stops being a demolition question and becomes an engineering one. Shoring gets designed before anything is broken.
- Open the perimeter. The excavator digs down along the wall so there is room to work and the concrete has somewhere to fall.
- Break and separate. Walls and footings are broken with a hammer attachment, and rebar is cut and pulled out so the concrete can be recycled where the receiving facility takes it.
- Haul it out. Concrete leaves by truck. This is the part that drives the price, because you are paying by weight.
- Backfill and grade. Clean fill goes back in layers, then the lot is rough graded so water runs away from what is left standing.
What Changes the Price of a Foundation Removal
Two identical looking houses can price very differently once you are below grade. The things that move it:
- Depth and thickness of the walls and footings, which decides the tonnage
- Whether the slab is coming out as well, or staying for a rebuild in the same footprint
- Access for an excavator and a truck, especially on narrow city lots
- How close the foundation sits to a neighbour, a fence or a retaining wall
- Whether the soil coming out is clean fill or has to be handled differently
- The age of the structure, because pre-1990 buildings may need a designated substance survey first
More Demolition Services
ALMAR handles the whole range across Toronto, the GTA and Southern Ontario. A few that often go with this one:
- Complete demolition
- Residential demolition
- Commercial demolition
- Low-rise building demolition
- Cottage demolition
See the full list on our demolition services page, or check the areas we serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to remove the whole foundation?
Not always. If the new build sits in the same footprint and the concrete is sound, some designs reuse the foundation or leave the slab in place, which saves both excavation and disposal. If you are changing the footprint or the walls have failed, it all comes out. Your designer and your building department make that call, and we price both options so you can compare.
Do you need a permit to remove a foundation?
Foundation removal is normally part of a wider demolition or rebuild, and the permit sits with that project rather than with the concrete. Permits are issued by your local municipal building department. ALMAR does not apply for permits as part of the service, but we can assist for an additional fee.
What happens to the concrete?
It is hauled to an approved facility. Rebar is cut out first so the concrete can go into a recycling stream wherever the receiving site accepts it. Concrete is heavy, so disposal is a real line item on the quote rather than an afterthought.
Can you work on a tight downtown lot?
Usually yes, with smaller machines and more trucking. Tight access does not stop the job, it changes the method, and the method changes the price. That is what the free on-site visit is for.
Foundation Tear Down in Southern Ontario