How Much Does It Cost to Demolish a House in Denver?

Typical Denver House Demolition Pricing

A small ranch on a slab or crawlspace with clear access and a clean asbestos report usually runs $15,000 to $20,000 torn down, hauled, and rough graded. A 1,500 to 2,000 square foot house with a crawlspace or partial basement runs $18,000 to $26,000. A two story with a full basement that has to come out and be backfilled runs $25,000 to $35,000. A positive asbestos survey adds abatement on top, anywhere from a few thousand dollars for floor tile in one room to five figures for a house full of textured drywall.

Those numbers are for the whole package: the survey, the state notice, the permit, the utility disconnects, the excavator and crew, every load hauled, disposal fees, and a lot you can build on. If a quote you are comparing is dramatically lower, check what it leaves out. Disposal alone on a house is a meaningful number, and the paperwork is a few weeks of someone's time.

What's in the Number

Line by line, roughly in the order it happens:

• Asbestos survey. Required by Colorado before any demolition, no matter the age of the house. A certified inspector samples suspect materials and a lab reads them.
• Abatement, if needed. Only if materials come back positive above the state trigger levels. A licensed abatement contractor removes them before demo day.
• CDPHE demolition notice and the city permit. The state notice fee is small. City permit fees run from about $30 in unincorporated Jefferson County to $100 in Castle Rock, and Denver adds Landmark Preservation review on every total demolition.
• Utility disconnects. Xcel cuts gas and electric. Water and sewer get capped at the main by a plumber or the district, and several cities want to inspect the cap before backfill.
• Demolition. Excavator, operator, and crew for 1 to 3 days. The foundation comes out with the house unless you are keeping it.
• Hauling and disposal. A typical house is many trailer and rolloff loads. Concrete and metal go to recyclers, which is cheaper than the landfill, and the rest goes to the landfill by the ton.
• Backfill and grading. If a basement comes out, the hole gets backfilled and compacted, and the lot is rough graded.

What Moves the Price

In order of impact:

• A basement. Concrete is heavy to break, heavy to haul, and the hole has to be filled with imported material. A full basement can add $5,000 to $10,000 over the same house on a slab.
• Asbestos findings. Floor tile and mastic in one room is a small abatement. Textured ceilings and drywall throughout a 1960s house is a large one.
• Size and stories. More square feet is more loads. A second story is more volume but not much more machine time.
• Access and neighbors. A tight city lot with a house three feet off the property line means slower, more careful work and sometimes hand demolition near the shared wall. A corner lot with an alley is the easy case.
• Trees and flatwork. Mature trees that must be protected, or a driveway and sidewalks you want gone, each add a line.
• Season. Frozen ground slows excavation and backfill. Spring and fall are the easy months.

How to Bring It Down

• Keep the foundation or the garage if your builder can work with it. Partial teardowns are common and cheaper.
• Clear the house yourself. Furniture and belongings inside the house go out as junk removal if we do it. An empty house is a demo job only.
• Bundle the flatwork. If the driveway and walks are coming out anyway, doing them with the house costs less than a separate concrete job later.
• Give us schedule flexibility. A job we can slot around other work prices better than one with a hard date.

Timeline

From a signed proposal, plan on 2 to 4 weeks before the excavator shows up. The asbestos survey takes a few days, abatement if needed takes a few more, the CDPHE notice requires 10 working days, and utility disconnects are scheduled at the utility's pace. The teardown itself is 1 to 3 days, and the lot is graded the same week.

Ranges and rules on this page are a planning guide, not a quote or legal advice. Every job is priced in writing after photos or a site walk, and permit rules are confirmed with the city for your address. Call or text (303) 521-9910.