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What it costs to tear out and dispose of an old deck.
With these inputs:
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Contractor removal | $1,072 – $2,044 |
| Deck area | 192 sq ft |
| Debris weight | 0.9 tons (about 1,728 lbs) |
| Dumpster | 20 cubic yard |
| Labour | $672 – $1,344 |
| Dumpster and disposal | $400 – $700 |
| Footing removal (8 estimated) | Left in place |
| Height factor applied | None — ground level |
| Typical time | 1 day with a crew |
Pressure-treated lumber cannot be burned and most areas will not take it as yard waste — it goes to landfill as construction debris, charged by weight. Composite is heavier than wood and is rarely recyclable through normal channels. Check whether your disposal site charges by the ton before booking a dumpster, since weight rather than volume is often what sets the bill. Leaving footings in place saves real money if nothing new is going in the same spot.
Estimates demolition and haul-away for an existing deck, including the disposal fees that are usually the surprise — pressure-treated lumber cannot go in normal yard waste and concrete footings are charged by weight.
The three costs are labour, the dumpster and the disposal fee, and the disposal is the one people forget. Height matters more than you would expect: a deck more than six feet up has to come apart carefully rather than being pulled down, which adds substantially to the labour.
You can take it to a landfill that accepts construction debris, but not to a yard-waste facility, and you must never burn it — the preservatives become airborne. Most transfer stations charge by weight. Call ahead, because some sites will not take treated lumber at all.
Only if something new is going in the same place or the yard is being landscaped. Concrete footings left in the ground are inert and invisible once soil covers them. Digging them out is slow, awkward work and the concrete is heavy to dispose of, so it is worth avoiding unless you have a reason.
Usually yes on cash, if you have a way to handle the debris. The demolition itself is straightforward for a low deck. What catches people out is volume — a modest deck fills a large dumpster, and the trips to a transfer station in a pickup add up faster than the rental would have.
A crew handles a typical ground-level deck in a day. Two people working weekends should reckon on a day per 90 square feet or so, plus time for the debris. Removing footings can easily double the schedule.
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