Concrete Demolition

Tear-out, saw cutting, core drilling, and haul-away cost ranges.

• Asphalt Removal Cost — $3–$8 per square foot
  Asphalt removal includes breaking or milling the pavement, loading the debris, hauling it away, and preparing the exposed area for subsequent work. Southern California costs are influenced by pavement thickness, reinforcement or underlying base, total removal area, equipment access, disposal distance, and local recycling or tipping charges.
• Concrete Core Drilling Cost — $250–$900 per hole
  Concrete core drilling creates a round opening through a slab, wall, footing, or other concrete element for plumbing, electrical, ventilation, or similar penetrations. Southern California costs vary by hole diameter and depth, concrete strength and reinforcement, drilling orientation, access, scanning requirements, water and slurry control, and the number of holes.
• Concrete Demolition Cost — $3–$8 per square foot
  Concrete demolition pricing is driven by slab thickness, reinforcement, equipment access, saw cutting, hauling distance, and disposal charges. Small jobs commonly carry mobilization minimums, so their effective square-foot cost can be much higher than pricing for an open, equipment-accessible driveway or patio.
• Concrete Haul-Away Cost — $100–$275 per ton
  Concrete haul-away covers loading, transporting, and disposing of broken concrete by weight. Southern California cost depends on disposal facility charges, travel distance, material contamination, loading conditions, and whether the debris contains reinforcing steel.
• Concrete Saw Cutting Cost — $6–$18 per linear foot
  Saw-cutting cost is driven by cut depth, blade diameter, reinforcement, cutting method, slurry control, access, and total footage. Linear-foot prices are meaningful only when tied to a specified depth; small residential jobs are commonly governed by mobilization and minimum-service charges rather than measured footage alone.
• Driveway Removal Cost — $3–$9 per square foot
  Driveway removal cost is driven by slab thickness, reinforcement, equipment access, hauling distance, and disposal charges. Southern California pricing rises for hand demolition, heavily reinforced concrete, multiple dump loads, utility precautions, and work near structures or the public right-of-way.
• Interior Slab Removal Cost — $7–$20 per square foot
  Interior slab removal costs more than open exterior demolition because crews must control silica dust, protect occupied finishes, cut manageable sections, and hand-carry debris through limited access. Thickness, reinforcement, disposal distance, utilities, and the amount of area removed are the principal cost drivers.
• Patio Removal Cost — $4–$12 per square foot
  Patio-removal cost is driven by slab thickness, reinforcement, equipment access, loading distance, disposal, and protection of the home and landscaping. Southern California projects with narrow side-yard access, hand demolition, unknown footings, or long debris carries can cost substantially more than open machine-access work.
• Pool Deck Demolition Cost — $5–$14 per square foot
  Pool deck demolition involves breaking up the existing concrete, separating it from the pool edge and nearby improvements, and removing the debris from the property. Southern California costs depend on concrete thickness and reinforcement, equipment access, disposal logistics, and the care required near the pool shell, plumbing, coping, landscaping, and structures. Hand demolition or long debris-hauling routes generally require more labor.
• Sidewalk Removal Cost — $4–$12 per square foot
  Sidewalk removal cost depends on concrete thickness, reinforcement, haul distance, disposal fees, equipment access, and the amount of hand work around structures and utilities. Small quantities often cost more per square foot because mobilization, saw cutting, loading, and disposal minimums are spread over less area.