Buffalo weather is hard on anything you leave outside
Six months of freeze-thaw, lake-effect load on a shed roof, and standing water where the snow melts against a deck ledger. Structures out here don't age gently, and by the time most people call us the thing in the yard has gone from a feature to a liability — soft boards, a leaning wall, a hot tub full of green water and dead leaves.
These jobs aren't really junk removal, they're demolition with a haul-off attached, and they need the right tools and enough hands. That's included in the price. You don't tear it down and then call us for the pile; we do the whole thing.
What we tear down and remove
- Hot tubs and spas, indoor or outdoor
- Sheds: wood, vinyl and metal
- Decks, porches, stairs and railings
- Above-ground pools and pool decking
- Swing sets, playsets and trampolines
- Fencing: wood, chain link and vinyl
- Gazebos, pergolas and arbors
- Carports and lean-tos
- Storm-damaged structures and downed sections
How a hot tub removal actually goes
A hot tub has to be drained first, and that takes hours — so if you can start draining it the day before we arrive, the job goes much faster and cheaper. On site we cut the power at the disconnect if it's a simple unplug, or you'll want an electrician to kill a hardwired line beforehand. Then the shell gets cut into sections small enough to carry, because almost no tub comes out of a fenced backyard in one piece. The cabinet, the pump housing, the cover and the cover lifter all go with it.
What's left behind
We'll be straight with you about the ground underneath, because it's the part people don't expect. Under a shed or a hot tub there's usually a concrete pad, patio blocks or a gravel base, and under a deck there are footings and post bases set in concrete. We can pull patio blocks and gravel and haul them as heavy material. Breaking out a full concrete pad or digging deck footings is heavy demolition — sometimes we can do it, sometimes it's a separate contractor, and it depends on what's down there. We'll tell you at the estimate rather than at the end.
Expect the ground where the structure stood to look different: dead or bare grass, settled soil, and a clean rectangle where the sun hasn't reached in years. That evens out over a season.
Permits
Some municipalities in Erie County require a permit for demolition of an accessory structure, and requirements vary town to town. Check with your local building department before we start — it's usually a quick call. We're not able to pull permits on your behalf.
What we can't take on this job
We do not remove hazardous waste or chemicals — no paint, solvents, motor oil, gasoline, pesticides, pool chemicals, asbestos, propane tanks, or medical waste. That material is regulated and has to go through a licensed hazardous-waste channel. If you're not sure what something is, call and describe it and we'll point you to the right drop-off. See the full list.
Where we work
We serve Buffalo, the Northtowns and southern Niagara County, which covers Buffalo, Kenmore, Tonawanda, Amherst, Williamsville, Clarence, Grand Island, Cheektowaga, North Tonawanda, Wheatfield, Pendleton and the Town of Niagara, plus the eastern and southern Erie County towns of Depew, Lancaster, Sloan, West Seneca, Elma, Lackawanna, Blasdell, Hamburg and Orchard Park. Full list on our service areas page. Just past the line? Call anyway — if the job makes sense we'll come, and if it doesn't we'll tell you rather than waste your afternoon.