When they demolish a house in Detroit...what happens?

[grumpyoldlady]

Just learned that the house on Rossini where my husband grew up was demolished in the past few weeks. If this question has been answered before, I apologize.

We are wondering just what they do....do they plug the gas line to the house and bury it? Same with water and electric lines. Doing that doesn't sound very safe for someone down the line who might want to dig or build on the site. Is the debris from the structure simply pushed into the basement and covered up, or is it hauled away, including the basement walls? Do they leave the cement driveways and walkways?

Thanks to anyone who takes time to reply to this.

[Richard]

Just learned that the house on Rossini where my husband grew up was demolished in the past few weeks. If this question has been answered before, I apologize.

We are wondering just what they do....do they plug the gas line to the house and bury it? Same with water and electric lines. Doing that doesn't sound very safe for someone down the line who might want to dig or build on the site. Is the debris from the structure simply pushed into the basement and covered up, or is it hauled away, including the basement walls? Do they leave the cement driveways and walkways?

Thanks to anyone who takes time to reply to this.

21. Structure is collapsed onto itself and a “Knock Down” inspection is performed.
22. Wood, debris and the basement / footings are removed by the contractor and an “Open Hole” inspection is performed.
23. Clean Soil is delivered and verified as acceptable prior to backfilling the site.
24. Contractor backfills the site upon approval of fill, compresses and grades the fill.
25. Contractor seeds site with specific “No Mow” grass seed to control erosion and eliminate future mowing requirements of the vacant lot.
26. A “Final Grade” inspection is performed.

Listed here http://detroit2020.com/2012/05/17/wh...oned-building/

Although there are reports that a lot of vacant properties have the homes pushed into the basement.So you never really know.

Usually power,water,gas and electric is terminated at the street so there is no chance of incidents but once again you never know given past history.

If I was buying a vacant lot I would pay the money to have somebody use ground penetrating radar first.

Helps to find those long lost buried and forgotten mason jars also.

[DetroitPlanner]

A new trend is to deconstruct a home. Motor City Blightbusters has deconstructed several. http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...t_can_lar.html

[downtown_racine]

Lmao at deconstruction as being a new trend.
My great grandfather "recycled" bent nails from "deconstructed" homes 75 years ago. And by recycled I mean straightened and re-used. Along with every board and other "architectural salvage"

[Johnnny5]

Lmao at deconstruction as being a new trend.
My great grandfather "recycled" bent nails from "deconstructed" homes 75 years ago. And by recycled I mean straightened and re-used. Along with every board and other "architectural salvage"

Yeah, I think it was rather common especially among those who lived during the Depression. I still have a couple boxes full of straightened nails and recycled bolts and screws that belonged to my great grandfather. I never even met him, but I did get to hear stories from my father and grandfather about how they had to spend hours with the vise and a hammer fixing the nails. The funny part is a couple times per year I end up going into those boxes to find a unusual machine screw or bolt to repair something.

[Danny]

What happens when a Detroit home is demolished? It becomes a vacant blighted lot destined to have nature reclaiming that land for plants and animals.

[Hermod]

What happens when a Detroit home is demolished? It becomes a vacant blighted lot destined to have nature reclaiming that land for plants and animals.

Danny, with 40% of the 1950 population, you will either have vacant, deteriorating houses or vacant lots going back to nature. Take your choice.

[Motor City Sam]

21. Structure is collapsed onto itself and a “Knock Down” inspection is performed.
22. Wood, debris and the basement / footings are removed by the contractor and an “Open Hole” inspection is performed.
23. Clean Soil is delivered and verified as acceptable prior to backfilling the site.
24. Contractor backfills the site upon approval of fill, compresses and grades the fill.
25. Contractor seeds site with specific “No Mow” grass seed to control erosion and eliminate future mowing requirements of the vacant lot.
26. A “Final Grade” inspection is performed.

Listed here http://detroit2020.com/2012/05/17/wh...oned-building/

Although there are reports that a lot of vacant properties have the homes pushed into the basement.So you never really know.

Usually power,water,gas and electric is terminated at the street so there is no chance of incidents but once again you never know given past history.

If I was buying a vacant lot I would pay the money to have somebody use ground penetrating radar first.

Helps to find those long lost buried and forgotten mason jars also.

Thanks for the information. I wonder how often that process is actually followed in Detroit demolitions. I can see a lot of opportunities for cutting corners here, and the City has a terrible track record of following up to ensure that things are being done properly.

[mikefmich]

Gas and water lines are cut off at the main & plugged.
I know....I did a lot of them many years ago.

[MidTownMs]

Gas and water lines are cut off at the main & plugged.
I know....I did a lot of them many years ago.

But is that being done now???

[RaumVogel]

I've always wondered why they couldn't just let residents pay to remove materials for their own home improvements.

[Hermod]

But is that being done now???

The gas company is pretty sure to do it. They don't want any chance of a gas leak [[costs them money you know).

[CLAUDE G]

Depending on how close the building or house is to the side walk they may leave a basement wall standing.

There was a vacant party store they took down on van dyke several years ago and I asked why they left 2 sides of the basement walls standing and it was because they didn't want to undermine the sidewalk and street and possibly create a sink hole.

[grumpyoldlady]

Thank you for providing the answer to my question. I had done some searching, but I guess I didn't use the proper search terms to come up with the info.