Salvage vs tear down and haul off?

Question

Hi folks,

Bought a parcel with an ancient singlewide, with added on corrugated metal roof for extended living area. I want it gone. Have quotes for demo / remove, over $10k.

My question: it seems to me there is salvageable value in some of the lumber, metal roofing, even the old MH. Are there people / companies that will come and take that?

Or am I stuck with paying to have it demo'd and hauled off?

Location - Dallas / TX area

thanksScott

Bill B. · Answer

Would it survive being moved? Free cycle, Craigslist and neighborhood sites and such used to get takers for anything free, even junk. I swear somebody would come take a pile of leaves, if it was free.

Ps. You used to be able to have the local firefighters practice on such properties although that practice has been curtailed lately.

Henry Clark · Answer

A.  Would disconnect utilities and burn it.  Rent a skidsteer and keep pushing it together.  Then move the metal around.  Clean up the area.  Pile up the concrete.  $600

B.  Hire an excavator and bulldozer.   Have it buried. Burn it in the hole before you bury it.  Have them throw the metal into a dumpster and hauled off.  $3,000C.   Rent a skidsteer with both a bucket with teeth and a set of grapples.  Have three dumpsters dropped off.   Sort the metal off.  Rest in the dumpster. $3,000

Matt Devincenzo · Answer

Typically a demo operator that sees value in any of the salvage should be giving you a quote based on their ability to profit from the sales and reduce tipping fees etc through the salvage value. But it is very unlikely that there is sufficient value to reduce the demo costs more than maybe $500 or so on something like a single wide MH. If there is $800 in scrap then the contractor will want to realize some value for extracting that instead of simply landfilling the entire thing and saving multiple hours of work.

Theresa Harris · Answer

Post it on facebook and call some local savage yards.  They can come and deal with anything they want.

Ryan Normand · Answer

In my experience it's rarely worth it to try salvaging and/or re-selling demo debris. By the time you pull all the nails, separate it into piles, list it for sale, and find the right buyer, the time you'll have spent will not be worth the pocket change you get for it. There are some exceptions like copper and cabinets/appliances (if they're new and still in good condition, but I doubt that'll be the case in a place like this). You've also got to remember that if you're trying to salvage materials, a lot of the demo will have to be done by hand instead of with heavy machinery, which adds $$$.

If you want you can take a shot and post on FB marketplace and CL. You might get a few scrappers who want to pick through the place. But again, you'll probably just make a few bucks for the effort and still be left with the majority of the demo.

Rick Albert · Answer

From my experience trying to get rid of stuff is that people factor in the cost, labor, and time to actually do the work. As mentioned before, you can post parts of it for free on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace and see what happens. I had a pile of dirt from when I installed a new sewer line and got rid of it for free by posting on FB Marketplace. Try and if in 24 hours no one bites, then move on.

On the flip side, I doubt your costs will go down if you have some of it removed. The labor is already there and the dump fee is what it is. Chances are you won't get a discount if part of the property is taken away for you.

Joehn B. · Answer

Demo ASAP.  10k is about right for dallas.   remember time is money.  you don't want people coming and going for 25.00 worth of metal over two months time.  you are going to spend way more in one month of holding.  DIY method C above also works.

Scott Braden · Answer

Thanks all, I like all of those.  Henry - I'm not sure the county would let me do A or B but C looks feasible and in line with the proposals I've gotten.

Salvage vs tear down and haul off?

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