yellow and black excavator on brown brick wall during daytime

You might need to hire a demolition contractor if you want to renovate your office building. It’s worth ensuring you choose the right company. If something goes wrong, it could ruin your life, so you can’t just hire anybody.

I’m guessing it’s your first time hiring a demolition expert, so we’ll look at a few things you should ask about first. It won’t take long to finish your project, but you might need to wait for local and provincial permits.

Licenses And Insurance

Commercial demolition contractors need a license to demolish your office building, plus they’ll need good insurance. You need to watch out for a couple of things, like the maximum amount their insurance will pay out.

Don’t let anyone work on your building if you won’t be fully covered. Is the contractor licensed to work on office buildings as tall as yours? If not, it will be impossible to convince insurance companies to pay you.

Remove Hazardous Materials

Everything needs to be cleaned before the project is over. Will your experienced demolition contractor remove any debris? In an ideal world, you’ll want the place to look spotless by the time they leave.

Make sure your contractor is happy to remove hazardous materials, which isn’t always easy. You never know what you’ll find once an old building’s been torn down. Something could go wrong if they don’t know how to do it properly.

Looking Into Safety Records

Not only can accidents cost you lots of money, but someone could get seriously hurt. Demolishing a building can be pretty dangerous. If the contractor you hire doesn’t have a stellar safety record, try to find someone else.

Find out if anything bad has happened in the past, plus ask how they’ll keep everyone safe while working with you. If a company doesn’t want to show you its safety records, it’s not worth talking to them.

Right Kind Of Experience

Some demolition contractors spend most of their time working on residential homes, whereas others might focus on commercial properties. If the company is big enough, they may have lots of experience in both.

Some companies will have more experience with taller buildings. It’s important to ask contractors where their experience lies. Why would you ask someone to knock down your office building if they work on small homes every day?

Ask Contractors For Quotes

Hiring a demolition company isn’t cheap, so you’ll need to ask for quotes. Start by asking all the companies you think stand out. At least one of them will hopefully give you a quote you can afford.

Don’t settle for a subpar company if better ones are only a little over your budget. To ensure the final bill is accurate, you’ll need to explain what you want to be carried out in as much detail as possible.

It’s Okay To Ask Questions

It’s not rude to ask potential demolition contractors questions, so don’t feel like you’re being disrespectful. It’s the only way to find out if someone is worth hiring.