ForConstructionPros.com

A wrecking ball and dynamite can certainly raze a building. But for many contractors performing demolition work, a more precise tear down with excavator-mounted demolition attachments can be a more cost-effective and lucrative proposition.

"With a wrecking ball you end up with a mixed pile of rubble," says Jeff Malarik, Atlas Copco. "Mixed rubble needs to be taken to a landfill or separated off site. This requires hauling fees, tipping fees, etc., all of which add to the cost of the project."

Specialized excavator attachments, on the other hand, can serve as primary demolition tools to tear down structures, then operate as secondary tools to process and/or sort debris into piles that can be sold at a profit, hauled to a recycler or used on site. "The ultimate goal is to use everything on site, because you can save on the cost of transportation and labor," notes Jim Lafon, Geith. "And it's better for the environment."

Malarik sees such "selective disassembly" as an emerging trend. "It's sort of reverse construction," he states. "It's just more economical for contractors to take structures apart selectively - to put various materials in their particular place, rather than having them mixed together in a big pile, move that pile, then sort the pile. It's more economical to move any one thing once."

"To be able to process debris on the jobsite and leave most of the material behind can be a substantial advantage to the contractor," agrees Curt Helmen, Genesis. For example, a structure that's made mainly of reinforced concrete can be separated into two piles, one with concrete, the other with rebar. "The contractor saves in the cost of not having to move trucks in and out," he says. "He also ends up with rebar that can be sold as scrap steel. In this scenario, he could own the attachment several times over on the very first job."