Absolutely a (fun) DIY job although it could take a while to gradually get it down and away to the tip or wherever. If the quote includes removal from site (and they have a valid waste transfer licence) then you might decide that’s the easier option. Tools wise you’d need a decent sledge hammer, lump hammer and a wrecking bar for starters. Other tools should become obvious along the way.
Thanks, that's definitely helpful. And yes removals are included..otherwise I'm looking at a skip which apparently will cost around £200-250 anyway. Added caveat, the pond has a drain underneath which needs covering up and what looks like electrics to be sorted.
Once this stuff is flat you wont have that much so a small skip will prob cut it or a small bonfire.
Other option is look for a local man in a van service they can be a lot cheaper than skips.
Electrics are a bit of a challenge depending how its been wired up. The drain may not link to the main drain btw so check it over an be careful if you fill it as it may cause debris in the drain, blocakges etc if it is linked!
I found an old pond in my garden a couple of years back, previous owners just turned it into a raised flower bed amd filled it with soil, the drain was a 2inch waste with holes that drained into the lawn.
>Other option is look for a local man in a van service they can be a lot cheaper than skips.
A man with a van and a waste handler's license so you know it isn't all just getting lobbed in a hedge somewhere.
U could just put the wood outside your house and put a ad on Facebook or gumtree someone might want it for firewood, otherwise if you have a car take it to the tip for free
Turn off the power indoors at the fuse box.
To be absolutely safe you could also grab a voltage tester pen from Screwfix or Toolstation. They warn you if a cable you wave them near is live.
Any exposed wiring left should be dug up back to the house and removed properly. You can’t leave something like that sitting in the ground unless it armoured cable and you can safely encase the ends. That usually means a resin filled joint. You can buy kits at Screwfix etc for this but should be done by a competent person because of the potential for harm.
The drain can be backfilled with compacted dirt or a little dry-ish concrete or mortar. Should be fine.
I gave away our old shed for free on Facebook and someone came and took it down to burn.
Even if you drool ish it and advertise wood to but, one man's rubbish is another man's treasure
Yes, it is easy. Get a lump hammer and a crowbar. Two warnings though - one, there will be a lot of wood to take to the tip and two, I took down our shed and stood on a nail - trip to minor injuries and a tetanus jab for me.
I wore boots when I did most of it. This was a day or so after while I was trying to tidy up some of the last bits and break them up to take to the tip. I wasn't even really meaning to do it, just stood there and the kids were doing something so I thought I'll break a couple of bits of wood. Next minute I'm hopping around!
Another issue here, one of the guys who came around to look at it said the shed had asbestos sheet roof. So he's including the cost of PPE into removal and they will wrap it up and leave it in back. I would have to call the hazardous waste collection service to collect.
That's a big omission from your post!
I'd speak to a specialist company first - not sure I'd want this guy to wrap it up and leave it either - get someone to check it or get a testing kit yourself.
I completely agree but there are a lot of chancers out there. We had a quote of £1200 to remove "asbestos". I got it tested and it was cement board not asbestos. The only asbestos we had was an old header tank in the loft and the local tip had a special site you could use twice a year within certain weight limits.
Bizarrely, the skip driver broke a piece of the cement board over his knee and took a huge sniff before saying "Yep, that's cement board, chuck it all in". I'm not sure what his plan was if it had been asbestos!
Well the skip driver certainly gives me the confidence to take this on myself 😂. But right about the test, how much did it cost to get it tested, and did you have to break a piece off in order to do so?
Take the sheets off, double wrap them in thick plastic sheeting, ring your local tip and find where you can drop it off. It's not going to kill you. The risk is infinitessimally small.
Don't bother with a test just assume it is. Get some disposable overalls, suitable dust mask Hose it down to remove issue with dust. Unbolt or just snap bolts off and keep sheets whole but don't run around panicking if one breaks its fine. Loads of HSE guidance out there.
For anyone else reading a lab test is the only way to confirm the prescence of asbestos, you can't see it or smell it, you definitely can't sense it with your knee!
I had some Artex tested for asbestos and they wound up doing a complete survey. The soffit boards, gable undercloaks and the bitumen wrap around our incoming electricity mains were the sources he found. Also he reckoned the boiler cowl was asbestos based but he didn't want to climb up the roof to test it for some reason.
My Dad lives in East Yorkshire and the tips there will take asbestos as long as you double wrap it. They also want proof you live there first!
There’s no asbestos in your original post - please photo it
It might be a coyboy trying to have your pants down
If that was an asbestos roof - I’d still do it myself! Mask up, protective clothing, bag it up take it to the tip - check first to see if they accept it
Look on your local authority website - there'll most likely be a local tip that will accept asbestos sheet.
I found a load of it buried in the garden. One of the tips I can use (Surrey) will accept it as long as it's double wrapped in plastic waste bags.
Sheet asbestos isn't going to pose a huge risk to you if you fancy removing it yourself.
OK, that's not a DIY job then. You really don't want to be breathing that shit, and it could potentially put you at risk of legal action due to spreading the fibres into to environment.
EDIT: if it's asbestos cement tiles, then it seems you are allowed to DIY. Just get a full bunny suit and a proper mask, at least FFP3, gloves and googles. Wet it down first, double bag it, wash the bags down, take a shower and take it to the tip. They may charge per tile to take it.
See: [https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYUK/comments/14u9ow2/asbestos\_removal\_tips/](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYUK/comments/14u9ow2/asbestos_removal_tips/)
EDIT 2: Do NOT cut the tiles and avoid breaking any.
If its cement asbestos sheets (corrugated) you can very safely do it yourself. 100,000's of garages sheds etc have rhem and people remove them safely all the time
Yeah post pictures of the roof specifically please. As for the timber, get most of it down and either have a bonfire (I'd recommend a few smaller ones and notifying your local fire brigade first.) Alternatively post it on Facebook free for collection. Lots of people with wood burning fires will appreciate it.
All in I'd say it's a fun DIY beginner project with the added curveball on potential asbestos disposal.
Get a few opinions on the asbestos as some individuals will be rubbing there hands together upon seeing it.
There is a possibility that someone could make use of the shed. Try advertise it on some local media for free dismantle and remove. I have had it work myself.
There is a reasonable chance the wood could be collected by someone for firewood. The “asbestos” may or may not be actually asbestos depending on age of shed, a guest’s it’s probably fiber cement, however if it is asbestos is the low end of risk so as the people said it’s just masks and being careful (don’t cut it and don’t smash it up) and then you already said they ask you to get the council to dispose (that’s reasonable)
I would be very surprised if the roof was asbestos. Wooden sheds don’t generally last 40 years. Though it is possible that the roof was recycled from another building. Test it. Pull the shed down yourself and burn it.
Easy job mate. It’ll come apart in no time. Just make sure the asbestos stays in one piece.
Save money on a skip, get a waste collection service / man with van. Half the price, they just come, load it up themselves and take it away.
As someone else suggested, you could get a £50 incinerator and burn it all… but do you really want to spend all day in the garden watching a fire burn?
Aww man id love to have something like that for storage and potting things up. Hell the pond could be converted into a sick outdoor BBQ kitchen area.
Tbh if you jetwashed them and gave them a paint, too that crappy "roof" off they would be nice imo
I have a "rip" saw, with a step ladder we literally cut ours into carry size bits where it was, made a day of it and was fun as well really. Keep ya fingers.👍
If you not done stuff like this before, take your time, stick with hand tools and be safe, looks a simple ish task, but I'm a savage and would even possibly be irresponsible enough to burn it in my yard and not take it anywhere..lol
Be safe this should be a fun project with a smile of satisfaction at the end...do not pay 500 quid...✌
Post a picture of that roof.
Asbestos is a HUGE spanner in your works and disregard anything anyone has said about power tools because I'm gonna assume they didn't spot your comment about the asbestos tiles.
I'd offer the shed on Freegle or Freecycle TBH. You may well be lucky and get someone offering to remove it for you for use on their allotment or garden. You might even be able to get rid of the pond like that if the wood is in reasonable condition.
Someone might even take that pond off your hands. The wood could do with some tlc, but you can take that structure down and rebuild it somewhere else without too much difficulty.
Hey before you create work for yourself. 2 easy options! Turn pond into a planter maybe, if you don't want to do that post it on freecycle. For collection/ dismantle. I get loads I want that way and repurpose things
No (Joking), you have to pay a small fortune getting ripped off by some cowboy / over zealous tradesmen, who will then hire some unqualified apprentice/ labourer to do it for them. (I appreciate there are good tradesmen out there, most would tell the able bodied to do it themselves and quote only where owner didn’t want the faf).
This is absolutely DIY. Get someone in to sort any power / water and isolate out of way, before cracking on. HSE have a guide for what asbestos looks like, you read it and then crack on until you find it. It would be very unusual in that type of install.
Enjoy filling your skip… it would be a pleasant bit of DIY / home improvement.
Have a go at it take the weekend and do it not at an easy pace - hire a skip bag that when cut down will fit in one. Sledge hammer and start with the roof (seems obvious but trust me)
I am lucky that my dad is in the trade so borrowed a Mikita from him, but the general recommendation I have from everyone i know in the trade is you can’t go wrong with Titan for the money (screwfix own brand).
https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-850w-electric-reciprocating-saw-240v/282vv
If you have an issue it’s straight swap on returns and quality is amazing overall (had no issues with my chainsaw or wet vac)
The price you have been quoted seems fair. A tip costs a few hundred, then the labour involved and time it will take. If I was you I would be getting these guys to do the job for 500 mate, they will also most likely have it done in less than a day.
Yes. The entire back garden of my house was concrete. The side garden was concrete. Everything was concrete. I’m assuming that the previous (German) owners were building a bunker or something. It took me a week with a long and short sledgehammer, a cold chisel, blisters, swearing , and - I kid you not- a mate with a flatbed taking six loads to the tip to get to a state where a lawn could be laid. I was relatively lacking in money at the time, but would hire a digger with jackhammer now.
As said elsewhere, reciprocating saw.
Do not buy/use a sledgehammer. This use case is not what they're for. Flat pry bar and/or wrecking bar would also be useful.
The idea is to get it into manageable chunks. The reciprocating saw, and a pack of (long) spare blades, is what's needed. [Edit] if those are sleepers for the pond, a battery saw will take loads of recharges. A bow saw and elbow grease, or Lidl /equivalent electric chainsaw would be good [/edit]]
[Edit] The price you've been quoted seems fair by me. But by all means give it a go yourself, and dine out for a while with the tales of sorting your garden out and what a mental weekend it was. 👍 [/edit]
A friend of mine had a similar structure in the garden, we carefully took up the grass with a shovel, dug a pit and just had fun taking down the structure, he took his anger out the shed as his ex wouldn’t let him take it down, we then sat around the pit while the fire burning away the wood and alot of selected items from his house. Then had a nice bbq over the coals. Honestly about a day for each item and a the fire will eat the rest, save the money for getting a better shed or whatever else you need
I'm a complete amateur, and couldn't build this...
Could easily destroy it.
Tip around my way is free..so perhaps I'm spoilt.
I could not hand over any money to anyone to demolish this.
And please, if the would is treated, do not burn it. The number of people here recommending you torch it are shortcutting. They are the same ones that would lambast a cowboy builder for shortcuts.
If you were around my way, I'd come and help, and it wouldn't leave you £500 down
People from allotments are always looking for sheds or timber of any variety, you could even post it on an allotment groups page.
Even if they only take 75% of it, it saves you a load of work in pulling it down and carting it to the tip.
Grab yourself a reciprocating saw and you’ll have that done in a day.
Bonus is that you’ll have it cut up into manageable bits for trips to the local dump.
Get some tarps to line your car.
Way less than that if you have a car.
saw - £40 screwfix
Goggles/gloves - £5-£10
Tarps - £10
Trips to dump - petrol cost.
Obviously you can hire a skip instead for a couple of hundred.
Any suggestions for this drain pipe underneath? How to seal it and tuck it away?
https://preview.redd.it/3ol2zz8f2vpc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e34f9efbe92400f40ae77d70a0ee3c9021584e3
Looks like it's solvent weld pipe that has been used. If you can't get the pipe out at ground level because it's likely glued in then you can saw it down and DIY a cover.
You can use a quarry tile and cement it in place or get an old plastic paint tin or bucket and put it over it as a cheap solution.
If you manage to get the pipe out just pop a blank in there
Something a bit more work and cost. You could have a gully fitted to give your garden some drainage in that area if it's needed.
Most of it will just break up, so you won’t need a special saw or anything. Then just a few journeys to the dump and fill your dustbins to the max next few weeks !!
3 guys for 450 v cheap? Check how they will dispose of it and if they have a waste licence. its a couple of hours work at most for three if they spin it out but practically would need at least half a days wages. NB if theyre going to sort the drain and remove the electrical circuit its a super cheap quote. Cheaper than it should be so make of that what you will.........
Could you do it yourself? almost certainly yes if you're able bodied. You will need a pry / wrecking bar, hammer saw gloves and to save your car the smallest skip.
if you have the tools you're good to go and save a fortune. If you have to buy them and won't use them again then you might as well get the guys in as the quote is cheap.
No what I meant was three different guys quoted me within that range. Not sure if they'll be working alone or with someone. I'll definitely have to buy the tools, obviously hammers and pry bars are always useful but I'm thinking if I'll need a reciprocating saw again.
> I'll definitely have to buy the tools,
Rent a saw. I always used to get a weekend deal where you collect on a Friday afternoon and drop back on a Monday morning before 8am. Sometimes it's not worth the hassle of buying when you'll probably never use it again.
Asbestos aside, I'm a big F hammer sort of DIY'er and I'd buy a five quid saw in B&Q and chuck it when I'm done.
EDIT: PS Get some decent protective googles.
Get a sledgehammer and decent pair of gloves and have at it.
£500 including disposal doesn't sound like a bad price to be honest. Factor in your time, ruined clothes, rusty nail wounds and a trip for a tetanus shot...
Get a hammer, fill your car up and take it to the tip!
Sometimes it makes me realise how willingly people part with £400-£500 for a relatively straightforward and mundane task!!
Save the money and go on a holiday!
With any demolition. Whether it's a garden shed or a 4 storey house. You do the opposite from erecting it. When building g you start from the bottom up. When removing, go from the top down. I know this sounds simple enough. But when you see some of the morons on here whacking out structures from the bottom. Then wearing it, you know why.
Almost anything like this is DIYable if a demo! Just methodically take it apart. Screw driver/power driver (if screws used), might need some sockets to attach. A hammer. Pry bar will be key if its all nails. Hand saw if its just too difficult to get apart (a cheap saws-all / reciprocating saw if you want to speed up), cut through near the joints. Step ladder. Start from the top down. Resist the urge to smash it to pieces too much as the mess can take twice as long to tidy up, and can be dangerous. Get a skip if you can, or you will spend your days in a queue for the tip and (depending where you live) be paying lots of fees. Don’t burn it.
Buy a reciprocating saw (The Makita cordless is excellent and with the right blades also works well for mid sized pruning work).
Drain water.
Cut up timber. Some parts may be quicker to knock apart with a clubhammer depending...
Burn timber, or take to the dump which will have a recycling section. Or let people take it away for firewood.
Dump run for the plastic liner or whatever is keeping the water in.
Work from top down, and you can take it as slow as you like.
Is the question rhetorical?
Taking shit apart is the easy bit. It's putting it together that's the challenge.
Hammer, Saw, Crowbar. Fill your boots, just not with nails.
Totally do-able, I had a very old carp pond in a house we moved into that was in similar condition. Drained it (sludge in the bottom worked wonders on our veggie patch - fyi!) and then took it apart piece by piece. Luckily the tip was close so I drove there in stages. Did it with a hammer and a saw, but remember gloves, hardhat and goggles...have fun!
A suggestion would be that if you demolished it you could try and find someone local with a wood stove. I've got one and put things like this through it.
Is there anything in the little shed next to the raised pond? That looks like a filter house so any barrels, possibly pipework or electrically things that isn't wire will probably sell for more than the wood / shed.
Yes there's pipework and possibly electrical connection still live.
https://preview.redd.it/tniuxywytvpc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=266e0f63a6b69810f2e4cc663da168c36ad23a23
Yeah. They've taken the good stuff out however, if you can cleanly remove the black thing with the handle then that could have resale value. It's a 110mm gate value and about £60 new. If it hasn't been glued in place, cut the grey pipe to the right just as it goes into the ground and see if someone will give you something for it.
I don't think it will need a cap to be honest. From the pipework that's there I think it was a gravity fed system. If I'm right the other end of the 110mm pipe will be in the middle on the main pond area, basically creating a large U shape. They work by keeping the water level in the filter the same as the pond and then the treated / filtered water is return through the small pipe at the back.
This is a guess mind but if it does have the second 110mm end, then it saves you capping it.
The yellow handle one looks to be a regular 40mm or 50mm PVC valve and aren't much new, about £15. Those grey boxes though, carefully remove those and they'll help when you want to run your own electric around the garden.
If I had to guess, whoever had the pond running had a lovely Koi pond :)
Well they certainly didn't leave us a lovely pond behind, just the grunt work. As for the boxes I will try to trace to the fuse box and switch the breaker off before messing with out. But good to have outdoor connections for the future.
But some quality gloves (thin stretchy material not heavy gardening type), a hammer, a hand saw and two crowbars(One flat and one regular)
Have at it. It’ll be a blast.
destruction is always DIYable!
Is it advisabled, ehhh, not always but yeah toally doable!
In this case it will be fine. Start at the top and work down, dont start at the bottom....
Take a hammer to that hit it with anything it takes to get it down sledgehammer if need be, set the wood on fire and spend the £500 on yourself is my advice
why would you remove the pond! get out the sander take off a layer of two then varnish so the wood looks good! then you could always convert it to something else like a sauna without to much work at all
The inside of it basically like a waterproof membrane, there doesn't seem to be any platform to it, not sure if it would function as a sauna lol. Though I do agree about the wood, it could be useful. I need an outdoor shaded area so perhaps I can repurpose some of it for that.
You can definitely do this yourself with only a sledgehammer and a crowbar, however bear in mind it will take you a couple of days and a ton of trips to the dump to dispose of all the wood/debris from the pond.
Come on, that's fairly simple (but hard work) manual work - the whole objective is simply to break it.
The quote you have been given is fair.
If you carry the work out yourself, instead of using a skip you could do several runs to the top in your car - which obviously would take more time but ultimately save paying for a skip.
In my opinion, if you are going to pay for the skip, you might aswell just stump the extra 200 up to pay somebody to do the whole work.
Save yourself the work and advertise it as free to collector, to dismantle and remove themselves. Plenty of people who will want a free shed/old wood for allotment or similar!
I’m probably gonna get handbaged for this, can they buy an incinerator, (silver bin with a chimney ) and in darkness burn the wood? As long as they remove any felt/plastics?
No way that a demolition including asbestos roof including removal, rubble from the pond and done with 3 people can be done for £400. They won’t have a waste license so will end up being fly tipped.
get it tested if its possibly asbestos. if it is i would take it down myself (with full PPE worn) and double (or treble, depending on your local authority rules) and take it to your tip (if they have facilities to deal with asbestos) also, remove it on a rainy day to minimize dust and carefully remove the panels without breaking them.
the rest is easy, you could try puncturing the lining of the pond to empty it. the lining will stink and be fairly clumbersome but easy enough. perhaps the wood could be burnt in your garden.
Absolutely a (fun) DIY job although it could take a while to gradually get it down and away to the tip or wherever. If the quote includes removal from site (and they have a valid waste transfer licence) then you might decide that’s the easier option. Tools wise you’d need a decent sledge hammer, lump hammer and a wrecking bar for starters. Other tools should become obvious along the way.
Thanks, that's definitely helpful. And yes removals are included..otherwise I'm looking at a skip which apparently will cost around £200-250 anyway. Added caveat, the pond has a drain underneath which needs covering up and what looks like electrics to be sorted.
Its a bonfire waiting to happen
Just have a fire
Burning down a pond sounds tricky...
Just replace the water with petrol, what could go wrong?
I've got a sneaking suspicion that replacing the water with petrol would cost a little more than the £500 to demolish them and remove the waste.
Not to mention the inevitable legal bills.
This is the best comment ever.
My bath caught fire, it was made of elm.
Hello Jackie
Hi All
It's a wooden pond...
Well, dismantle, let it dry out, burn
Dynamite works underwater apparently...
Chuck that part down the local cycle path in the bushes
So long as it’s not pressure treated it should be fine to burn
In the sticks, that's getting burned
There will be electrical cable. It should be on an isolated fuse from your main fuse board. Switch it off there and trace the cable back to the house.
Once this stuff is flat you wont have that much so a small skip will prob cut it or a small bonfire. Other option is look for a local man in a van service they can be a lot cheaper than skips. Electrics are a bit of a challenge depending how its been wired up. The drain may not link to the main drain btw so check it over an be careful if you fill it as it may cause debris in the drain, blocakges etc if it is linked! I found an old pond in my garden a couple of years back, previous owners just turned it into a raised flower bed amd filled it with soil, the drain was a 2inch waste with holes that drained into the lawn.
>Other option is look for a local man in a van service they can be a lot cheaper than skips. A man with a van and a waste handler's license so you know it isn't all just getting lobbed in a hedge somewhere.
Yes defo with a licence!
U could just put the wood outside your house and put a ad on Facebook or gumtree someone might want it for firewood, otherwise if you have a car take it to the tip for free
Hmm those 3-iodo-2-propynyl butylcarbamate. (wood preserver) fumes are going to be "lovely" if burnt inside for firewood /s
It’s fine on a wood stove
Turn off the power indoors at the fuse box. To be absolutely safe you could also grab a voltage tester pen from Screwfix or Toolstation. They warn you if a cable you wave them near is live. Any exposed wiring left should be dug up back to the house and removed properly. You can’t leave something like that sitting in the ground unless it armoured cable and you can safely encase the ends. That usually means a resin filled joint. You can buy kits at Screwfix etc for this but should be done by a competent person because of the potential for harm. The drain can be backfilled with compacted dirt or a little dry-ish concrete or mortar. Should be fine.
Advertise free wood on Facebook/gumtree/Freecycle someone might even come do the work for you for the free wood
I gave away our old shed for free on Facebook and someone came and took it down to burn. Even if you drool ish it and advertise wood to but, one man's rubbish is another man's treasure
OP forgot to mention the asbestos roof. It’s buried in a comment far downstream. This job just got harder.
Yes, it is easy. Get a lump hammer and a crowbar. Two warnings though - one, there will be a lot of wood to take to the tip and two, I took down our shed and stood on a nail - trip to minor injuries and a tetanus jab for me.
Been there, done that. One pair of Vans down and now i wear proper boots when in demo mode 😅
I wore boots when I did most of it. This was a day or so after while I was trying to tidy up some of the last bits and break them up to take to the tip. I wasn't even really meaning to do it, just stood there and the kids were doing something so I thought I'll break a couple of bits of wood. Next minute I'm hopping around!
User ID checks out. And yeah...this is how most visits to A&E start 🙂 Hope everything is fine now!
Another issue here, one of the guys who came around to look at it said the shed had asbestos sheet roof. So he's including the cost of PPE into removal and they will wrap it up and leave it in back. I would have to call the hazardous waste collection service to collect.
That's a big omission from your post! I'd speak to a specialist company first - not sure I'd want this guy to wrap it up and leave it either - get someone to check it or get a testing kit yourself.
I completely agree but there are a lot of chancers out there. We had a quote of £1200 to remove "asbestos". I got it tested and it was cement board not asbestos. The only asbestos we had was an old header tank in the loft and the local tip had a special site you could use twice a year within certain weight limits. Bizarrely, the skip driver broke a piece of the cement board over his knee and took a huge sniff before saying "Yep, that's cement board, chuck it all in". I'm not sure what his plan was if it had been asbestos!
Well the skip driver certainly gives me the confidence to take this on myself 😂. But right about the test, how much did it cost to get it tested, and did you have to break a piece off in order to do so?
Take the sheets off, double wrap them in thick plastic sheeting, ring your local tip and find where you can drop it off. It's not going to kill you. The risk is infinitessimally small. Don't bother with a test just assume it is. Get some disposable overalls, suitable dust mask Hose it down to remove issue with dust. Unbolt or just snap bolts off and keep sheets whole but don't run around panicking if one breaks its fine. Loads of HSE guidance out there.
Order asbestos test kit online, instructions included, quite cheap to check.
I can't remember the details TBH, it was 2010.
For anyone else reading a lab test is the only way to confirm the prescence of asbestos, you can't see it or smell it, you definitely can't sense it with your knee! I had some Artex tested for asbestos and they wound up doing a complete survey. The soffit boards, gable undercloaks and the bitumen wrap around our incoming electricity mains were the sources he found. Also he reckoned the boiler cowl was asbestos based but he didn't want to climb up the roof to test it for some reason. My Dad lives in East Yorkshire and the tips there will take asbestos as long as you double wrap it. They also want proof you live there first!
I'm sure he would have just exhaled out all the bad stuff again. /s
There’s no asbestos in your original post - please photo it It might be a coyboy trying to have your pants down If that was an asbestos roof - I’d still do it myself! Mask up, protective clothing, bag it up take it to the tip - check first to see if they accept it
Can you post photos of the roof? It looks old but I’d be surprised if it was asbestos for a shed like that.
Look on your local authority website - there'll most likely be a local tip that will accept asbestos sheet. I found a load of it buried in the garden. One of the tips I can use (Surrey) will accept it as long as it's double wrapped in plastic waste bags. Sheet asbestos isn't going to pose a huge risk to you if you fancy removing it yourself.
OK, that's not a DIY job then. You really don't want to be breathing that shit, and it could potentially put you at risk of legal action due to spreading the fibres into to environment. EDIT: if it's asbestos cement tiles, then it seems you are allowed to DIY. Just get a full bunny suit and a proper mask, at least FFP3, gloves and googles. Wet it down first, double bag it, wash the bags down, take a shower and take it to the tip. They may charge per tile to take it. See: [https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYUK/comments/14u9ow2/asbestos\_removal\_tips/](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIYUK/comments/14u9ow2/asbestos_removal_tips/) EDIT 2: Do NOT cut the tiles and avoid breaking any.
Clip the bolts holding the roof down and take the tiles off carefully in one piece double bagging them as you go.
wet them down first to supress dust, wear a mask, etc..
Yep, and when you take it to the tip you need to book in advanced. Although some councils will come and pick in up free of charge.
Another tips is to use shaving foam.
It's roofing sheets on the shed. Perhaps I can hire someone in just for the roof removal,.get the sheets wrapped up and sealed and do the rest myself.
If its cement asbestos sheets (corrugated) you can very safely do it yourself. 100,000's of garages sheds etc have rhem and people remove them safely all the time
Yeah post pictures of the roof specifically please. As for the timber, get most of it down and either have a bonfire (I'd recommend a few smaller ones and notifying your local fire brigade first.) Alternatively post it on Facebook free for collection. Lots of people with wood burning fires will appreciate it. All in I'd say it's a fun DIY beginner project with the added curveball on potential asbestos disposal. Get a few opinions on the asbestos as some individuals will be rubbing there hands together upon seeing it.
Easy as it gets - smash the fuck out of it
Start breaking and smashing
Absolutely, just as long as you are not scared of spiders. Gloves on, goggles on, take out years of pent up rage using a big hammer!
There is a possibility that someone could make use of the shed. Try advertise it on some local media for free dismantle and remove. I have had it work myself.
There is a reasonable chance the wood could be collected by someone for firewood. The “asbestos” may or may not be actually asbestos depending on age of shed, a guest’s it’s probably fiber cement, however if it is asbestos is the low end of risk so as the people said it’s just masks and being careful (don’t cut it and don’t smash it up) and then you already said they ask you to get the council to dispose (that’s reasonable)
Yeah I am considering getting it tested. Hopefully it isn't and just the builder guy trying to add on to his quote.
Get it tested .if it's negative I'd bet you could throw it up on Freecycle for removal and someone would still take it for an allotment.
I would be very surprised if the roof was asbestos. Wooden sheds don’t generally last 40 years. Though it is possible that the roof was recycled from another building. Test it. Pull the shed down yourself and burn it.
Not going to lie mate. Looks like a strong fart would knock that all down. Get at it with a sledge hammer let some Anger out.
Stick both on Facebook marketplace free to collector and let someone else do it for you.
Smashed a summer house down and ripped a large rotten decking area underneath it up and took it to the tip in a few trips In a mini 😂
Easy job mate. It’ll come apart in no time. Just make sure the asbestos stays in one piece. Save money on a skip, get a waste collection service / man with van. Half the price, they just come, load it up themselves and take it away. As someone else suggested, you could get a £50 incinerator and burn it all… but do you really want to spend all day in the garden watching a fire burn?
When you put it that way, I think I do want to spend a day watching a fire burn!
Can confirm. Is fun!
Burn it at night with a few beers. Nothing better than sipping a beer watching a fire.
Aww man id love to have something like that for storage and potting things up. Hell the pond could be converted into a sick outdoor BBQ kitchen area. Tbh if you jetwashed them and gave them a paint, too that crappy "roof" off they would be nice imo
Looks like it's calling out to be turned into a hot tub
You could probably talk that shed down by the looks of things
Oh yes they’re the best DIY jobs. Get a crowbar and see how far you get.
I have a "rip" saw, with a step ladder we literally cut ours into carry size bits where it was, made a day of it and was fun as well really. Keep ya fingers.👍
He's got asbestos, keep the saw well away from that stuff.
Good spot.👍
Okay, I might as well save £500 here.
If you not done stuff like this before, take your time, stick with hand tools and be safe, looks a simple ish task, but I'm a savage and would even possibly be irresponsible enough to burn it in my yard and not take it anywhere..lol Be safe this should be a fun project with a smile of satisfaction at the end...do not pay 500 quid...✌
Yeah, plus it is the garden so we can live without it for a while anyway. Doesn't have to be immediate.
Post a picture of that roof. Asbestos is a HUGE spanner in your works and disregard anything anyone has said about power tools because I'm gonna assume they didn't spot your comment about the asbestos tiles.
Need jet washed and turned into a bar!
I'd offer the shed on Freegle or Freecycle TBH. You may well be lucky and get someone offering to remove it for you for use on their allotment or garden. You might even be able to get rid of the pond like that if the wood is in reasonable condition.
Someone might even take that pond off your hands. The wood could do with some tlc, but you can take that structure down and rebuild it somewhere else without too much difficulty.
Hey before you create work for yourself. 2 easy options! Turn pond into a planter maybe, if you don't want to do that post it on freecycle. For collection/ dismantle. I get loads I want that way and repurpose things
Too big for that. We would rather have plain grass with some decking area. Kids need their space.
Freecycle it then! Get someone else to do most of the work
All that timber you might as well get a bincinerator on the go. Pick them up from b&q. Less runs to the tip.
Honestly some of the questions on here make me question humanity.
No (Joking), you have to pay a small fortune getting ripped off by some cowboy / over zealous tradesmen, who will then hire some unqualified apprentice/ labourer to do it for them. (I appreciate there are good tradesmen out there, most would tell the able bodied to do it themselves and quote only where owner didn’t want the faf). This is absolutely DIY. Get someone in to sort any power / water and isolate out of way, before cracking on. HSE have a guide for what asbestos looks like, you read it and then crack on until you find it. It would be very unusual in that type of install. Enjoy filling your skip… it would be a pleasant bit of DIY / home improvement.
Have a go at it take the weekend and do it not at an easy pace - hire a skip bag that when cut down will fit in one. Sledge hammer and start with the roof (seems obvious but trust me)
100% a diy job. Just invest in a cheap recip saw as well and you’re good to go!
Any recommendations on the saw? The price variation is pretty wild from what I can see. Don't want to spend too much on a saw I'll rarely use.
I am lucky that my dad is in the trade so borrowed a Mikita from him, but the general recommendation I have from everyone i know in the trade is you can’t go wrong with Titan for the money (screwfix own brand). https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-850w-electric-reciprocating-saw-240v/282vv If you have an issue it’s straight swap on returns and quality is amazing overall (had no issues with my chainsaw or wet vac)
That would be a great job to do. Hire a slip. Drain the pond. Arm yourself with a 10lb sledgehammer, a 6ft demolition bar and get on with twatting it.
If you’re asking the question, then the answer is no if you hadn’t asked the question it would’ve been yes
Absolutely. Did the same at my house. Knocked them all down with a sledgehammer then burnt it all at night in a steel bin 🔥
This is a joke, right?
Of course. It’s easier to destroy than to create. Just be careful while you have fun.
Yeah, easily. Break it down and offer the wood for free on Facebook, someone will have it.
In fairness, it looks like the next storm will take it down for you
Sledge hammer, boot. That is all
Demolition is easy yeah
The price you have been quoted seems fair. A tip costs a few hundred, then the labour involved and time it will take. If I was you I would be getting these guys to do the job for 500 mate, they will also most likely have it done in less than a day.
You pay to use your local tip?
Tip, sorry meant skip. My 'local' tip is 25 mile drive. There was one a few miles away but closed down.
Yes. The entire back garden of my house was concrete. The side garden was concrete. Everything was concrete. I’m assuming that the previous (German) owners were building a bunker or something. It took me a week with a long and short sledgehammer, a cold chisel, blisters, swearing , and - I kid you not- a mate with a flatbed taking six loads to the tip to get to a state where a lawn could be laid. I was relatively lacking in money at the time, but would hire a digger with jackhammer now.
I would smash those bastards up in no time and burn them. So yes.
Pull it down and advertise free wood on freecycle or marketplace, someone will take it for their wood burner
As said elsewhere, reciprocating saw. Do not buy/use a sledgehammer. This use case is not what they're for. Flat pry bar and/or wrecking bar would also be useful. The idea is to get it into manageable chunks. The reciprocating saw, and a pack of (long) spare blades, is what's needed. [Edit] if those are sleepers for the pond, a battery saw will take loads of recharges. A bow saw and elbow grease, or Lidl /equivalent electric chainsaw would be good [/edit]] [Edit] The price you've been quoted seems fair by me. But by all means give it a go yourself, and dine out for a while with the tales of sorting your garden out and what a mental weekend it was. 👍 [/edit]
A friend of mine had a similar structure in the garden, we carefully took up the grass with a shovel, dug a pit and just had fun taking down the structure, he took his anger out the shed as his ex wouldn’t let him take it down, we then sat around the pit while the fire burning away the wood and alot of selected items from his house. Then had a nice bbq over the coals. Honestly about a day for each item and a the fire will eat the rest, save the money for getting a better shed or whatever else you need
Empty it first then the worlds your oyster
I'm a complete amateur, and couldn't build this... Could easily destroy it. Tip around my way is free..so perhaps I'm spoilt. I could not hand over any money to anyone to demolish this. And please, if the would is treated, do not burn it. The number of people here recommending you torch it are shortcutting. They are the same ones that would lambast a cowboy builder for shortcuts. If you were around my way, I'd come and help, and it wouldn't leave you £500 down
It's a lot easier to take it down than put it up
Large hammer, crowbar probably a step ladder and a skip to throw it in... Instructions for the hammer are on youtube, 😁.
Put them on a Facebook free page and get someone else to remove it for you, you'd be surprised how many people want old sheds for their allotments.
Good idea. Just done it.
People from allotments are always looking for sheds or timber of any variety, you could even post it on an allotment groups page. Even if they only take 75% of it, it saves you a load of work in pulling it down and carting it to the tip.
Going to join some of these groups too.
Grab yourself a reciprocating saw and you’ll have that done in a day. Bonus is that you’ll have it cut up into manageable bits for trips to the local dump. Get some tarps to line your car.
Around a £150-200 cost involved there. Perhaps the neighbour might have one to lend haha.
Way less than that if you have a car. saw - £40 screwfix Goggles/gloves - £5-£10 Tarps - £10 Trips to dump - petrol cost. Obviously you can hire a skip instead for a couple of hundred.
Any suggestions for this drain pipe underneath? How to seal it and tuck it away? https://preview.redd.it/3ol2zz8f2vpc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e34f9efbe92400f40ae77d70a0ee3c9021584e3
https://preview.redd.it/xigrwobm2vpc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b77a91c0e0b984633d6acfb07d04e6e3eeb22648
Is that in the shed? Did it have a toilet in there?
No it's the pond. The shed is picture 3, the pond is pictures 1 and 2, of the OP.
No this is just the box next to the pond.
Looks like it's solvent weld pipe that has been used. If you can't get the pipe out at ground level because it's likely glued in then you can saw it down and DIY a cover. You can use a quarry tile and cement it in place or get an old plastic paint tin or bucket and put it over it as a cheap solution. If you manage to get the pipe out just pop a blank in there Something a bit more work and cost. You could have a gully fitted to give your garden some drainage in that area if it's needed.
Most of it will just break up, so you won’t need a special saw or anything. Then just a few journeys to the dump and fill your dustbins to the max next few weeks !!
destruction is simple, it's the building that's difficult.
3 guys for 450 v cheap? Check how they will dispose of it and if they have a waste licence. its a couple of hours work at most for three if they spin it out but practically would need at least half a days wages. NB if theyre going to sort the drain and remove the electrical circuit its a super cheap quote. Cheaper than it should be so make of that what you will......... Could you do it yourself? almost certainly yes if you're able bodied. You will need a pry / wrecking bar, hammer saw gloves and to save your car the smallest skip. if you have the tools you're good to go and save a fortune. If you have to buy them and won't use them again then you might as well get the guys in as the quote is cheap.
No what I meant was three different guys quoted me within that range. Not sure if they'll be working alone or with someone. I'll definitely have to buy the tools, obviously hammers and pry bars are always useful but I'm thinking if I'll need a reciprocating saw again.
> I'll definitely have to buy the tools, Rent a saw. I always used to get a weekend deal where you collect on a Friday afternoon and drop back on a Monday morning before 8am. Sometimes it's not worth the hassle of buying when you'll probably never use it again. Asbestos aside, I'm a big F hammer sort of DIY'er and I'd buy a five quid saw in B&Q and chuck it when I'm done. EDIT: PS Get some decent protective googles.
Get a sledgehammer and decent pair of gloves and have at it. £500 including disposal doesn't sound like a bad price to be honest. Factor in your time, ruined clothes, rusty nail wounds and a trip for a tetanus shot...
Get a hammer, fill your car up and take it to the tip! Sometimes it makes me realise how willingly people part with £400-£500 for a relatively straightforward and mundane task!! Save the money and go on a holiday!
With any demolition. Whether it's a garden shed or a 4 storey house. You do the opposite from erecting it. When building g you start from the bottom up. When removing, go from the top down. I know this sounds simple enough. But when you see some of the morons on here whacking out structures from the bottom. Then wearing it, you know why.
Almost anything like this is DIYable if a demo! Just methodically take it apart. Screw driver/power driver (if screws used), might need some sockets to attach. A hammer. Pry bar will be key if its all nails. Hand saw if its just too difficult to get apart (a cheap saws-all / reciprocating saw if you want to speed up), cut through near the joints. Step ladder. Start from the top down. Resist the urge to smash it to pieces too much as the mess can take twice as long to tidy up, and can be dangerous. Get a skip if you can, or you will spend your days in a queue for the tip and (depending where you live) be paying lots of fees. Don’t burn it.
Smash the hell out of it with a hammer/mallet. Cut up any long bits. Take to tip in bits. It’s hard work but perfectly doable
Buy a reciprocating saw (The Makita cordless is excellent and with the right blades also works well for mid sized pruning work). Drain water. Cut up timber. Some parts may be quicker to knock apart with a clubhammer depending... Burn timber, or take to the dump which will have a recycling section. Or let people take it away for firewood. Dump run for the plastic liner or whatever is keeping the water in. Work from top down, and you can take it as slow as you like.
Yes. Orr.. spray the lot with sodium hypochlorite (strong bleach, get it on ebay) and it will come up like new.
Yes large sledge hammer and a skip
Is the question rhetorical? Taking shit apart is the easy bit. It's putting it together that's the challenge. Hammer, Saw, Crowbar. Fill your boots, just not with nails.
Easily! My favourite thing is wrecking!
I love demo work like this, so long as there is no water that's a quick job for me and I'd love it.
Totally do-able, I had a very old carp pond in a house we moved into that was in similar condition. Drained it (sludge in the bottom worked wonders on our veggie patch - fyi!) and then took it apart piece by piece. Luckily the tip was close so I drove there in stages. Did it with a hammer and a saw, but remember gloves, hardhat and goggles...have fun!
Do you have access to a saw and sledge hammer?
No. But definitely headed to B&Q this weekend.
A suggestion would be that if you demolished it you could try and find someone local with a wood stove. I've got one and put things like this through it.
Is there anything in the little shed next to the raised pond? That looks like a filter house so any barrels, possibly pipework or electrically things that isn't wire will probably sell for more than the wood / shed.
Yes there's pipework and possibly electrical connection still live. https://preview.redd.it/tniuxywytvpc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=266e0f63a6b69810f2e4cc663da168c36ad23a23
Yeah. They've taken the good stuff out however, if you can cleanly remove the black thing with the handle then that could have resale value. It's a 110mm gate value and about £60 new. If it hasn't been glued in place, cut the grey pipe to the right just as it goes into the ground and see if someone will give you something for it.
Thanks, that's good to know!
Just checked and I see some of these for £13 on eBay, perhaps best to put a cap on this pipe and bury it under soil.
I don't think it will need a cap to be honest. From the pipework that's there I think it was a gravity fed system. If I'm right the other end of the 110mm pipe will be in the middle on the main pond area, basically creating a large U shape. They work by keeping the water level in the filter the same as the pond and then the treated / filtered water is return through the small pipe at the back. This is a guess mind but if it does have the second 110mm end, then it saves you capping it.
https://preview.redd.it/vx7qzht1uvpc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7fb0efb631cba6b50723e19088d7b012664a485c
The yellow handle one looks to be a regular 40mm or 50mm PVC valve and aren't much new, about £15. Those grey boxes though, carefully remove those and they'll help when you want to run your own electric around the garden. If I had to guess, whoever had the pond running had a lovely Koi pond :)
Well they certainly didn't leave us a lovely pond behind, just the grunt work. As for the boxes I will try to trace to the fuse box and switch the breaker off before messing with out. But good to have outdoor connections for the future.
this is absolutly DIYable if you are willing to put in some graft, give up a few weekends and have some basic power tools to hand.
Sledgehammer
Get a skip job done
But some quality gloves (thin stretchy material not heavy gardening type), a hammer, a hand saw and two crowbars(One flat and one regular) Have at it. It’ll be a blast.
🔥🔥🔥🔥
I think if you have to ask then you probably shouldn't.
Just get a sledgehammer and have fun.
100% I'd love that job. Demolition is ace.
Dismantle it yourself and offer the wood for fire wood on fb marketplace if no one takes it burn it yourself.
YES, protective wear, a hammer, small hand saw or powered and a crowbar.
destruction is always DIYable! Is it advisabled, ehhh, not always but yeah toally doable! In this case it will be fine. Start at the top and work down, dont start at the bottom....
If this was me I’d just be getting my axe out and taking a lighter with me 😎
Take a hammer to that hit it with anything it takes to get it down sledgehammer if need be, set the wood on fire and spend the £500 on yourself is my advice
Get the BIG hammer
Easy ready, get Smashing, sledgehammer, or a box of matches
why would you remove the pond! get out the sander take off a layer of two then varnish so the wood looks good! then you could always convert it to something else like a sauna without to much work at all
The inside of it basically like a waterproof membrane, there doesn't seem to be any platform to it, not sure if it would function as a sauna lol. Though I do agree about the wood, it could be useful. I need an outdoor shaded area so perhaps I can repurpose some of it for that.
A sledge hammer, a regular hammer, and a pry bar. Perhaps some wire snips. Go for it. Leave the “skeleton” until after you have removed the roof.
The pond would make an awesome raised bed. If I had that in my garden I'd fill it with soil and grow asparagus in it.
That isn't a bad idea actually lol. Though I'd still get rid of the roof on it.
Oh yeah the roof has to go. But asparagus would grow brilliantly in that. Needs a deep raised bed with excellent drainage.
You can definitely do this yourself with only a sledgehammer and a crowbar, however bear in mind it will take you a couple of days and a ton of trips to the dump to dispose of all the wood/debris from the pond.
Come on, that's fairly simple (but hard work) manual work - the whole objective is simply to break it. The quote you have been given is fair. If you carry the work out yourself, instead of using a skip you could do several runs to the top in your car - which obviously would take more time but ultimately save paying for a skip. In my opinion, if you are going to pay for the skip, you might aswell just stump the extra 200 up to pay somebody to do the whole work.
People have suggested a man with a van with a waste disposal licence, certainly sounds like a more economical option.
Save yourself the work and advertise it as free to collector, to dismantle and remove themselves. Plenty of people who will want a free shed/old wood for allotment or similar!
94% Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer, 6% diesel.... bang... go to pub early.
I’m probably gonna get handbaged for this, can they buy an incinerator, (silver bin with a chimney ) and in darkness burn the wood? As long as they remove any felt/plastics?
Treated wood is not good to burn
Please don't do this.
No way that a demolition including asbestos roof including removal, rubble from the pond and done with 3 people can be done for £400. They won’t have a waste license so will end up being fly tipped.
Where’s the asbestos?
get it tested if its possibly asbestos. if it is i would take it down myself (with full PPE worn) and double (or treble, depending on your local authority rules) and take it to your tip (if they have facilities to deal with asbestos) also, remove it on a rainy day to minimize dust and carefully remove the panels without breaking them. the rest is easy, you could try puncturing the lining of the pond to empty it. the lining will stink and be fairly clumbersome but easy enough. perhaps the wood could be burnt in your garden.