How to Tear Down a Shed

Tearing down a shed is called demolition work. If you're planning on keeping any of the building materials that the shed is made of or even if you're not, tear the shed down in phases. A shed is built from the ground up and torn down from the roof down. Some sheds are free-standing and others have fixed foundations such as cement floors or footing. Use the materials for other building projects or give them away.

Work gloves

Safety glasses

Long-sleeve shirt

Denim jeans

Hard-toe work boots

Dumpster

Ladder

Claw-hammer

3-foot pry-bar

Rope

Flathead screwdriver

Hex-head screwdriver

Electric screwdriver

Hacksaw

Reciprocating Saw

Wire cutters

Sledgehammer

Jackhammer

Earplugs

Shovel

Garden rake

Remove everything from inside or outside the shed that you want to keep.

Turn off all water, gas and electrical supply lines to the shed. Doing this will ensure no leaks are sprung and no electrocution happens while tearing down the shed. If you're not sure how to do this, hire a plumber, gas company or an electrician to do the job.

Put on a pair of work gloves, safety glasses, a long-sleeve shirt, denim jeans and hard-toe work boots.

Set up a large garbage dumpster six feet away from the shed.

Set up a ladder and lean it up against the roof of the shed. Climb up on top of the roof with a claw-hammer.

Pull off the roofing materials by pulling the nails out with the claws of the hammer, grabbing the material with your hands and then tossing the roofing down into the nearby garbage dumpster. The roof may be made of asphalt or wood shingles or tin. There may be multiple layers of shingles. Pull them all off until you get down to the sub-roof.

Slip a 3-foot pry-bar down in the crack between two of the sub-roof boards. Pound it in with the hammer, if needed, and pull the pry-bar toward your body in a downward direction until the edge of one of the boards lifts up. This process lifts the nails up out of the trusses beneath the boards. Remove all sub-roof boards in this manner and throw them into the dumpster.

Pull all insulation out from between the trusses. Kick the ceiling of the shed down onto the shed floor. Hold onto the trusses, keeping one foot on a truss while doing this. The ceiling is usually attached to the trusses with drywall screws, so kick hard or pound down with the hammer.

Get on the ladder leaning against the wall of the shed and pull the nails out of the brackets holding the trusses to the tops of the shed walls with the pry-bar and the claw-hammer. Let the trusses lean against one another until they're all detached.

Tie a rope to one truss at a time and yank it off the shed walls. Toss each truss into the dumpster.

Pull all of the trim-work around doors, windows and walls off of the shed with the pry-bar and the hammer. Toss it in the dumpster.

Remove all electrical outlet and light-switch covers from the inner and outer walls of the shed with a screwdriver. Remove all light-fixtures and hardware. Remove the doors by unscrewing the hinges from the door casings. Toss everything in the dumpster that you don't want to keep.

Pry out all windows from the shed using the pry-bar. Toss them in the dumpster if you're not going to keep them. Be careful to not break the glass.

Tear the siding off the shed with the pry-bar and the hammer, working from top to bottom. Use the ladder if needed. If the shed walls are made of brick or block then use a sledge hammer to knock them down from top to bottom. Pull the inside wall coverings down with the pry-bar and hammer. It may be drywall or plywood. Toss everything in the dumpster.

Pull the insulation out of the walls and cut out the electrical wires and plumbing pipes. Use a hacksaw if the wires are running through metal conduits. Use the hacksaw to cut through the plumbing if the pipes are metal. A reciprocating saw can also speed up this process. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip the wires.

Pull the brackets off the corners holding the frames together using the claw hammer. Tie a rope to the tops of the frames and pull the walls down off the shed's foundation.

Rip up the flooring and sub-flooring with the pry-bar and claw hammer. Pry the floor-joists out of the brackets holding them to the foundation. Cut out all electrical wiring and plumbing.

Break the floor into manageable size pieces with a jackhammer if the floor is made of concrete. This is a slow process. Wear ear plugs for this task. Jackhammer the foundation if it is also concrete. Toss all of the concrete into the dumpster. Pull out all plumbing drains and pipe.

Level out the soil where the shed stood using a shovel and garden rake.

Contact your local municipality before beginning demolition to see if a permit is required.

Have a lead test performed on painted surfaces before work begins.

Have an asbestos test performed before tearing down the shed.

Wear appropriate respiration and follow OSHA approved guidelines when working with these hazardous materials.