Demolition Contractor in Old Town Monterey

Historic Review Before Demolition in Old Town Monterey

Old Town holds some of the oldest buildings in California: the Custom House, Colton Hall, and the adobes of Monterey State Historic Park, plus a ring of later brick, stucco and wood commercial buildings around Alvarado Street and Calle Principal. The landmark adobes are not coming down. What does get demolished here is the work around them: later additions, interiors, rear sheds, garages and non-historic buildings on parcels near historic ones.

The City of Monterey issues demolition permits for Old Town, and older buildings or those in or near a historic district may be reviewed for historic significance before a permit is granted. Some projects need a historic report from a qualified consultant, and some go to the city's historic preservation process. That review sets the scope: what has to stay, what can be removed and how carefully it has to be done. We read the conditions of approval line by line before quoting. If the approval says a wall, window or roof stays, the demolition plan shows how it is protected.

Selective Demolition Around Adobe and Masonry Walls

Adobe and old brick do not tolerate vibration or impact the way a wood frame does. When a later addition is attached to an older masonry wall, we separate the two by hand, cut fasteners and flashing rather than pulling, and shore the old wall if the engineer asks for it. Breakers and large machines stay well away from historic fabric.

Inside older commercial buildings, the same care applies to tin ceilings, wood floors, plaster cornices and storefront framing the owner wants to keep. We mark and protect them before anything else comes out. If a feature is too fragile to stay in place during the work, we remove it, label it and store it for reinstallation.

• Hand separation at historic walls
• Temporary shoring where the engineer specifies
• Vibration-free cutting near masonry
• Protected trim, ceilings and storefronts

Commercial Strip-Outs on Alvarado Street

Restaurants, bars, shops and offices on Alvarado Street and the side streets turn over regularly. A new tenant usually needs the old one's walls, ceilings, bars, kitchen equipment and flooring removed before the build-out. Many of these spaces sit in buildings old enough to need an asbestos survey before ceilings or floors are touched, and the results are filed with the air district before work starts.

Downtown spaces rarely have room for a bin. We stage debris inside, carry it out to a truck during allowed loading times and keep sidewalks clear for the steady stream of visitors and locals. Night or early morning work is an option when the building owner or city prefers it.

Access, Parking and Staging for Old Town Demolition

Old Town streets are narrow, many are one-way, and parking is metered or permitted. A full-size dump truck parked on Calle Principal for a day is not going to work. We plan around the encroachment permit, use smaller trucks, and time loads so they are on the street for as little time as possible.

Rear-lot structures, like old garages and sheds behind the commercial blocks, are often reached only through an alley or a gap between buildings. In those cases we use small equipment or hand demolition and carry material to the street. Neighbors in the same block are told ahead of time when the alley will be busy.

Residential Demolition on Old Town Side Streets

There are still houses on the residential edges of Old Town, mostly small wood homes and cottages, some with later additions or detached garages. Owners remodeling these homes often need interior demolition, kitchen and bath tear-outs or a garage removed for an accessory unit. Historic screening can apply here too, depending on the age of the house.

On every residential job, PG&E disconnects, the sewer lateral and the asbestos survey come before any wall is opened. The neighbors are close, so dust control and tidy streets are part of the plan. Many of these houses also have a protected tree or two in the yard, which adds fencing and hand work near the roots.