How to Plan Demolition Salvage Operations Effectively

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Many people are increasingly opting to salvage as much from a demolition site as possible in order to conserve the environment and reduce construction costs. However, many of those people may encounter unforeseen challenges because they lacked the skills to plan the salvage operation properly. This article discusses some considerations you should have as you plan so that you avoid many of the possible challenges that can arise during the demolition process.

Site Access Issues

The demolition process often generates a lot of waste that can quickly block access to the site as crews salvage the different materials that can be reused during the construction of the new structure. It is therefore advisable for you to plan ahead and ensure that salvage activities will not hinder site access. For instance, you can secure extra trucks to remove the salvaged materials that are beyond what you can reuse at the site. This will ensure that access points are kept clear once you have selected what you need to reuse.

Accuracy

Some materials, such as bricks, may not be easy to measure during the salvage operation. For instance, the trucking company may measure them by the truck-load as they deliver them to a salvage center. However, the salvage center may be interested in knowing the weight (rather than the volume) of the materials that are taken there. You need to design an appropriate system that will provide accurate records during the conversion from volume-based measurements to weight-based records. For instance, you could hire a mobile weighbridge so that the trucks are weighed before and after they offload their cargo.

Timing Issues

The salvage operation may affect construction schedules in case adequate attention isn't devoted to keeping the salvage activities on schedule. For instance, the salvage crew may retire for the day before clearing a site that is needed for preparing (excavation, for example) by the construction crew. This can inevitably force the construction crew to delay work in order to let the salvage crew finish a phase of their work. Hiring a quantity surveyor to coordinate the activities of the different teams can help to get rid of some of those timing bottlenecks during the project.

As you can see, careful planning can overcome many of the challenges that often plague salvage operations during demolition and construction projects. It is, therefore, wise for you to hire the most experienced demolition company in your area so that an appropriate plan is made to retrieve as many of the salvageable materials as possible without affecting the construction project that has to be carried out.

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