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Kids love forts, playhouses, swing sets, and other little buildings they can call their own. You’ll find many different options for these backyard buildings out there. Some are pre-assembled, while others may come as kits you put together. If you’re handy, you can even find blueprints to create and build your own. You could modify these plans and build a truly unique playhouse that your kids will love.
What happens to that playhouse when your kids outgrow it? It’s likely going to sit in your backyard for years. It can become a home for stray animals and other pests, and the weather may take its toll on the structure. It will eventually become an eyesore and a hazard. When that happens, it’s time to take the playhouse down. Here are some tips for demolishing an old structure like this plus other backyard buildings such as sheds, greenhouses, swing sets, doghouses, and decks.
Do You Want to Demolish the Play Structure?
The first thing to consider is whether or not you actually want to demolish the play structure. Even if your kids don’t really use their playhouse much, you might want to keep it. You may have younger children who will use it when they get a little older. You might have nieces or nephews who love to play in it when they’re visiting, or there may be the possibility of grandchildren in the future. If the building is still in great condition, you may not be in a hurry to take it down.
However, the years to come may not be kind to it. If your backyard buildings are in good condition and you don’t want to demolish them any time soon, you need to take steps to keep them in good shape. Just like your shed or other building, you should regularly inspect the playhouse for signs of damage and make repairs when needed. You can include it in your regular spring cleaning and winterization to-do lists to make it less likely that you’ll forget about it.
When doing maintenance on the structure, you’ll want to inspect the walls and roof from the inside and outside. Sweep out the interior, check the windows and door for signs of wear and damage, and check the floor. Wash down the exterior, and if the interior needs it, give it a good cleaning as well. Leave the door and windows open for a few hours to help air it out, too. You’ll need some ventilation through the playhouse to help keep moisture from building up inside, so you may want to install a vent near the roof.
If you didn’t do it when you built the playhouse, be sure to apply a sealant to the wood used to help protect it from moisture and insects. Check for signs of termite damage if the wood is untreated.
Swing sets are often made out of metal, and that can rust over time. Inspect the joints carefully for rust and other damage. Tighten the screws, too, and replace any chains or rope that appears damaged. You don’t want the swing breaking when someone is using it.
Tips for Demolishing the Building
If you know you won’t need the playhouse any longer or if it’s clearly beyond repair, it’s time to take it down. You’ll want to do so carefully so you don’t get hurt. If it’s easy to disassemble, you should carefully do that. For example, if you purchased a swing set that has a playhouse attached to it, you can likely unscrew parts of the structure and take it down that way. This is the best option if it’s possible because you won’t have any debris. The parts shouldn’t have jagged edges or other dangers.
However, if you built the structure and it’s fairly solid, you’re going to have to knock it down. First, remove any glass from the windows. You don’t want to shatter the glass. Shards could in up in your yard and later cause someone to get cut. Once that’s done, disassemble what you can. You can likely take the door off, and you may be able to easily remove the roof.
Once all of that’s done, you’ll probably need to get out a saw. You can cut the sides down into sections that are easy to handle. Carefully set each section aside as its cut, making sure that any nails or other sharp areas are pointed downward or placed in such a way that no one will get hurt on them.
What to do with the Debris
Once you’ve taken down the structure, what do you do with the debris? If it’s in really bad condition, you likely can’t reuse much, if any, of the materials. In that case, there’s really only one solution: get rid of it. Unfortunately, most cities will not allow you to put construction debris in your garbage bins. Chances are, you wouldn’t be able to fit this debris in your trash bins anyway. You may be able to put some of it out for bulk garbage pickup, but again, some cities don’t allow anything that falls under the category of construction debris to be set out for pickup.
You could try to haul the trash to the landfill yourself, but that’s not always easy. If you don’t have a vehicle that can hold it all at once, you may have to make multiple trips. If the pieces are too large, you may not be able to get them in your vehicle at all. You then have to try to find someone who will let you borrow their truck.
The easiest solution is to call a Junk King North Texas. We’re a professional junk hauling service that can quickly and safely remove the debris from your old playhouse, swing set, or other play structure. Our team will do all of the heavy lifting, so you don’t even need to bring the debris to the front of the house. Just show us what you want hauled away, and we will take care of the rest.
Don’t Stop with Your Backyard Debris
Junk King can haul away more than just your old playhouse and swing set. We’re a full-service junk removal company, which means we can take just about anything. While you’re demolishing old structures in your backyard, why not take the time to clean out your shed, garage, basement, and closets? We can haul away any old furniture, broken appliances, and other garbage you have. In fact, about the only thing we can’t deal with is hazardous waste. We can even take bushes and trees that you’ve removed and debris from DIY home remodels.
Think of all the extra space you could have if you didn’t have junk taking up space. Even if it’s something as simple as an old chair in the corner of the garage or a table with a broken leg in the basement, it’s still taking up room that you could use for something else. Let us get rid of it for you while we’re hauling away other trash.
We Recycle Anything We Can
We hate sending stuff to the landfill. So much goes into the dump that can harm the environment, but Junk King is dedicated to donating and recycling whatever possible. While your demolished playhouse or old swing set may not be something we can donate, any furniture you have that’s still in good condition is. We’ll ensure it gets to one of our partner organizations so it can be used by those in need.
For things that can’t be used any longer, the next step in our process is to determine if they can be recycled. If they can be, we send them off to a local recycling center. Treated wood, unfortunately, often can’t be recycled. However, glass from windows can be, as can any metal from swing sets or plastic from plastic playhouses. We will even dismantle items made of multiple materials just to get the recyclable parts out.
You don’t have to pay extra for this, either. We sort every truck into donatable items, recyclables, and things that, unfortunately, do end up in the landfill. At the end of the day, we typically can donate or recycle 70% or more of everything we pick up, and we’re working to improve that number all the time.
Call Junk King North Texas Today if You Have Large Debris
If you’ve taken down an old playhouse, swing set, or even a shed, don’t let the debris pile up in your backyard. Doing so presents a hazard to your kids and pets. They could get hurt if they play around it, plus stray animals and other pests could live in the pile of debris. Instead, give Junk King a call. We will provide you with a free, no-obligation quote and answer any questions you may have about the junk removal process.
Ready to get started? Give us a call at 1-888-888-JUNK or send us a text to 1-737-888-5865. You can also contact us online.
