Shed Removal in Akron, Canton and Northeast Ohio
If you're searching for shed removal, odds are the shed in the back corner of the yard has been bugging you for a while. The roof sags, the floor's gone soft, the door doesn't close right, and whatever's inside hasn't been touched since the last time somebody cleaned it out, so shed removal is the next step.
- Owner-operated
- Owner on site for the work
- Free site visit and free written estimate
- Fully insured, $2 million general liability and workers comp
Vental Waggoner here. Zenith Excavating is a two-man company in Akron, and on a shed job I'm the one at the controls. When we take a shed down, hauling the debris off and finish grading the spot are part of the price, so you're not left with a pile of boards and a bare rectangle of dirt.
Why people take a shed down
Mostly it's because the shed turned into a problem. A roof that leaks every spring, rot in the floor or the walls, rust on a metal shed that's starting to tear through. Some sheds turn into a home for pests. Some are just an eyesore you're tired of looking at from the kitchen window. And a lot of the time the shed is sitting right where the new garden, patio or bigger building is supposed to go, so it has to go first.
There's also the repair math. Once a shed needs a new roof and the floor is going too, a lot of people look at it and decide the money's better spent on taking it out than on patching it again.
Sheds, contents and other backyard structures
Not every shed comes apart the same way. A wood shed is the easy one. A metal shed takes more care because the sheets are heavy and the edges get sharp once they rust, and metal can cost more to dump. A concrete block or brick shed is closer to a small building, and it needs a machine and more trips to the dump. Even how it was built matters. A shed that was nailed together comes apart differently than one that was screwed, and double walls with insulation in them add time. A prefab kit shed usually comes down faster than one somebody framed by hand.
Then there's what's inside. It's always easier and cheaper if the shed is empty when we show up. Most crews only haul contents that aren't hazardous, so old paint cans, gas cans and chemicals are usually yours to deal with. If there's a loft or storage space up top that's full, that's more to carry out.
A shed usually isn't the only thing in the back yard that's past its time. Old play sets, pergolas, gazebos and small slabs come up a lot. If you've got a bigger job back there too, we've got pages for garage demolition, deck removal and concrete removal. We cover Summit, Stark, Portage, Wayne, Tuscarawas, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
What happens on removal day
People ask what to expect on the day, and it's a fair question, since most people have never had a building taken down in their yard.
The short version is that the shed gets looked over for anything that'll cause trouble, it comes down from the roof first, the debris gets loaded and hauled, and the spot gets cleaned up and graded. Working from the roof down matters, because pulling a wall out from under a roof is how people get hurt. Anything worth reusing, like a good door or a window, can get set aside first if you want it.
I'm there and I'm the one running the machine.
Protecting your lawn, sprinklers and driveway
A shed in the back corner of the yard means a machine and a truck have to get back there and out again. That's the part people worry about, and they're right to. Will it rut the lawn? Will the truck crack the driveway? The route back there gets worked out at the free site visit, before a machine ever shows up, so point out soft spots, septic lids and anything buried along the way.
Sprinkler heads and outdoor spigots near the shed are easy to break if nobody knows they're there. Point them out at the site visit.
The other one is the property line. A lot of sheds were set right up against the back fence, and sometimes it's the neighbor's fence. I take that seriously, because the last thing you want is a demolition job turning into a fight with the people next door. We carry $2 million in general liability insurance plus workers compensation.
Permits and utility shut-offs
If the shed has power or water run to it, that has to be shut off and disconnected before anything else happens. A bad disconnect can leave a live wire in the ground or a water line that leaks. Most shed removal quotes don't include that work, so ask. Whether a licensed electrician has to be the one to cut the circuit is something to check with your city or township.
Permits are all over the map. Some towns want a permit to tear down a shed and some don't care, and bigger sheds or ones with utilities are the ones that tend to need one. Each city and township in Summit, Stark and Portage counties writes its own rule on this, so call yours and ask before the shed comes down.
There's one more thing almost nobody mentions. If there's a buried line running out to the shed, or if the slab is getting dug out, the lines in the ground need to be marked through 811 before any digging.
Asbestos in older sheds
Some older sheds have asbestos in them, usually in cement-board siding panels or in old roofing. If yours is old and has either of those, it should be tested before anyone starts tearing it apart. If it comes back positive, taking that material out is a job for a licensed abatement contractor, not for us. I line up the timing with them, they remove the asbestos, and then we take down what's left of the shed. Whether the state has to be notified for a structure this small is a question to check with the county or the abatement contractor.
Haul-away, cleanup and the lawn after
Debris haul-off is included in our price. You don't rent a dumpster, you don't make dump runs, and you don't get a separate disposal line on the bill. A lot of quotes split disposal out, so read the fine print on anybody else's.
When the shed's gone, what's left is usually a flat patch of dead grass or a gravel pad. Finish grading is included, which means we shape that spot back to match the yard around it. Expect to reseed where the shed stood either way.
Metal from a shed can usually be scrapped, and clean wood, doors and windows can sometimes be reused instead of thrown out.
How long it takes
A small shed usually comes down in a few hours. A big shed, or one sitting on a concrete slab, can take a full day or two.
Getting a written estimate
To get a real number, whoever's pricing it needs to know the shed's size, what it's made of, what it's sitting on, whether there's power or water to it, what's inside, and how hard it is to get to. That's why the site visit matters. I'd rather see the gate, the slope and the fence line than guess.
The site visit is free and so is the written estimate. Ask for a breakdown of what's included, from us or anybody else.
Who does the work
It's me and one more guy, and I'm the one you'll see on the machine. Zenith has been going since 2022. On the insurance side, every job is backed by $2 million of general liability coverage, and workers compensation covers the two of us. You'll find us at 3397 E Waterloo Rd in Akron.
We take sheds down all over the seven counties we work, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls and Massillon included. You know, most of the big demo outfits around here don't want a shed job. I do. Every other kind of job we take on can be found through the Zenith Excavating home page.
Questions People Ask
Can I just tear my shed down myself?
A small, simple wood shed, sure, if you've got the tools, a free weekend and a way to get rid of the debris. Where it stops being a good idea is a big shed, a shed with power run to it, or an old one that might have asbestos. Plenty of people also do the light stuff themselves, like emptying it and clearing brush around it, and leave the rest to us. I'll be straight with you about which kind of job yours is.
Is it worth moving or selling the shed instead?
If it's solid and in decent shape, it might be. A sound shed can sometimes be sold or given away to someone who takes it down and hauls it themselves, or moved somewhere else on the property for less than buying new. If that's the case with yours, I'll tell you. That's not a job I do.
Will my home insurance pay to take the shed down?
Usually a policy covers damage to a shed, not removing an old one. If a storm wrecked it, call your insurance agent about the claim first.
Is shed removal the same thing as shed demolition?
Not quite. Removal usually means the shed comes out whole or in big sections. Demolition means it gets broken down on site and hauled off in pieces.
What if there are groundhogs, skunks or raccoons living under the floor?
Fair question, and almost nobody answers it. The dry space under a shed floor is a favorite spot for groundhogs and skunks around here. If you know something is living under there, call a wildlife removal company before demo day so the animals get moved out first.
Do you take the concrete slab out too?
That depends on the job, and slab removal changes the price. Bigger slabs fall under concrete removal.
If the shed's had its day, Request a Free Estimate and I'll come out and look at it. Fill out the form and hit Send My Request.