NYS and NYC M/WBE Certified Contractor
Here’s what most Flushing property owners don’t realize until it’s too late: the NYC Department of Buildings won’t issue a demolition permit for any pre-1987 building until an asbestos assessment has been filed. In Flushing where the overwhelming majority of residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings were built well before that cutoff that means almost every project triggers the ACP-5 process before a single wall comes down. Hiring a demolition-only contractor and then discovering you need a separate licensed abatement company doesn’t just cost more money. It costs weeks.
When you work with a contractor who handles both sides under one license, the project timeline stays intact. There’s no waiting on a second company to complete their scope before demolition can legally begin. For the restaurant owner on Main Street who needs to reopen, the developer with carrying costs on a Flushing waterfront parcel, or the homeowner in East Flushing finally gutting a decades-old kitchen that continuity is everything.
Flushing’s flooding pattern adds another layer. The neighborhood’s position along Flushing Creek and Flushing Bay means storm-damaged properties need fast action. Mold starts within 24 to 48 hours of water intrusion. Having a contractor available around the clock who can begin demolition and remediation immediately not after a three-day scheduling window is the difference between a manageable project and a compounding disaster.
We’ve been operating for over 12 years, with more than 340 completed projects across Long Island and all five New York City boroughs including commercial buildings right here in Queens. That’s not a number we throw around lightly. It means we’ve navigated the NYC DOB permit process, filed DEP asbestos notifications, and coordinated abatement-before-demolition sequences more times than most contractors have submitted bids.
We’re based in Bohemia, NY, and we work regularly throughout Queens County from the dense commercial corridors of Downtown Flushing to the residential blocks of Queensboro Hill and Murray Hill. We know what the DOB borough office expects on a permit application, what the DEP requires before abatement begins, and how to keep a project moving in a neighborhood where a stop-work order has real financial consequences.
Our 4.7-star rating across 33 reviews reflects something specific: customers consistently say we pick up the phone, explain the process clearly, and don’t disappear after the contract is signed. In a market as complex as Flushing’s, that matters more than most people expect.
It starts with a site assessment. Before any permit is filed or any work begins, we evaluate the property to understand what’s there the structure, the materials, and whether hazardous materials like asbestos, lead paint, or mold are present. In Flushing, where pre-war and mid-century construction is the norm across nearly every sub-neighborhood, this step almost always uncovers materials that need to be addressed before demolition can legally proceed. We’d rather find it now than have it surface mid-project.
If abatement is required and in most Flushing buildings, it is we handle it directly. That means filing the ACP-5 form with the NYC DEP, providing the mandatory seven-day advance notification, and completing the abatement work under our own license before the demolition phase begins. You’re not coordinating between two separate companies or chasing down documentation from a subcontractor. It’s all managed in-house, which keeps the timeline predictable.
Once the site is cleared of hazardous materials and the DOB demolition permit is in hand, the physical work begins. We handle the structural demolition, debris removal, sorting of recyclable materials, and site preparation leaving the property ready for whatever comes next. For insurance-related projects, we bill the carrier directly. You focus on what’s next. We handle the paperwork.
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Flushing isn’t a one-size-fits-all demolition market. Downtown Flushing generates commercial interior demolition work restaurant gut-outs, retail renovations, mixed-use building interiors along Northern Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue where tight street access, occupied adjacent businesses, and noise restrictions all factor into how the work gets planned and executed. The residential sub-neighborhoods of East Flushing, Murray Hill, and Queensboro Hill generate a different kind of demand: aging single-family homes, attached rowhouses, and small multi-family buildings where pre-war materials are the rule, not the exception.
We handle both. Our services include asbestos abatement, lead abatement, mold remediation, water damage restoration, fire damage restoration, and full structural demolition residential and commercial. Every service is performed under our own licensing, which means no gaps in accountability and no finger-pointing between contractors when something unexpected comes up. We also carry the credentials required by all three regulatory bodies that govern demolition work in New York City: the NYC DOB, the NYC DEP, and the NYS Department of Labor under Industrial Code Rule 56.
For Flushing property owners dealing with flood or fire damage a realistic scenario given the neighborhood’s documented stormwater flooding along Flushing Creek we bill insurance carriers directly. That’s one less thing you’re managing while your property is out of commission.
If your property was built before April 1, 1987 which describes the vast majority of buildings in Flushing then yes, an asbestos assessment is required before the NYC Department of Buildings will issue a demolition permit. This isn’t optional or situational. NYC Local Law 76 mandates an asbestos investigation before any renovation, alteration, or demolition project that requires a DOB permit, regardless of the property type or scope of work.
The assessment must be performed by a NYC DEP Certified Asbestos Investigator (CAI). If asbestos-containing materials are found in the areas being demolished, an ACP-5 form must be filed with the DOB, and abatement must be completed before the demolition permit is issued. The DEP also requires at least seven days’ advance notification before abatement activities begin. Skipping or shortcutting this process doesn’t just risk a violation it can result in a stop-work order that halts your entire project. We handle the assessment, the filing, and the abatement as part of our standard process.
At minimum, you need a demolition permit from the NYC Department of Buildings. But in most Flushing projects, that permit won’t be issued until you’ve also satisfied the NYC DEP’s asbestos requirements which means filing an ACP-5 form confirming that asbestos has either been found absent or properly abated. If asbestos abatement is required, the DEP must be notified at least seven days before work begins.
Beyond the city level, asbestos abatement in New York State is also governed by the NYS Department of Labor under Industrial Code Rule 56, which establishes nine distinct license categories for different roles in the abatement process. Federal USEPA NESHAP regulations add another layer for projects involving asbestos above certain threshold quantities. That’s three separate regulatory bodies DOB, DEP, and NYS DOL all of which need to be satisfied before a compliant demolition project in Flushing can proceed. We hold credentials across all three, which is why our clients don’t end up managing compliance issues mid-project.
The physical demolition itself depending on the scope can often be completed in a matter of days. The part that takes longer is the front-end compliance work, and that’s where most Flushing projects get delayed when the contractor isn’t set up to handle it. If asbestos is present and needs to be abated before the DOB permit is issued, you’re looking at the time required for the CAI inspection, the ACP-5 filing, the mandatory seven-day DEP notification window, and the abatement work itself all before demolition can legally begin.
When a single contractor handles every phase assessment, abatement, permitting, and demolition the sequencing is tighter because there’s no handoff lag between separate companies. If you’re working with a demolition contractor who then has to bring in a separate abatement subcontractor, each transition adds time. For Flushing property owners on a development timeline or a commercial operator trying to reopen quickly, that difference in sequencing can be measured in weeks.
Yes but not every contractor is licensed to do it. In New York City, asbestos abatement requires specific licensing from both the NYC DEP and the NYS Department of Labor. A contractor who holds a demolition license but not the environmental credentials cannot legally perform abatement work. This is a common gap in the Queens market: demolition-focused companies that don’t hold abatement licensing, and abatement-only companies that don’t perform demolition.
We hold both. Asbestos abatement, lead abatement, mold remediation, and demolition are all performed under our own licensing not subcontracted out. That matters for accountability, but it also matters for your timeline. In Flushing’s pre-1987 building stock, finding asbestos or mold during a demolition project is not unusual. When the same company handles both, the project doesn’t stop it adjusts and keeps moving.
If asbestos is discovered mid-project and the proper assessment and abatement steps weren’t completed beforehand, work must stop. The NYC DOB has the authority to issue a stop-work order, and the DEP can pursue violations against the property owner not just the contractor. This is why the pre-demolition assessment phase isn’t something to rush or skip, especially in Flushing, where the building stock makes asbestos discovery during demolition a realistic and common scenario rather than a remote possibility.
The right approach is to identify what’s there before the first wall comes down. A thorough pre-demolition hazardous material assessment covering asbestos, lead paint, and mold gives you an accurate picture of the project scope from day one. It protects you legally, keeps the project on schedule, and eliminates the cost and disruption of an unplanned stop mid-demolition. We conduct this assessment as a standard part of every project, not as an add-on.
In many cases, yes particularly when the demolition is a direct result of covered damage like fire, storm, or water intrusion. For Flushing property owners, this is a realistic scenario. The neighborhood’s documented flooding issues tied to its position along Flushing Creek and Flushing Bay, and compounded by the stormwater runoff from surrounding highways and parking infrastructure mean that flood-related property damage is not a rare event here. When a basement floods or a ground-floor space takes on water, partial demolition is often required before remediation and rebuilding can begin.
Whether your policy covers demolition costs depends on your specific coverage and the cause of the damage, so the first step is always to contact your insurance carrier and file a claim. What we can tell you is that we bill insurance carriers directly we handle the documentation and work with the adjuster so you’re not stuck in the middle managing paperwork while your property is out of commission.
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