NYS and NYC M/WBE Certified Contractor
When a demolition project goes the way it should, you’re not chasing down three different contractors or finding out mid-project that asbestos was discovered and now everything’s on hold. You have a timeline, you stick to it, and when the structure comes down, the site is clean and the permits are closed. That’s the version of this that actually happens when one licensed contractor is accountable for the whole scope.
In Commack specifically, this matters more than most people realize before they start. Over 70% of the homes here were built between 1950 and 1969 the exact window when asbestos-containing materials were standard in floor tiles, pipe insulation, boiler wrap, and exterior siding. New York State law requires a licensed asbestos survey before any demolition begins, no exceptions. If the contractor you hire can’t legally perform that survey and any required abatement, you’re already looking at a two-contractor situation before the job even starts.
There’s also the permit question. Commack is one of the few communities on Long Island that spans two separate towns Huntington and Smithtown each with its own building department, its own forms, and its own inspection process. A contractor who doesn’t know which jurisdiction covers your address will cost you weeks. Getting both of those things right from day one is what keeps your builder’s schedule intact and your project moving.
We’re a full-service environmental and demolition contractor serving Suffolk County, Nassau County, and the greater New York metro area. We’ve worked in Commack before on the split-levels and hi-ranch homes that line the residential streets from the Candy Section to the neighborhoods near Hoyt Farm Park and we know exactly what these properties involve.
What separates us from the demolition companies you’ll find in local search results isn’t just experience. It’s credentials. We hold the NYS Department of Labor Asbestos Contractor License, the NYS DOL Mold Remediation Contractor License, EPA Lead RRP Certification, a Suffolk County Home Improvement Contractor License, and several others all publicly verifiable. The two locally-based demolition companies in Commack focus on clean-outs and interior demo. Neither holds the environmental remediation licenses required to legally perform asbestos abatement. That distinction matters the moment hazmat is found on your property.
We also offer financing, including 0% APR options because demolition doesn’t always happen on a planned schedule, and cost shouldn’t be the reason a project stalls.
It starts with a site visit and assessment. Before anything is quoted or scheduled, we look at the property, confirm which town’s jurisdiction applies to your address Huntington or Smithtown and identify what the permit process requires on your end. This step alone saves most Commack homeowners from filing with the wrong building department and losing weeks.
From there, we coordinate the pre-demolition asbestos survey. This is a legal requirement in New York State, and it needs to happen before any demolition activity begins. If the survey comes back clean, we move straight into permitting and utility disconnection gas, electric, water, and sewer all need to be formally disconnected before the structure comes down. If asbestos is found, we handle the abatement ourselves, under our NYS DOL license, without stopping the project to bring in a separate environmental firm.
Once permits are issued and the site is cleared, demolition proceeds. Debris is hauled to licensed disposal facilities with full documentation including manifests for any hazardous materials. We close the permits with the relevant building department and hand you a clean site with the paperwork to prove it. If you have a builder waiting, that documentation is exactly what they need to pull new construction permits without delays.
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A full house demolition through our team covers the entire scope not just the teardown. That means the pre-demolition asbestos survey, any required hazardous material abatement (asbestos, mold, or lead), utility disconnection coordination, structural demolition, debris removal, and site grading. Everything is managed under one contract with one point of contact. No handoffs. No gaps in accountability.
For Commack homeowners, this matters because of what the housing stock here actually contains. The 1950s and 60s split-levels and hi-ranch homes throughout the hamlet including properties in the Town of Smithtown portion near Veterans Memorial Highway and those in the Town of Huntington section closer to Jericho Turnpike were built with materials that almost universally require environmental assessment before demolition. We don’t treat that as an obstacle. It’s a standard part of the process, and we handle it with the same team, on the same timeline.
We also manage both building departments. Whether your property falls under the Town of Smithtown Building Department (reachable at 631-360-7522) or the Town of Huntington Building Department, we know the forms, the fees, and what each inspector expects. Full disposal documentation is provided at project close, and permits are formally closed before we consider the job done. If you’re coordinating with an architect or builder, we can work directly with them to keep the schedule aligned.
Yes, a demolition permit is required before any structural work begins. In Commack, the permit process is a little more involved than in most Long Island communities because the hamlet spans two separate towns Huntington and Smithtown. Depending on where your property sits within the hamlet, your permit application goes to either the Town of Huntington Building Department or the Town of Smithtown Building Department. These are two entirely separate agencies with different forms, different fee schedules, and different inspection timelines.
Beyond the structural permit, New York State also requires formal notification to the NYS Department of Labor and the EPA before demolition begins if asbestos-containing materials are present which, given Commack’s housing stock, is more likely than not. Utility disconnection from gas, electric, water, and sewer must also be documented and confirmed before any demolition activity starts. A licensed contractor who knows both building departments and has navigated this process in Commack before will save you significant time and prevent permit errors that can delay your project by weeks.
The only way to know for certain is through a licensed pre-demolition asbestos survey conducted by a NYS DOL-licensed asbestos contractor. Visual inspection alone isn’t enough asbestos-containing materials often look identical to non-hazardous ones, and the materials most commonly found in Commack’s postwar homes aren’t always obvious. The 9″x9″ vinyl floor tiles that were standard in nearly every split-level and hi-ranch built in the 1950s and 60s are one of the most common sources. Pipe insulation, boiler wrap, exterior siding panels, joint compound, and roofing shingles from that era are others.
New York State law requires this survey before any demolition, regardless of the home’s apparent condition or age. If asbestos is found, it must be abated by a licensed contractor before structural demolition can proceed. We hold the NYS DOL Asbestos Contractor License that authorizes us to perform both the survey and the abatement, so you don’t have to find and schedule a second company. Given that more than 70% of Commack’s housing was built during the peak asbestos era, this isn’t a precautionary step it’s a practical one.
Full house demolition in the New York metro area typically runs between $20,000 and $50,000 or more, depending on the size of the structure, the scope of hazardous material abatement required, site access conditions, and disposal costs. In Commack, asbestos abatement is a realistic line item for most pre-1980 homes local data from completed projects in the area puts asbestos removal costs between roughly $1,572 and $2,471 on average, though the range can extend higher depending on how many materials are affected and where they’re located within the structure.
What drives cost variability most is what’s found during the pre-demolition survey. A home with asbestos limited to floor tiles will cost less to abate than one with asbestos in the insulation, siding, and roofing. Getting a proper survey done upfront before you commit to a final project budget is the best way to avoid cost surprises mid-project. We provide itemized estimates after the assessment so you know exactly what you’re looking at before any work begins. Financing options, including 0% APR, are available if you need flexibility on timing.
That depends on exactly where your property sits within the hamlet. Commack is one of the only communities on Long Island that straddles two separate incorporated towns the Town of Huntington and the Town of Smithtown and the boundary runs through residential neighborhoods, not along any obvious commercial or geographic line. Properties in the northern and western portions of Commack generally fall under the Town of Huntington Building Department. Properties in the central and eastern portions typically fall under the Town of Smithtown Building Department, which can be reached at 631-360-7522.
The easiest way to confirm is to check your property’s tax records, which will identify the town. A licensed demolition contractor with Commack experience should be able to confirm this for you during the initial site visit as well. This isn’t a minor administrative detail filing with the wrong building department means starting the permit process over from scratch, which can push a project back by weeks. We verify jurisdiction for every Commack project before a single form is submitted.
From initial assessment to a clean, permitted site, most residential demolition projects in Commack take between six and twelve weeks total. The timeline breaks down roughly like this: the pre-demolition asbestos survey and results typically take one to two weeks. If abatement is required, add another one to three weeks depending on scope. Permit processing through either the Town of Huntington or Town of Smithtown building departments generally runs two to six weeks, though that can vary based on the department’s current workload and how complete the application is when submitted.
The actual structural demolition, once permits are issued and utilities are disconnected, is typically the fastest part a standard residential structure in Commack can come down in one to three days. Site cleanup, debris hauling, and permit closeout follow. If you have a builder or architect working on a timeline, sharing that schedule with us at the start allows us to sequence the work in a way that keeps the overall project on track. The biggest delays in Commack demolition projects almost always come from permit processing and hazmat discovery both of which we plan for from day one.
Technically, New York State allows owner-demolition in some circumstances, but the practical reality for most Commack homeowners is that self-demolition is neither legal nor feasible for a full structural teardown. The pre-demolition asbestos survey must be conducted by a NYS DOL-licensed asbestos contractor that’s not something a homeowner can perform themselves. If asbestos is found, abatement must also be completed by a licensed abatement contractor before any demolition activity begins. Skipping this step creates serious legal exposure and potential health liability.
Beyond the environmental requirements, both the Town of Huntington and the Town of Smithtown require a licensed contractor to pull the demolition permit for full structural work. Debris disposal at licensed facilities, NESHAP notification to the NYS DOL and EPA, and formal utility disconnection coordination all require contractor involvement as well. Given Commack’s housing stock where the vast majority of homes were built during the asbestos era attempting to self-demolish without proper survey and abatement isn’t just a regulatory risk. It’s a health risk for anyone on or near the property. The cost of doing it right with a licensed contractor is well-justified when you consider what’s at stake.
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