NYS and NYC M/WBE Certified Contractor
When you’re tearing down a pre-war home in Plandome Heights, the goal isn’t just getting the structure down — it’s getting the site to a place where your architect, your builder, and your permit application are all ready to move forward without complications. That’s what a properly managed demolition actually delivers.
More than 70% of homes in Plandome Heights were built before 1950. That means the vast majority of teardown projects here involve asbestos-containing materials — pipe insulation, floor tile adhesive, boiler wrap, joint compound — that New York State law requires to be tested and abated before a single structural wall comes down. When that step is handled correctly and documented properly, your demolition permit goes through clean and your rebuild timeline stays intact.
The other thing worth knowing is that Plandome Heights has its own building department, its own construction hour ordinances, and a tight-knit community of about 1,000 residents who notice when a contractor shows up at 7 a.m. on a Sunday. Working with someone who already knows how village-level permitting works — and respects the rules that come with it — protects your project and your relationships with the neighbors you’ll be living next to for years after the build is done.
We’re an environmental and demolition contractor based in Bohemia, NY, serving all of Nassau County and the broader New York metro area. We’ve been doing this for over 12 years, with more than 340 completed demolition projects across Long Island and the five boroughs. Plandome Heights is part of our core Nassau County service area — this isn’t a market we’re new to.
What sets us apart for a project in Plandome Heights specifically is that we handle asbestos testing, certified abatement, structural demolition, and full site cleanup under one roof. Given that the median construction year here is 1938, almost every teardown in this village requires abatement before demolition can legally proceed. You shouldn’t have to manage two separate contractors and two separate timelines to get there.
We’re EPA-certified, OSHA-certified, NYS Department of Health licensed for asbestos work, and fully familiar with the permit process for incorporated villages in Nassau County. We hold NYS and NYC M/WBE certification — a government-verified credential, not a self-issued one. Our 4.7-star rating across 33+ verified reviews reflects the kind of work we do when the stakes are high and the details matter.
The first step is a site assessment. We come out, walk the property, evaluate the structure, and determine what hazardous materials may be present. For any home built before 1980 in Plandome Heights — which is nearly every home here — that assessment includes identifying potential asbestos-containing materials. From there, we bring in a certified inspector to test the specific materials in question. If asbestos is confirmed, abatement happens before demolition begins. That’s not optional in New York State — it’s the law under Industrial Code Rule 56 — and it’s also the step that protects your family, the crew, and your neighboring properties.
Once abatement is complete and documented, we coordinate the demolition permit with the Village of Plandome Heights building department. This is where knowing village-level permitting matters. Plandome Heights operates its own building department independently of the Town of North Hempstead, and the permit process here has its own sequence and requirements. We handle that coordination so you don’t have to.
Demolition itself is scheduled within the village’s allowed construction hours — 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays, no Sundays. The structure comes down, debris is removed, and the site is cleared and graded to a condition that’s ready for your next contractor to begin foundation work. The asbestos abatement documentation we provide also becomes part of your new building permit application — so nothing gets held up downstream.
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What we provide in Plandome Heights isn’t just a crew with equipment. It’s a complete, legally compliant demolition process that accounts for everything a pre-war home in this village actually contains. That starts with asbestos — pipe insulation, boiler wrap, vinyl floor tiles, ceiling tiles, roofing shingles, joint compound — and extends to lead paint assessment, utility disconnection coordination, and the structural teardown itself.
For waterfront and near-waterfront properties along the Manhasset Bay side of Plandome Heights, we also assess for moisture intrusion and mold conditions that can develop in older coastal structures. If remediation is needed before or alongside demolition, we handle that too. One contractor, one scope, one timeline.
After the structure is down, we handle all debris removal and disposal, site grading, and the documentation package your architect and general contractor will need to move the rebuild forward. That includes the certified abatement completion report required by the NYS Department of Labor — the document that confirms your site is clean and your new building permit can proceed without a hazardous materials hold. Whether you’re tearing down a century-old Duke-era Spanish-style home or a mid-century structure that’s outlived its renovation math, the process is the same: thorough, documented, and done within the rules that govern this village.
Yes — and in Plandome Heights specifically, that permit comes from the village’s own building department, not the Town of North Hempstead. The village code requires a building permit for any demolition, removal, or relocation of a structure, and the process is governed by the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code as supplemented by village-level local laws.
Before a demolition permit can be issued for any structure that may contain asbestos-containing materials — which applies to virtually every home in Plandome Heights given the median construction year of 1938 — New York State also requires a certified asbestos inspection and, if asbestos is confirmed, a completed abatement by a licensed contractor. That documentation has to be in hand before the permit is finalized and before demolition begins. Trying to skip that step doesn’t just create legal exposure — it can result in a stop-work order that pushes your entire rebuild timeline back by months.
A full residential demolition in the New York metro area generally runs 20 to 30 percent above national averages due to stricter regulatory requirements, higher labor costs, and the logistics of working in dense residential communities. For a standard single-family home, you’re typically looking at a range that starts around $15,000 and can go higher depending on the size of the structure, the extent of hazardous materials present, and the complexity of the site.
In Plandome Heights, the asbestos factor is almost always part of the equation. Homes built before 1950 — which accounts for roughly 71% of the village’s housing stock — frequently contain asbestos in multiple locations simultaneously. Testing, abatement, and proper disposal add to the overall cost, but they’re not optional under New York State law. The way to think about it in this market: with median property values above $3.5 million, the demolition cost is a small fraction of the total project budget. What matters is that it’s done correctly so your rebuild doesn’t get delayed by a permit hold or a compliance issue that a more thorough contractor would have caught upfront.
Not definitively — but the probability is high enough that testing is required by law before demolition can proceed. Asbestos was used extensively in residential construction through the 1970s, and homes built in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s — which describes the majority of Plandome Heights’ housing stock — commonly contain it in pipe insulation, boiler wrap, vinyl floor tiles and their adhesive backing, joint compound, ceiling tiles, and roofing materials. A single home can have asbestos in several of these locations at once.
The testing process involves a certified inspector collecting samples from suspect materials and sending them to an accredited lab. If any materials test positive, a licensed abatement contractor removes and disposes of them under controlled conditions — HEPA filtration, proper containment, regulated disposal — before demolition begins. This isn’t something a general contractor can handle on the side. It requires specific NYS Department of Health licensing and compliance with Industrial Code Rule 56. We hold that licensing and handle both the abatement and the demolition, so you’re not coordinating two separate contractors or two separate permit tracks.
The Village of Plandome Heights code restricts contractor work — including demolition — to 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. No work is permitted on Sundays or federal holidays. Exceptions require written permission from the Village Clerk or Mayor, which is rarely granted for standard demolition projects.
This matters more in Plandome Heights than it might in a larger, more anonymous community. With a population of roughly 1,000 residents and a village governance structure run largely by engaged community volunteers, neighbors notice violations — and they report them. A stop-work order in this village isn’t just a paperwork issue; it’s a disruption to your project timeline and a conversation you’ll be having with people you’ll live next to for years. Any contractor you hire for a demolition project here should know these rules and schedule accordingly, without you having to remind them.
The structural demolition itself — the actual teardown — typically takes one to three days for a standard single-family home. But that’s only one part of the timeline. The full process, from initial site assessment to a clean, permit-ready lot, usually spans several weeks when you account for asbestos testing, abatement (if required), permit coordination with the village building department, and final debris removal.
In Plandome Heights, where asbestos testing and abatement are a near-certainty for any pre-war home, planning for the full timeline upfront is important — especially if your teardown is tied to a spring construction start for the rebuild. Lab results for asbestos samples typically take five to ten business days. If abatement is needed, that adds additional time depending on the scope. The earlier you start the process, the more control you have over your rebuild schedule. Homeowners who call in the fall for a spring teardown are in a much better position than those who wait until February.
Yes — and for a Plandome Heights project, that combination matters more than it might elsewhere. Because the village’s housing stock is so heavily concentrated in the pre-war era, almost every full demolition here involves both asbestos abatement and structural teardown as sequential, legally connected steps. New York State requires the abatement to be completed and documented before the demolition permit is finalized. If you’re working with two separate contractors — one for abatement, one for demolition — you’re managing two schedules, two permit tracks, and two points of potential delay.
We are NYS Department of Health licensed for asbestos abatement and handle the full scope: testing coordination, certified abatement, structural demolition, debris removal, and the documentation package your architect and builder will need for the new construction permit. That includes the abatement completion report required by the NYS Department of Labor. One contractor, one contract, one timeline. For a project where the land alone can be worth over a million dollars and every week of delay has real cost, that kind of consolidated accountability isn’t a convenience — it’s a practical advantage.
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