VeRV77
Silver Member
I have a piece of property I'm cleaning up and it has an old freestanding shed that needs demolishing (see photo). The lower joists and vertical members have rot, and it looks as if it could fall any moment.
How do I do this without killing myself?? Cutting or knocking out any structural members while standing anywhere near the shed seems like a REALLY bad idea. Use of fire is out of the question. A local contractor wanted thousands to do the demo for me, so I'm not going that route either.
MY PLAN SO FAR: Loop a cable through the vertical studs on one side of the shed, near ground level. Run cable through a heavy-duty pulley that is strapped to a large adjacent tree (maybe 20-30 feet away). Attach other end of cable to my tractor and slowly drive forward. The idea is that if the cable snaps from its attachment (either on the tractor or, more likely, on the shed), it will fly toward the pulley/tree and not toward the back of my head. If half the shed is still standing, repeat process on other side. Once it's fully collapsed, Sawzall and sledgehammer for the rest.
I'm not sure how thick a cable I need, but I know I want a significant safety factor. Not even sure this is a good idea. Anybody have any experience with this? Suggestions appreciated.
How do I do this without killing myself?? Cutting or knocking out any structural members while standing anywhere near the shed seems like a REALLY bad idea. Use of fire is out of the question. A local contractor wanted thousands to do the demo for me, so I'm not going that route either.
MY PLAN SO FAR: Loop a cable through the vertical studs on one side of the shed, near ground level. Run cable through a heavy-duty pulley that is strapped to a large adjacent tree (maybe 20-30 feet away). Attach other end of cable to my tractor and slowly drive forward. The idea is that if the cable snaps from its attachment (either on the tractor or, more likely, on the shed), it will fly toward the pulley/tree and not toward the back of my head. If half the shed is still standing, repeat process on other side. Once it's fully collapsed, Sawzall and sledgehammer for the rest.
I'm not sure how thick a cable I need, but I know I want a significant safety factor. Not even sure this is a good idea. Anybody have any experience with this? Suggestions appreciated.