To remove a shed or playset in North Texas, empty it and check your city's permit rules. Have a licensed pro cut any power or water, then take it apart from the top down. Cowboy Site Services tears down and hauls off sheds and playsets across Collin and Grayson County. Sheds are quoted per job, and playset removal starts from $515.
What's the right order for taking out a shed?
Most shed removals go wrong for one of two reasons. Either something got skipped before the first board came off, or the shed came down before anyone knew where the pieces were going. Working in order fixes both.
- Step 1: Empty it. Sort what you're keeping, and set aside paint, fuel and chemicals for household hazardous waste disposal.
- Step 2: Check the permit rules for your city. Some cities want a permit to remove a building, even a small one.
- Step 3: Cut the utilities. Any power or water line to the shed gets disconnected by a licensed pro first.
- Step 4: Take it down from the roof to the floor. Shingles and roof panels, then rafters, then walls, then the floor frame.
- Step 5: Deal with what's under it. Skids, blocks, anchors, a small pad or a bigger slab each need a different answer.
- Step 6: Haul it off and clean the spot. Rake for nails and screws before anyone walks there barefoot.
Do you need a permit to remove a shed?
It depends on the city, and the rules aren't the same from one town to the next. Here's what a few city sources say:
- Van Alstyne: the city's permits page requires a building permit for adding or removing an accessory building.
- Prosper: the city's demolition submittal is required for dismantling any building or structure, or any part of one.
- Frisco: Frisco's permit forms page requires a permit for any residential structure that is removed or demolished.
- Wylie: Wylie's list of projects requiring permits includes demolition of an existing building, structure or pool.
- McKinney: McKinney's amended building code exempts one-story detached accessory structures of 120 square feet or less from a building permit.
What do those permit rules mean for your project?
Read the McKinney rule carefully. It's an exemption from a building permit, written with putting a structure up in mind. Whether taking one down needs a demolition permit is a question for the city, so ask before you start.
Where a city requires a permit, it's usually pulled by the general contractor or the homeowner. If one is needed and nobody else is pulling it, we can usually pull it ourselves for an added fee that varies by city.
If your town isn't listed here, the demolition permit guide for Collin and Grayson County covers more cities. When in doubt, call the building department with the shed's size and what it sits on.
What if the shed has power or water?
A lot of sheds have a light, an outlet or a hose bib run out from the house. That line has to be disconnected by an electrician or plumber before the walls come down. A buried wire cut by a saw or a shovel is a real danger.
Some cities put this in writing. Prosper's demolition submittal requires the applicant to terminate utilities, and the sewer cap must be inspected. It also asks for a site plan showing gas and electric meter locations.
We don't do electrical or plumbing work. If you aren't sure what runs to the shed, have a pro look before demo day.
What sits under the shed, and what can come out?
Pull up a corner of the floor and look before you plan anything else. What's under the shed decides how big the job really is.
- Wood skids or concrete blocks: these lift out with the floor and go on the load.
- Ground anchors or tie-down straps: unscrew or cut them, then pull the anchors so nobody trips on them later.
- Gravel base: rake it flat or spread it out. It can stay unless you need the ground for grass.
- A small concrete pad: this can often be broken out by hand. It can be quoted on its own as small concrete removal.
- A bigger slab or deep footings: these usually need heavy equipment, and that's outside what we do.
How does a playset come out?
On a wooden playset, strip off the swings, slide, canopy and climbing grips first. Then take the upper deck and roof apart before you touch the main posts. It's the same kind of light demolition as a shed, just smaller pieces.
Playset legs are often anchored into the ground or set in concrete. Anchors usually come out with a pry bar and some digging. Legs set in concrete are a bigger job, so check one before you promise anyone a free afternoon.
A metal swing set is simpler. Unbolt the crossbar, fold the A-frames down and pull the ground stakes.
Should you tear it down yourself or hire it out?
A small shed or playset is a fair weekend project if you have tools, a helper and a truck. The tear-down is often the easy part. Getting the pieces somewhere that will take them is where it stalls, as our DIY vs. pro teardown guide explains.
- Do it yourself when it's small, empty, has no power and sits on skids or blocks.
- Hire it out when it has power or water, sits behind a narrow gate, or is rotted enough to fall unevenly.
- Hire it out when you have no truck or trailer, or no place to take treated lumber and shingles.
- Hire it out when the shed is still packed full and you want both gone in one visit.
When is it time to call a crew?
Our shed demolition and removal work tears the shed down, loads it and hauls it off in one trip. What's inside can go on the same visit. It's quoted per job from your photos, and that price is firm before anything comes down.
For a playset, trampoline or hot tub, see our playset and trampoline removal service. A shed and a playset in the same yard can go out together. Send photos of each one, what's under them and the path to the driveway.