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Concrete Removal & Demolition in Hamilton
We break out and haul away old driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs across Hamilton, below and above the escarpment. In the lower city, old concrete sits on lake clay with a high water table near the bay, so removal is often day one of a base repair as well as a new pour. On the Mountain, the clay is over limestone and frost lifts thin bases, so we plan the removal around what goes back in. Quotes are free and written, with the breakout, hauling, disposal and grading itemized.
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Free · no pressure · 1 business day
Reviewed June 2026
Every job is priced individually, not off a price list. Tell us about yours and you get an accurate, no-pressure quote in writing.
Hamilton is two cities stacked on top of each other, split by the Niagara Escarpment that everyone here calls the Mountain. Below it, the lower city sits on heavy lake-deposited clay and silt with a water table that runs high near the bay. Above it, the Mountain sits on clay till over limestone. Clay holds water against a slab and frost lifts what sits on the clay, so old Hamilton concrete often has moved. See our Hamilton page for everything else we do in the city.
The removal itself follows our usual method: utility locates before any machine digs, saw cuts where old concrete meets concrete that stays, mesh and rebar cut free, and the old concrete sent to a recycler, not a landfill. The full method is on our concrete removal and demolition page. This page covers what Hamilton ground and Hamilton homes change about that job.
The lower city: find out why the old slab moved
The lower city holds the oldest housing in Hamilton, much of it pre-war brick on stone and early block foundations. When one has heaved or sunk, taking it out is the easy part. The useful part is what we see once it is out.
With the old concrete gone, we look at the base under it, where the downspouts empty and how the ground drains. If the base held water, we dig it out and rebuild it before anything new goes in. If the slab sloped toward an old brick or stone wall, we tell you, and we can look at basement waterproofing in Hamilton while the ground beside the wall is open.
The Mountain: clay till, limestone and a bigger pour
Above the escarpment, the postwar streets and the newer edges sit on clay till over limestone. The clay heaves when frost gets under a slab on a thin base, and limestone close to the surface means water does not always drain where you expect. Lake-effect snow and road salt add to the wear, which is why base prep decides how long the next slab lasts.
When a narrow driveway or a small pad has to come out for a bigger pour, we plan the machine path and the new base at the site visit. Doing the tear-out and the new pour with one crew means the base is rebuilt while the ground is open, and you pay for one trip, not two. See concrete driveways in Hamilton and concrete patios in Hamilton for what goes back in.
Booking removal in Hamilton
Hamilton is our operating base, and its jobs book into the regular schedule through the pouring season. We give you real dates after the site visit, not a same-day promise.
A small machine needs about a 36 inch gate, and many lower-city lots have tight side access. Where the machine cannot get through, the concrete is broken by hand and carried out, which takes longer. We decide the machine path at the site visit. Small jobs, like one walkway or an old shed pad, are welcome. We reply to every request within one business day.
Straight answers
Who does concrete removal in Hamilton?
We do, across the whole city, escarpment top and bottom. Our union-certified crews break out and haul away old driveways, patios, walkways, steps and slabs, and can pour the replacement. The quote is free and in writing, and the new concrete carries our lifetime warranty on labour.
Why did my lower-city Hamilton driveway sink or heave, and will a new one do the same?
The lower city sits on lake clay with a high water table near the bay. Clay holds water under a slab, and frost lifts it. When we take the old slab out, we check the base and the drainage, and fix what moved it before the new pour. A new slab on the same wet base would move the same way.
Can you take out concrete in a backyard with a narrow gate?
Yes. Our smallest machines clear about a 36 inch gate. If there is no machine access, we break the concrete by hand and carry it out. It takes longer, so we put it in the written quote after the site visit.
How much does concrete removal cost in Hamilton?
The thickness of the slab, how much mesh and rebar is in it, and how a machine reaches it set most of the cost. A flat rate posted online would only mislead you. You get a free written quote after a site visit, with breakout, hauling, disposal and grading itemized, and the number on the quote is the number you pay unless you change the job.
What happens to the old concrete?
Clean concrete goes to a recycler and is crushed into road base. The mesh and rebar are cut free and recycled on their own.
Keep reading
- Concrete Removal & Demolition across Southern OntarioThe full removal method: locates, saw cuts, rebar, recycling and grading.
- Concrete Contractors in HamiltonEverything else we pour and repair across the city, Mountain and lower city.
- Concrete Driveways in HamiltonMost removal is day one of a new driveway on a rebuilt base.
- Concrete Patios in HamiltonA heaved or too-small patio out, a new one sloped off the wall in.
- Basement Waterproofing in HamiltonIf the old slab sent water to an older wall, fix the wall while the ground is open.
Tell us about the job.
Send the details and we'll get back to you within one business day with next steps. If water is coming in right now, check the box and we flag it urgent.
Get a straight quote
Free · no pressure · 1 business day