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Concrete Removal & Demolition in Kitchener
We break out and haul away old concrete across Kitchener: driveways, patios, walks, steps and garage pads, as a job on its own or as day one of a new pour. Union-certified crews, utility locates ordered before any machine digs, and a free written quote that itemizes breakout, hauling, disposal and grading. When we pour the new concrete, that work carries our lifetime warranty on labour.
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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.
Most of Kitchener sits on the Waterloo Moraine, the glacial sand and gravel the early settlers called the Sandhills. For a tear-out, that ground changes what happens after the slab comes up. Sand drains well, but it also moves where water concentrates, so the first thing we look at once the concrete is off is the ground underneath: has a downspout been running to the same spot, is the base still where it was put, is there a hollow under the slab edge.
Kitchener has older and newer housing, and the two can ask for different tear-outs. The old Berlin core downtown has century-old brick houses; the south end around Doon is newer surveys. Access to the slab decides whether the job is a machine day or a hand-carry day, and we read it at the free site visit for your property, not from the neighbourhood.
The method, the saw cuts, the recycling and the grading are on our concrete removal and demolition page. This page is about what changes in Kitchener. The quote is free and written, and the number we give you is the number you pay unless you change the job.
What the sand and the high water table change after the slab is out
On the moraine sand that covers most of the city, sand drains well but moves where runoff concentrates. When the old slab comes out we look for a washed-out hollow under it, and if a new pour is going back in, the base is rebuilt while the ground is open, with grading that sheds water away from the edges.
Near the Grand River and the creeks that feed it, the water table sits higher. If your lot is in that low ground, we check how wet the ground is when the slab is out and plan the base and grading for it before anything new goes down.
Access decides the machine
Whether a machine can get to the slab depends on your property: the gate, the side yard, the route from the street. Smallest machines clear a 36 in. gate; with no machine access the work is done by hand, with the concrete carried out.
Whichever you have, we plan the machine path before the machine arrives, lay protection where the ground is soft, and water the saw cuts so dust settles instead of drifting to the neighbour's hedge. A tracked machine on a wet lawn can leave marks, and we say so at the quote.
Locates, haul-away and what the space looks like when we leave
In Ontario, utility locates are required before digging, and we order them as part of the job. Allow about a week for the marking before the machine day. Most residential tear-outs are one day on site: saw cuts and breakout in the morning, loading and hauling in the afternoon, grading before the crew leaves.
Clean old concrete goes to a recycler and comes back as road base. If new concrete is going in, we leave compacted granular ready for forms. If the slab is gone for good, we grade the space and finish with gravel or topsoil so the yard reads as yard. The first step is a free written quote at the property.
Straight answers
Do I need a permit to remove a driveway or patio in Kitchener?
Removing flatwork normally needs no building permit. Utility locates are still required by Ontario law before any digging, and we order them as part of the job. If the replacement changes your driveway's width or curb cut, check with the municipality before the pour, not after. We flag both at the quote.
Does the sandy ground in Kitchener make tear-out easier?
It helps with the base, not with the concrete. The slab breaks out the same way wherever it sits, and thickness and rebar set the effort. What the sand changes is the check afterwards: we look for washed-out hollows under the old slab and rebuild the base if a new pour is going back in.
Can you get a machine into my backyard in Kitchener?
Often yes. Our smallest machines clear a 36 in. gate. Where nothing fits, we break the slab out by hand and carry it out, which takes longer. We see the access at the free site visit and write the method into the quote, so it is not a surprise on the day.
How long does a concrete tear-out take?
Most residential tear-outs are one day on site. Large driveways, thick reinforced pads and hand-carry backyards can stretch to two. The long part is the utility marking: allow about a week before the machine day.
Can I have the old slab removed and a new one poured by the same crew?
Yes, and it is usually the better way. One crew means one visit to plan, the base is rebuilt while the ground is open, and the quote itemizes the demolition so you can compare it with other pour quotes. The new concrete carries our lifetime warranty on labour.
Keep reading
- Concrete Removal & Demolition across Southern OntarioThe full method: saw cuts, breakout, recycling and grading.
- Concrete Contractors in KitchenerEverything else we pour and repair across the city.
- Concrete Driveways in KitchenerThe new driveway that usually follows a tear-out, built for the ground your lot sits on.
- Concrete Patios in KitchenerReplacing an old patio starts with taking it out. Here is the Kitchener version.
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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