When homeowners decide to refresh a patio, replace a cracked driveway, or open up a basement slab, the first question is always the same: “How much to remove concrete?” Because every residential tear-out has unique variables, a one-size-fits-all figure rarely works. At CountBricks, our real-time voice-driven estimating engine combines current labor rates, local dump fees, and up-to-the-minute material costs to give you a precise answer in minutes rather than days.
• Labor hours and crew size
• Slab thickness and reinforcement type
• Equipment required for access and breaking
• Haul-off distance and disposal fees
Understanding how these pillars interact is the key to accurate budgeting. Let’s examine each through a residential lens.
Cutting and hauling a 2-inch walkway is a very different task from wrestling a 6-inch rebar-laden garage floor. CountBricks estimating software crunches labor productivity data for each scenario.
• Light demo with handheld breakers typically delivers 25–40 square feet per labor hour
• Heavier slabs or tight backyards may slow output to 10–15 square feet per labor hour
Our internal projects show an average Boston-area labor cost of $65–$85 per hour for a two-person residential crew. Multiply that by the hours predicted by CountBricks and you have pillar one.
Standard patio slabs are 4 inches thick with minimal mesh. By contrast, a structural basement slab can hide rebar, double-mat wire, or even fiber additives. More steel equals more machine and labor time.
CountBricks AI references historic residential removal jobs in your ZIP code to instantly adjust productivity factors for:
• Mesh-reinforced flatwork
• Rebar-grid slabs at 12-inch centers
• Post-tension cables that require specialist handling
Wide-open driveways welcome a skid steer with a hydraulic breaker, cutting labor hours in half. A tight urban backyard might only allow wheelbarrows and electric hammers.
• Mini-excavator with breaker: $450–$650 per day
• Skid steer with breaker: $400–$600 per day
• Electric handheld breakers: $55–$90 per day each
CountBricks instantly recommends equipment packages based on your site photos or blueprint takeoff, then inserts rental costs into the estimate.
Concrete is heavy—about 4,000 pounds per cubic yard. Disposal yards charge by the ton and sometimes add environmental fees. CountBricks tracks
• Local tipping fees (example: $22–$34 per ton in Greater Boston)
• Average trucking cost per mile
• Loading time based on rubble volume
By folding these figures into the estimate, homeowners avoid surprise dump-ticket upcharges at project closeout.
Based on thousands of CountBricks projects nationwide, here are current residential benchmarks:
• Walkway or small patio (200 sq ft, 4-inch, easy access): $1,200–$1,800
• Driveway (600 sq ft, 4-inch, skid steer access): $3,000–$5,000
• Garage slab (400 sq ft, 6-inch, heavy rebar): $3,200–$4,500
• Basement slab (800 sq ft, 4-inch, interior cut-and-carry): $6,000–$8,500
Remember, these are ranges. CountBricks.com/estimate refines them in real time for your exact address, soil conditions, and landfill distance.
Paper worksheets and generic cost books ignore local dump fees and daily rental fluctuations. They cannot capture the premium you pay when a machine sits idle because of a last-minute HOA restriction. CountBricks eliminates guesswork by pulling fresh data every 60 seconds from supplier APIs and regional labor indexes.
• Combine removal with new pour—crews already mobilized save up to 10 %
• Schedule during off-peak months to capture lower equipment rental rates
• Obtain required city permits beforehand to prevent costly job delays
• Request recycled rubble backfill if allowed—cuts disposal tonnage
• Use CountBricks voice notes on-site to update scope; the estimate auto-recalculates
1. Speak your scope: “Remove 500 square feet of 4-inch patio.”
2. AI takeoff confirms dimensions via uploaded blueprint or on-site photo.
3. Real-time pricing engine outputs line-item costs in under two minutes.
4. Review on screen or via PDF quote branded with your logo.
5. Approve and schedule removal. Field crews access tasks through the CountBricks mobile app.
This streamlined pipeline shaves days off traditional back-and-forth email chains and keeps your project moving.
• Unmarked utilities requiring hand digging
• Need for temporary shoring in basement removals
• Asbestos mastic under old slabs triggering abatement expenses
CountBricks prompts for these risk flags during the estimating conversation, ensuring they are captured early rather than as change orders later.
If you are still wondering precisely how much to remove concrete at your home, let CountBricks do the heavy lifting—literally and figuratively. Visit CountBricks.com/consultation or launch the mobile app to start a voice conversation and receive a binding estimate in minutes. No hidden fees, just data-driven clarity.
A Quincy, MA homeowner wanted a 350-square-foot patio removed to make room for an outdoor kitchen. Using CountBricks, the contractor captured the scope with a 30-second voice note. The platform identified a 4-inch slab with wire mesh and easy skid-steer access.
• Labor: 14 crew-hours at $78/hr = $1,092
• Skid steer & hydraulic breaker: $520/day
• Haul-off: 9 tons at $28/ton plus 15-mile trucking = $387
• Permits & consumables: $145
• Total projected: $2,144
The crew finished in one day, exactly matching the estimate. CountBricks automatically converted the approved quote into an invoice, and the homeowner paid electronically that evening.
• Voice-first estimating eliminates transcription errors and lost site notes
• Real-time cost feeds lock in equipment pricing before seasonal spikes hit
• Integrated task lists keep field crews aligned with the original scope, reducing change orders
Whether you are pulling up a cracked walkway or gutting a basement slab, CountBricks delivers numbers you can bank on. Visit CountBricks.com/services to explore concrete demo packages or schedule a free consult through CountBricks.com/consultation.
Because concrete removal is heavy work—your estimate shouldn’t be.
