Concrete removal in Summerville — broken out, recycled, regraded
The old driveway, the patio the last owner poured over the sewer easement, the pad where the shed was: broken out with the right machine, hauled to the recycler rather than the landfill where we can, and the ground left graded for whatever comes next.
Removal is the start of most of our jobs and the whole of some. A builder driveway that's cracked into pieces, a patio that was poured flat against the house and floods the crawlspace, a pool deck around a pool that's being filled in, a slab in a drainage easement the county wants out, an old garage foundation on a lot being rebuilt. We size the machine to the slab and the access: a skid steer with a hydraulic breaker for a driveway, a mini-excavator through a 36-inch gate for a back-yard patio, a full excavator for a foundation. Before any of it, an SC 811 locate — the law now requires three to twelve full working days' notice before excavation or demolition, and a sewer lateral or a gas line under a 20-year-old slab is a bad surprise — and a look at the plat for the easements, so the regrading afterward doesn't leave a low spot in the drainage path.
Where the concrete goes matters here more than most places. The Dorchester County convenience sites take resident construction debris only — contractor dumping is prohibited in those words — and the Berkeley County landfill in Moncks Corner charges $100 a ton for construction and demolition debris with a one-ton minimum. The better answer is recycling: the North Charleston yards — Sanders Brothers on Asphalt Drive, Banks and Crush on Three Lakes Road — accept broken concrete (with rebar, though not always wire mesh) and crush it into the base stone that goes under the next driveway. Clean broken concrete costs little or nothing to tip there, and a lot of ours comes back to the job as base. The old slab is broken, loaded, hauled and recycled; the ground is regraded to drain; and if nothing's going back in, it's topsoiled for sod.
What's included
811 before we break
Locate request at least three full working days ahead; laterals, gas and irrigation found before the breaker.
The right machine
Breaker on a skid steer for driveways, a mini-excavator through the gate for patios, an excavator for foundations.
Recycled, not landfilled
Broken concrete to the North Charleston crushing yards as base stone wherever they'll take it.
Easements and drainage
The plat read before regrading so the removal doesn't create a low spot in the drainage path.
Regraded and ready
Compacted for the new slab, or topsoiled for sod if nothing's going back.
Full-depth removal
Slab, base and the builder's rebar stubs out; no buried chunks for the next contractor to find.
Concrete removal cost in Summerville, SC
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway removal | $1.20 – $1.90 per sq ft | Recycled as base |
| Patio or walk removal | $1.50 – $3 per sq ft | Smaller pours, tighter access |
| Pool deck removal | $2 – $4 per sq ft | Around the shell; pool fill separate |
| Foundation or thick slab, per sq ft | $4 – $8 | Excavator; rebar cut |
| Minimum call-out | $600 – $900 | Small pads and steps |
| Regrade and topsoil for sod | $1 – $2 per sq ft | After removal |
| Haul to C&D landfill when unrecyclable | $100 per ton + hauling | Berkeley County landfill rate |
These are 2026 Summerville-area ranges so you can budget. Your written price is itemized — removal, base, thickness, reinforcement, finish, joints, the permit and its inspections — and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about concrete removal
Do I need a permit to remove concrete?
Not for a driveway or patio. Removing a foundation or a pool is part of a demolition permit. The 811 locate is required by law either way.
Can the old concrete be reused?
Yes — crushed at the recycling yards it becomes the compacted base for the next driveway. It's cheaper than the landfill and better than new stone for the ground.
Will the machine damage my lawn?
Tracks and mats. A mini-excavator fits through a standard gate and we lay mats across the lawn; the ruts are minimal and we regrade what we cross.
What about the dirt under it?
If a new slab is going in, we compact and base it. If not, we topsoil and grade it to drain — and we won't leave the low spot that sends water at the house.
Can you remove just the apron?
Yes, and it's often the first thing to go on a county swale road where the pipe underneath has crushed. The replacement apron is permitted with the road authority.