Is demolishing old buildings really that expensive?

I have to disagree here as well. Hauling companies are no longer allowed to do this so easily because excavated material must fundamentally be sent for disposal. Storing it with a buddy or a farmer around the corner can cost the dispatcher their license. What used to be so cheap and casual is now usually prohibited or punishable by law. We are not even allowed to reapply our topsoil ourselves because it would first have to be tested for contaminants and would then be considered hazardous waste.

Ever heard of the VwV? Of course, excavated material may be reused and is reused for the most part, for backfilling, refilling of all kinds. If everything were taken to landfills, we would have mountains like the Allgäu region everywhere.

You are both right, but you are talking about different things. No one is saying that soil always has to go to the landfill. The "official" simple "relocation" to another property without prior soil testing can cause serious trouble in the worst case. That’s what the demolition contractor told me as well.

He said as soon as even roots are present in the excavation, it is immediately classified as Z2.

Be that as it may, this whole thing is slowly getting perverted. Soon the earthworks will make up half of the construction cost.

Ever heard of the VwV? Of course, excavated material may be reused and mostly is, for all kinds of backfills and fillings. If everything were taken to landfills, we would have mountains like the Allgäu everywhere.

As I said, I'm not generalizing. You just have to be careful and be aware of your own individual soil. I'm also curious how it will turn out and interested in the prices.

For example, in Baden-Württemberg
- VwV Bodenverwertung B.-W. March 2007 (analogous to LAGA M 20) [VwV = Verwaltungsvorschrift], that is 32 pages of regulation!
- RC-Erlass UM B.-W. April 2004 (annual extension) [RC = Recyclingschotter], that is 19 pages of regulation!
- DepV July 2011 [Deponieverordnung], that is 70 pages of regulation
-> if you wanted to implement all of this 100% as a builder, 70K is peanuts ;-)

Had a 70s 130 m² Okal house with a concrete basement and garage demolished -> offers were between 30 and 35K. Among them a clever landscape gardener, who had his excavator driver demolish the house and called in an external asbestos disposal company.

Addition: And then please pay attention to the 30-page soil report for the excavation pit, backfilling with very precise DIN specifications and grain sizes for gravel, etc. The important issue is the question of soil permeability according to the soil report. For example, I had to dispose of 10,000€ worth of excavation waste (hardly water-permeable clayey silt), could only use a few excavator buckets for the garden. And even for the garden, you should get at least 1m deep "clean" soil. Who knows how much asbestos the rain has washed into the ground. The problem is also that the locally shredded RC cannot be used for the cleanliness layer under the house. Because it does not have a DIN standard as opposed to the gravel plant with the standardized machines, and if the basement ever has cracks, the general contractor could say: "Tough luck, your foundation was not good or not according to standards/soil report." Conclusion: If you want to implement the above specifications/requirements 100% as the builder, 70K is totally reasonable for demolition, refilling, etc ;-)

Whereas here in the forum we have already had threads where the RC did not pass the load test. Precisely because it consists of whatever randomly goes into the shredder at the front.