Key takeaways

  • Concrete is the heavy one. Normal concrete weighs 140 to 150 lb per cubic foot, so a 4-inch slab is about 47 to 50 lb per square foot. A 10x12 slab is roughly 3 tons.
  • Everything else is mostly hand work. Skids and pavers lift out, gravel shovels out, auger anchors unscrew. Poured piers take digging.
  • Recycle concrete if you can. A recycler like Allied Recycled Aggregates in Commerce City, CO takes clean concrete free. Landfills charge more: Larimer County charges $40 per cubic yard for rubble.
  • You don't have to remove it. A sound slab or paver pad can stay as a patio, a new shed base or, if it meets the spa maker's rules, a hot tub pad.
  • Call 811 first, then fix the ground. Regrade so water runs away from the house, loosen the packed soil, then seed or sod.

Once the shed is down, the base is often the part nobody planned for. Skids come out in an afternoon; a concrete slab can be several tons to break, load and haul. This guide covers each base type: how it comes out, the tools, the debris, where it goes, and when to leave it. If the shed itself is still standing, start with how to tear down a shed.

Many sheds have two base types at once, such as skids on a gravel pad, or a slab with anchor bolts in it. Deal with each layer in turn.

Before you dig: call 811

Pulling piers, digging out gravel and regrading all count as digging. 811 calls itself "the free national before-you-dig service" and says to contact 811 or your state 811 center's website "a few business days before you begin any digging, including common projects like planting trees and shrubs or installing fences and mailboxes." Then wait until every utility has responded and marked its lines before you break ground. The 811 site puts damage to buried utilities at about $30 billion a year in the U.S.

If the shed had power, have a licensed electrician deal with its buried feed first.

Concrete slab

How thick, and is it reinforced?

Inch Calculator says a 4- to 6-inch thickness "is the norm" for slabs, and that costs can double once a slab is thicker than that, or has rebar. To check yours, dig at one edge and measure. Look in any crack or broken corner for steel: wire mesh is a grid of thin wire, rebar is thicker ribbed bar. Steel holds broken pieces together, so each chunk has to be cut free.

How much does a shed slab weigh?

Engineering ToolBox lists the density of normal-strength Portland cement concrete as 140 to 150 lb per cubic foot. Weight per square foot is just that density times the thickness in feet:

  • 4 inches (one-third of a foot): 140 × 0.333 to 150 × 0.333 = about 47 to 50 lb per square foot.
  • 5 inches: about 58 to 63 lb per square foot.
  • 6 inches: 70 to 75 lb per square foot.

Use the 150 end for a slab with mesh or rebar. These are our calculations from the published density, not measured weights, and slab edges are often thicker.

Breaking it up: sledge, breaker, or hire it out

Ways to break up a shed slab
MethodFitsWatch out for
Sledgehammer and pry barA small, thin slab with no mesh or rebar. Dig under one edge so the concrete has nowhere to go but down, then work in from the edge.Exhausting on anything big. Wear eye protection, gloves and boots.
Rented electric or pneumatic breaker (jackhammer)Most 4- to 6-inch slabs. Inch Calculator calls the pneumatic breaker "the standard tool" for slab demolition and says one rents for around $100 a day; buying starts at about $1,500.Heavy and tiring. Silica dust. You still need bolt cutters or an angle grinder for mesh and rebar.
Hire a contractorThick or reinforced slabs, large slabs, tight access, or no way to haul several tons.Minimum charges on small jobs. Ask whether hauling and disposal are included.

Control the dust. Breaking concrete releases respirable crystalline silica. OSHA's jackhammer fact sheet says that "when inhaled over time, the small particles of silica can irreversibly damage the lungs." Its control is water applied continuously where the tool's tip strikes, not just wetting the surface first, because "dry materials below are disturbed" as the bit breaks through. The rule is for employers, but the method works at home: one person runs the breaker, another keeps a hose on the strike point. Use GFCI protection with electric tools.

Break it into pieces two people can lift, cut the steel as each piece comes free, and stack pieces by the route out.

What concrete slab removal costs

Cost guides vary, so treat these as ranges:

  • Fixr (updated January 31, 2025) puts concrete removal at about $4 per square foot on average: $2 to $4 for unreinforced concrete and $4 to $6 for reinforced. Its typical range for removing a concrete slab is $600 to $1,000, and disposal makes up about $0.50 to $2 of the per-square-foot price, depending on whether the concrete can be recycled.
  • Inch Calculator puts slab demolition at $3 to $8 per square foot for smaller projects, with a 100-square-foot slab usually costing $350 to $800.

A 10x12 shed slab is 120 square feet: about $240 to $480 unreinforced or $480 to $720 reinforced at Fixr's rates. Small jobs often land at a company's minimum charge instead. If the slab comes out with the shed, ask for one price for both. See shed removal cost and our pricing page.

Where broken concrete goes

Concrete recyclers crush clean concrete into base rock, and they're usually the cheapest outlet. Their rules are strict, so read them before you load. For example, Denver-area recycler Allied Recycled Aggregates in Commerce City publishes these rules:

  • Clean concrete, any load size: free.
  • Concrete with wire mesh or rebar up to #6 at 12 inches on center: $20 flat fee.
  • Not accepted: concrete and asphalt mixed in one load, concrete with more than one mat of steel or heavier rebar, loads more than 10% dirt, and building blocks, among other items.
  • Drivers check in at the scale house, and every load can be inspected and rejected.

Knock soil off the pieces, and keep the gravel from under the slab in a separate pile.

Landfills and C&D sites take concrete too, at a higher price. Larimer County, CO charges $40 per cubic yard plus a state surcharge for rubble, a category that includes concrete, dirt, sod and asphalt. It has a 2-cubic-yard minimum for loose loads in non-commercial vehicles, and uncovered or unsecured loads are charged double. It measures the load itself (length × width × height in feet, divided by 27), and broken concrete stacks with gaps, so the load measures bigger than the solid slab.

Several tons won't go in one pickup trip, so check your payload rating, or ask a dumpster company about weight limits and clean-concrete bins. Fixr notes that reinforced concrete "is also less likely to be recycled," so call ahead. For the rest of the shed's debris, see shed disposal and recycling.

Rather not break it up yourself? Send photos of the slab and the route to the street, and we'll quote the removal and haul-away.

Get a shed removal quote ↗

Should you leave the slab?

Often the cheapest removal is none. A slab is worth keeping if it's level, not badly cracked, and drains away from your house:

  • A patio or seating area. Grind off or cut flush any anchor bolts so nobody trips on them.
  • A base for a new shed of the same size or smaller.
  • A hot tub pad, with care. Hot Spring requires a reinforced concrete pad at least 4 inches thick for its Grandee and Envoy spas, and its instructions say the rebar or mesh in the pad should be attached to a bond wire. An old shed slab may be too thin, the wrong size, unreinforced, or have steel nobody can reach, so check the spa maker's instructions and talk to the electrician before you count on it.

Remove it if it's cracked into a trip hazard, tilts water toward your house, sits where you want lawn or garden, or a new project needs the space. If you're selling or a later permit is likely, ask your building department now. See shed demolition permits.

Gravel pad

How it comes out: pull the border timbers or edging, then shovel the gravel into a wheelbarrow. A flat shovel and a steel rake do most of it; landscape fabric underneath comes up last.

How much there is: Engineering ToolBox lists dry gravel at 105 lb per cubic foot and wet gravel at 125. A 10x12 pad 4 inches deep holds 40 cubic feet (about 1.5 cubic yards), so roughly 4,200 lb dry or 5,000 lb wet. Gravel is often deeper than you expect, so dig a test hole.

Where it goes: gravel is the easiest base to reuse. Spread it on paths, under a rain barrel, along a drip line, or as base for new pavers. If it has to leave, ask your local landfill or a landscape supplier what category it falls in; Larimer County's rubble rate covers dirt and similar heavy loads. Don't mix it into concrete loads going to a recycler.

Leave it? A level gravel pad suits a new shed, trash cans or firewood. If you want lawn there, the gravel has to go.

Pavers and patio stones

How it comes out: pry out the first paver with a flat bar or two flat screwdrivers. After that, the rest lift by hand. Then scrape up the sand bed and any base rock.

How much there is: a 60 mm paver is 2.36 inches thick. At the same 140 to 150 lb per cubic foot used for concrete, that works out to about 28 to 30 lb per square foot, so a 10x12 pad is roughly 3,300 to 3,500 lb of pavers. That's our estimate from the density, not a manufacturer weight; thicker pavers weigh more. The sand bed adds more (see the table).

Where it goes: clean pavers have resale and reuse value. The City of Lakewood's C&D waste diversion directory lists Front Range reuse outlets that take them: Bud's Warehouse in Aurora takes pavers and edging, and Resource Central in Boulder takes bricks, pavers and flagstone that are free of mortar or concrete. Call ahead, and stack pavers on a pallet as you lift them.

Leave it? A level paver pad is already a patio. Reset any that rocked under the shed, sweep in fresh joint sand, and you're done.

Wood skids and runners

How it comes out: once the floor is off, skids are just timbers on the ground. Pull or cut any anchor straps, then lift or roll them out. A reciprocating saw cuts them to car-trunk length. Watch for nails, screws and wasp nests underneath.

Where it goes: skids are nearly always pressure-treated wood. EPA says not to burn CCA or other preservative-treated wood "in a residential setting," and not to reuse CCA-treated wood as mulch. It also says homeowners can usually dispose of CCA wood in ordinary trash, but to check state and local rules. Wear a dust mask when cutting it, and wash your hands after.

Leave it? No. Old skids rot in place and attract insects. Sound ones can be reused as edging or for a new shed's base.

Deck blocks, piers and concrete footings

Precast deck blocks

Blocks sitting on the surface lift straight off. They're heavy for their size: even a solid 11 x 11 x 8 inch block would be under 85 lb at concrete's density, and real blocks, which taper, weigh less. Lift with your legs, or roll them onto a hand truck. Give away sound ones; broken ones go with your clean concrete.

Driven-pin piers

Some newer sheds sit on pinned piers such as Diamond Pier, a precast concrete head held by galvanized steel pins driven into the soil. Diamond Pier's FAQ describes a "jacking method" to remove driven pins: a pipe wrench and a pry bar spin and pry the pin out of the head an inch or two at a time. Follow the maker's instructions.

Poured concrete piers and footings

These are the hardest to remove after a slab. Dig around the pier, rock it loose, and lift it out with a bar or a come-along. If it's too big, break it in the hole. As an example, a pier 12 inches across and 3 feet deep holds about 2.4 cubic feet of concrete, or roughly 330 to 350 lb. Fixr lists concrete footing removal at an average of $350 to $500.

Leave them? Footings broken off below grade and covered can stay if you won't dig there. Note where they are for future fence posts or trees.

Ground anchors and auger anchors

Anchors hold a shed down against wind. ShelterLogic's anchor guide sorts them into types: its ShelterAuger screw anchors are "permanent or reusable" and suit clay, unpacked soil and wet concrete; its EasyHook drive anchors are listed as permanent; and concrete anchors and lag bolts are the permanent choice on a cement pad or wood deck.

  • Auger (screw) anchors: free any cable or strap, put a bar or pipe through the eye, and turn it counterclockwise to back it out. Soak dry ground first if it's tight.
  • Driven or toggle anchors: they're built not to pull out. Cut the cable or rod off below the surface with a grinder or bolt cutters and leave the head buried.
  • Bolts in a slab: cut or grind them flush if the slab stays. If it's going, they come out with the concrete.

Count the anchors before the shed comes down, and find every one afterward. A missed anchor eye will find your mower.

Weight and volume at a glance

Shed base debris: estimated weight and volume
BaseExampleVolumeEstimated weight
Concrete slab, 4 in.8 x 10 ft26.7 cu ft (1.0 cu yd)3,700–4,000 lb
Concrete slab, 4 in.10 x 12 ft40 cu ft (1.5 cu yd)5,600–6,000 lb
Concrete slab, 4 in.12 x 16 ft64 cu ft (2.4 cu yd)9,000–9,600 lb
Concrete slab, 6 in.12 x 16 ft96 cu ft (3.6 cu yd)13,400–14,400 lb
Gravel pad, 4 in. deep10 x 12 ft40 cu ft (1.5 cu yd)4,200 lb dry, 5,000 lb wet
Gravel pad, 6 in. deep12 x 16 ft96 cu ft (3.6 cu yd)10,100 lb dry, 12,000 lb wet
60 mm pavers10 x 12 ft23.6 cu ft (0.9 cu yd)3,300–3,500 lb
Sand bed, 1 in.10 x 12 ft10 cu ft (0.4 cu yd)About 970 lb dry
Poured pier12 in. wide, 3 ft deep2.4 cu ft each330–350 lb each

Our calculations: volume × density. Concrete at 140–150 lb/cu ft (Engineering ToolBox, normal-strength Portland cement concrete); gravel at 105 lb/cu ft dry and 125 wet, sand at 97 dry (Engineering ToolBox). Volumes are solid; broken or loose material takes more room in a truck or dumpster. Measure your own base.

Drainage and regrading

Once the base is gone, the footprint is usually a hollow or a hump. Check which way water will run before you plant.

The International Residential Code's drainage rule for houses (R401.3) says lots "shall be graded to drain surface water away from foundation walls," with the grade falling at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet. It's written for new homes, but it's a sensible target if the old shed spot is near your house: a footprint that holds water against a foundation is a problem worth fixing. Both CSU Extension lawn pages say to make grade changes that direct drainage away from building foundations before you seed or sod.

Fill a hollow with topsoil, not old gravel or broken concrete, in layers watered so they settle. Finish level with the lawn or slightly above it.

Restoring the lawn

Soil under a shed is usually packed hard and dead. CSU Extension's PlantTalk pages give a clear sequence:

  1. Clear and loosen. Remove rocks and debris. For seeding, CSU says to cultivate the top 12 inches; for sod, to cultivate to 12 inches if the soil is compacted, but not when it's so wet it forms clods.
  2. Amend. CSU says most soils benefit from 3 to 5 cubic yards of decomposed manure, compost or sphagnum peat moss per 1,000 square feet, tilled into the top 6 to 8 inches. A 10x12 footprint is 120 square feet, so that's roughly 0.4 to 0.6 cubic yards. A basic soil test tells you what fertilizer to add.
  3. Seed: CSU says cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass are easiest to start in late summer, and warm-season buffalograss is usually seeded in May or June. Broadcast in two directions, rake lightly, and keep the surface moist; germination can take up to two weeks.
  4. Sod: faster for a small patch that has to match the lawn. Moisten the soil 6 to 8 inches deep several days before the sod arrives. CSU says cool-season sod can be planted in fall as long as the soil isn't frozen, but late-fall sod needs watering during dry winter spells, perhaps every 2 to 3 weeks.

In October, sod is the quicker way to cover a bare footprint before winter in Colorado; seed can wait for late summer. Elsewhere, check your state's extension service.

How we quote a foundation removal

We remove sheds and the bases under them. To quote, we need photos of the shed and base, a slab edge if you can (for thickness), the route to the street, and what stays. We'll tell you what we'd remove, what we'd recycle, and what's left for you, such as seeding. If you're still deciding about the shed itself, read how to get rid of a shed or see the areas we serve, including Colorado.

Rather not deal with it? We take down sheds and their slabs, pavers, gravel and footings, and haul it all away.

Get a shed removal quote ↗

Frequently asked questions

Can I leave the concrete slab after removing a shed?

Usually, yes. A level, uncracked slab can stay as a patio, a base for a new shed, or a pad for a spa if it meets the maker's rules. Check that water drains away from your house, and ask your city if a later project will need the slab gone.

How much does it cost to remove a shed slab?

Fixr puts concrete removal at $2 to $4 per square foot unreinforced and $4 to $6 reinforced, and Inch Calculator says a 100-square-foot slab usually costs $350 to $800. Small jobs often hit a contractor's minimum, so get quotes.

How heavy is a 10x12 concrete shed slab?

At 4 inches thick it's 40 cubic feet of concrete. Normal concrete runs 140 to 150 lb per cubic foot (Engineering ToolBox), so that's roughly 5,600 to 6,000 lb, about 3 tons. A 6-inch slab of the same size is about 50% heavier.

Can I break up a shed slab with a sledgehammer?

Sometimes. A thin slab without mesh or rebar can crack under a sledge if you dig out underneath an edge first. Thicker or reinforced slabs call for a rented breaker; Inch Calculator says pneumatic breakers rent for around $100 a day. Wet the strike point to keep silica dust down.

Where can I take broken concrete?

To a concrete recycler if you can, because clean concrete is often cheap or free. Allied Recycled Aggregates in Commerce City, CO takes clean concrete free and concrete with mesh or light rebar for a $20 flat fee. Landfills charge more: Larimer County charges $40 per cubic yard for rubble.

Do I need to call 811 to remove a shed foundation?

Yes, if you'll dig, pull piers or regrade. 811 says to contact it a few business days before any digging, including small jobs like planting trees or installing fences. It's free.

How do I grow grass where a shed used to be?

Clear the debris, loosen the compacted soil, work in organic matter, grade it so water drains away from buildings, then seed or sod. CSU Extension recommends 3 to 5 cubic yards of compost or similar per 1,000 square feet, tilled into the top 6 to 8 inches before sodding.

Sources