Taking down and hauling off an old shed

Clear everything out first. Old sheds hide paint cans, gas cans, fertilizer, pool chemicals and rusted tools. Sort as you go: keep, give away, trash, and anything that needs special disposal. Leftover chemicals can't ride along with the lumber.

Then check for power. If the shed has a light or an outlet, have an electrician disconnect it at the source. Look for a water line, too. Wear gloves, boots and eye protection, and watch for wasps, snakes and rotten floorboards.

Take photos of the shed before you start, especially if it's attached to a slab or sits near a property line. If something comes up later with a neighbor or a buyer, you'll have a record of what was there.

Give yourself more time than you think. A small wooden shed can come down in a day with two people. A bigger one with a plywood floor, shingles and a concrete pad can stretch into a weekend, and the hauling takes as long as the tearing down.

Sheds come apart in roughly the reverse order they went up. Roof first, then the walls, then the floor and frame, then whatever it sits on.

A torn-down shed is demolition debris, and city curbside programs treat it that way. Bryan's curbside service won't take leftover construction and demolition materials from landscaping, remodeling, sidewalk or driveway projects. It also turns away concrete, brick and rock.

College Station doesn't collect commercial construction and demolition debris. Small debris a resident makes can go in the garbage cart, or to Twin Oaks for free with ID and a recent utility bill. A whole shed is rarely small.

Rural stations are stricter still. Burleson County's stations take no construction materials like shingles, sheetrock, PVC or siding. In Brazos County, read the county's own trash collection page before you count on a rural site for shed debris.

If you do it yourself, the likely stop is Twin Oaks Landfill, out on State Hwy 30 in Anderson. Check its current hours and fees on the Twin Oaks Landfill website before the first trip.

Shed debris is full of loose shingles and splinters, so tarp it and tie it down every trip. That's basic road safety, whatever the landfill's rules say.

If the shed sat on railroad ties or landscape timbers, ask the landfill how to bring those in before you load them.

If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, read the rules before you start. Some care about how long debris sits in the yard. If the shed is close to a fence line, talk to your neighbor before you swing a hammer near it.

Not everything has to go to the landfill. Solid boards, doors and windows can be reused or given away. A metal shed is mostly sheet metal and framing, and scrap yards buy metal. Ask what they take before you load it. Pulling out the good pieces first also makes the rest of the pile smaller.

Sheds are part of the light demolition work ME3 Junk Solutions does. Eddie and Matthew take it down, load it, haul it and clean up the spot. That goes for playsets, fences and small decks, too. It's priced on scope, with one firm price before work starts. If you're in Bryan, see shed and light demolition in Bryan.

Clearing brush around the shed? That's yard debris removal. Emptying it first? The garage cleanout checklist works for sheds too. Leftover lumber and drywall from another project? Read where renovation debris goes.