Demolition Contractor in Wilkinsburg, PA

Who handles a demolition permit in Wilkinsburg?

In Wilkinsburg, building permits and the Demolition Permit are handled by the borough's third-party code firm. The borough's own Code Enforcement Department handles occupancy permits, tenant registration and zoning. Its staff also inspect properties against the borough's housing, health, sanitation and safety rules. So the demolition permit and the occupancy permit come from two different offices.

The borough also runs its own Blight Removal Program and puts its condemned-property teardowns out to bid. Those publicly funded demolitions are held to the county asbestos rules structure by structure. On a private job, when we quote it, we go over what the borough requires and who handles each step.

Interior demolition and garage teardowns in Wilkinsburg's older homes

Wilkinsburg Code Chapter 188 calls for a borough inspection before any change of occupants, owner-occupied or rental. Every dwelling unit and commercial space has to be brought up to the borough's standards first. A vacant house that will not pass that inspection stays empty until it can.

To sell a house, the borough wants a transfer application and a dye test signed by a county-certified master plumber. If it is vacant at closing, the buyer signs a notarized letter taking responsibility for open code violations. The letter also covers the permits needed before anyone moves in. That is where interior demolition can come in: a gut-out to the studs before the rebuild.

We come from a building background, so we take out what has to go and leave what has to stay. Out back, garage demolition takes down frame, block and brick garages. Shed removal covers sheds, decks, porches and old back stairs. Most of Wilkinsburg's houses were built before 1978, and we are EPA lead-safe certified for renovation work in pre-1978 homes.

Brick pointing, chimney work and retaining walls in Wilkinsburg

In 2004, a Pittsburgh preservation foundation began restoring historic buildings in Wilkinsburg's Hamnett Place. On older brick walls, brick pointing renews worn mortar joints and brick repair replaces damaged brick. We also brick in old window openings, open up walls and rebuild steps and piers.

Chimney repair and removal covers repointing and rebuilding chimneys and taking them down, in part or all the way. Sweeping, liners and flue inspections are work for a certified chimney sweep.

Across Allegheny County, a U.S. Geological Survey study found about 15 percent of the land prone to landslides. Where a yard steps down a slope, we build retaining walls in block, brick, stone, concrete or timber. Under the state building code, a home retaining wall over 4 feet high needs a permit. In Wilkinsburg, that permit goes through the borough's third-party code firm, and a taller wall may need an engineer's design.

Wilkinsburg's borders, landmarks and the drive from Pittsburgh

Wilkinsburg has ten borders. Penn Hills lies to the northeast, Churchill to the east and Forest Hills to the southeast. Swissvale sits to the southwest, with Pittsburgh's Regent Square, Point Breeze and North Point Breeze to the west. Homewood South lies to the northwest and East Hills to the north, both in the city.

Wilkinsburg became its own borough in 1887, and its business district centers on Penn Avenue and Wood Street. Downtown, the Wilkinsburg Train Station was built in 1916 for the Pennsylvania Railroad. It closed in the mid-1970s, and the restored station opened again in 2021.

From Pittsburgh's south side, we come out the Parkway East (I-376), which reaches Wilkinsburg just past the city line. Where a house sits close to the next one, getting the excavator and skid steer in takes planning. That access goes into the price we give you before any work starts.