Tuscaloosa Demolition Pros: Mobile Home Demolition or Moving in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa Demolition Pros gets this question from owners around Tuscaloosa with an old mobile home on the land: is it better to tear it down where it sits or have it moved off whole? The two are different jobs done by different trades, and the right answer turns on the home's condition, the title and what comes next for the lot.
Two Ways an Old Mobile Home Leaves a Tuscaloosa Lot
Demolition breaks the home down on site and hauls it away as debris and scrap. Moving keeps the home in one piece and tows it to another lot, where someone sets it up again. Demolition ends the home's life; moving only changes its address. That one difference decides most of what follows, from who you call to what happens to the title.
What a Mobile Home Teardown Costs Around Tuscaloosa
HomeGuide puts knocking down and removing a mobile home at $2,000 to $5,000. That is a national figure; no Tuscaloosa-specific guide prices this job, and a local quote can come in under it. What pushes a quote up is usually what is attached to the home or under it: a porch or deck, a slab to break out, or an old septic tank.
HomeGuide prices those add-ons separately: porch removal at $675 to $2,250, deck removal at $1,000 to $7,000 and septic pumping at $300 to $700. A large deck can cost as much as the home itself.
Moving a Mobile Home Is a Separate Trade
This site does not publish a moving price, because no source it relies on gives one. Moving is done by mobile home transport companies, not demolition crews, and the only reliable number is a mover's written quote for your home and route. Ask the mover what condition the home must be in to travel, and who handles the setup at the far end.
If a newer home is going onto the cleared lot inside the City of Tuscaloosa, the City's residential mobile home permit is $50 (Sec. 6-115(i)). Building and Inspections can say which other permits apply.
Leaning toward tearing it down? Call with the address and the home's size, and the contractor who quotes your job puts the removal price in writing.
Call (205) 590-9261Inside a Mobile Home Teardown, Start to Finish
If the home was on a septic tank that will not be used again, Alabama's health rule (Ala. Admin. Code 420-3-1-.24) has an AOWB-licensed pumper empty the tank first; after that it is either dug out or left in place packed with sand or soil. On asbestos, ADEM's rules carve out private homes of up to four units that stay in residential use, a carve-out the agency itself flags as a risk to owners, so ask the contractor whether a survey makes sense. ADEM also counts teardown debris as regulated solid waste, so ask where every load is going.
- Power, water and sewer or septic are disconnected and confirmed off; inside Northport, the City of Northport handles its own utilities.
- Skirting comes off and the tie-downs are released from their anchors.
- An excavator with a grapple peels the metal roof and siding and breaks down the wood framing.
- The steel chassis is cut into pieces for scrap.
- Piers or blocks are pulled and the pad is cleared.
- Debris goes to a permitted landfill; for this county that is the Black Warrior Solid Waste Disposal Facility by Coker.
Cancelling the Title After the Home Is Scrapped
A demolished home's title does not simply lapse. Code of Alabama 32-20-34 tells the Department of Revenue to revoke a manufactured home's title once the home "has been scrapped, dismantled, or destroyed", and the owner has to return the certificate. Cancelling costs $15, plus a $5 fee (32-20-4). In this county, the Tuscaloosa County License Department handles manufactured home registration and titles, so start there.
Holt, Cottondale and Coker: Where the Question Comes Up Most
Mobile homes are a small share of housing in the city itself, 1.3% of units, and 0.7% in Northport. Just outside, the picture changes: 26.8% of homes in Holt are mobile homes, 17.7% in Cottondale and 17.3% in Coker. Holt also took the April 27, 2011 tornado, which destroyed numerous mobile homes there. In Coker, the town hall keeps short hours, open Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so ask about a permit early. Holt and Cottondale are unincorporated, and this site could not locate a county building-permit page covering them.
Deciding Between the Teardown and the Move
A move is worth pricing when the home is sound: a dry roof, firm floors, a frame without heavy rust, a title in hand and somewhere for it to go. A teardown is the usual answer when the roof has leaked for years, the floors are soft, storm damage has twisted the frame, or nobody wants the home. Get the mover's quote and the demolition quote in writing and compare them for the same lot.
For the teardown side, the mobile home demolition page covers what the job includes and what to ask for in the quote. Whichever way you go, keep the title paperwork and the landfill receipt together.
Want a number for your own lot? (205) 590-9261
Frequently Asked Questions
Mobile Home Removal Questions
What does mobile home demolition cost near Tuscaloosa?
HomeGuide gives $2,000 to $5,000 for knocking down and removing a mobile home. An attached porch or deck, a slab and an old septic tank can add to it, so get the quote in writing for your lot.
Is moving a mobile home cheaper than demolishing it?
It depends on the home and the route, and moving is a different trade. Get a written quote from a mobile home mover and a written demolition quote, then compare them. A home with a failing roof or frame may not be fit to travel.
What happens to the title when a mobile home is demolished in Alabama?
Once the home is scrapped, Alabama's Department of Revenue revokes its title and expects the paper certificate back. Cancellation runs $15 plus $5, and locally the Tuscaloosa County License Department deals with titles.
Is the metal from a mobile home scrapped?
The steel chassis is cut up for scrap during a teardown, and the metal roof and siding come off first. Ask whether the quote credits any scrap value and where the rest of the debris goes.
Do I need a permit to remove a mobile home?
Inside the City of Tuscaloosa, ask Building and Inspections which permit applies. In the small towns, Coker, Coaling and Brookwood among them, the town hall is the place to ask. For unincorporated land such as Holt, no county permit page turned up, so call the County.
