Reinforced Slabs
Rebar and wire mesh turn a straightforward demo into a two-tool job. Cutting steel mid-slab without the right saw bind pulls equipment and adds real time. Don't rent your way into a half-finished project.
Bloomington, MN
Concrete Removal Done Clean, Fast, and Completely
- Licensed & Insured
- Free In-Home Estimates
- Serving the Twin Cities metro
Driveways Patios Stamped Concrete Garage Slabs
4.8/5 from 66 Google reviews
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- 4.8-Star
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- Licensed & Insured
Bloomington, MN
Get to know Nova Concrete
Concrete removal costs vary more than most contractors will admit upfront, and the honest answer depends on thickness, reinforcement, access, and what's going underneath when you're done. What you can count on: Nova Concrete shows up with the right equipment, pulls every last piece, and hauls it off your property. We've been doing this work across the Twin Cities Metro for 12 years, we're fully insured, and every job carries a 1-year warranty. If something's wrong, we come back. Call (612) 462-2610 to talk through your project today.
The process starts with a site assessment: we look at the slab thickness (standard residential concrete runs 4 inches, reinforced commercial pours can hit 6 or more), whether there's rebar or wire mesh locked in, and how tight the access is for a skid steer or demolition equipment. Those factors drive cost more than square footage alone. Market rates for concrete removal in the region typically run $500 to $3,000 or more depending on scope, disposal requirements, and what you're replacing it with. If you're planning to pour a new driveway or walkway after removal, we can stage the project so demo and installation happen back-to-back without leaving you with a dirt patch for weeks. Every job is different — contact Nova Concrete for an accurate estimate.
What the Concrete Removal Process Actually Looks Like
Demolition isn't just swinging a sledgehammer. The work starts before anything breaks. We mark any utility lines near the work zone, stage equipment to minimize damage to surrounding landscaping, and score or cut concrete at control joints when clean edges matter. From there, a hydraulic breaker or jackhammer does the breaking, and we load debris directly into a haul vehicle rather than piling it on your lawn. Rebar gets cut free and disposed of separately. The base material below gets graded or prepped depending on your next step. You won't be left with a gravel mess and a 'figure it out' handshake. For projects that feed directly into new concrete installation, we coordinate the sequence so the job flows in one continuous phase.
What we do
When You Need a Contractor Instead of a Rental Jackhammer
Large Surface Area
Anything over 200 square feet gets tedious fast with hand tools. A skid steer with a breaker attachment finishes in hours what takes a weekend of renting and hauling. Time isn't free.
Tight Access Points
Backyard patios behind fences, basement slabs through narrow stairwells, and garage interiors all have access constraints that determine which equipment can even get in. We assess before we commit.
Disposal Is the Problem
Broken concrete is heavy and most dumps charge by the ton. We handle the haul. You don't need to rent a dumpster, call a hauler separately, or figure out where your county accepts concrete debris.
You're Replacing Immediately
If a new garage slab or basement slab goes in right after demo, the subbase can't be left open for long in Minnesota winters. We sequence the work so you're not exposed.
What we do
Concrete Removal by the Numbers: What Drives Your Cost
Thickness
4-inch residential slabs break faster than 6-inch commercial pours. Every extra inch multiplies break time and disposal weight.
Reinforcement
Wire mesh adds minimal time. Full rebar grids require cutting equipment and add to haul weight. Always ask if your existing slab is reinforced before getting a quote.
Access
Open driveways are fastest. Walled patios, interior slabs, and structures near utilities require smaller equipment or hand demo, which adds hours.
Disposal Distance
We handle hauling. Disposal fees vary by site distance and facility rates. This is a line item some contractors hide until the invoice lands.
What Comes Next
A bare dirt subbase needs different prep than one going under a stamped concrete pour. Knowing the end state changes how we finish the demo site.
How to Get Rid of a Lot of Concrete: Practical Options
If you're looking to move a large volume of broken concrete, you've got a few real paths. Concrete is 100% recyclable and many Twin Cities Metro facilities accept clean broken concrete at no charge or low cost per ton. Some contractors (including us) haul it directly to a recycling facility, which keeps your disposal cost lower than a landfill. The 'free removal' angle you'll see online usually means someone wants the concrete for fill or landscape rubble and will haul it themselves. That works for slabs with no rebar and no significant contamination. Realistically, for any removal project where a driveway, patio, or retaining wall base needs to come out cleanly, hire it out. The savings from doing it yourself disappear the moment you rent equipment, buy fuel, and figure out where three tons of rubble actually goes.
What we do
Nova Concrete's Commitment on Every Removal Job
Fully Insured
Every project is covered. If equipment damages an adjacent surface or something unexpected happens on site, you're not absorbing the cost.
1-Year Warranty
Our warranty covers our work. If there's a problem tied to how we did the job, we return and resolve it. Details at our warranty page.
No Subcontracting
The crew that shows up is our crew. We don't farm jobs out to whoever's available that week. You know who's on your property.
Complete Haul-Off
We don't leave broken slabs stacked on your curb. Debris leaves with us on the same trip.
12 Years in the Trade
Olidia Nova started this company and still runs every project. That's not a sales line. It means decisions get made by someone who's poured and pulled concrete for over a decade.
Free estimate
Ready to Remove That Old Concrete?
Stop working around a cracked slab or a failing driveway. Call Nova Concrete at (612) 462-2610 or request a quote online. We'll assess your project, give you a straight number, and get the work scheduled.
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Reviews
What Twin Cities Homeowners Say
Rated 4.8/5 from 66 Google reviews
“I had a great experience with NOVA. I got a quote, I ended up adding to it the day of…and they accommodated my request. They are fast, clean and do excellent work. I’m very pleased with the product and will be using them again for the next project. Highly recommend.”
“Had the team from Nova come and completely redo my front steps and patch up cracks in my foundation. They did an amazing job and the work was done quickly and went very smooth. Plus they are just good people! Highly recommend!”
“I had a really great experience with Nova Concrete LLC. They worked on my driveway and patio, and everything turned out exactly how I hoped. The crew was easy to work with, showed up on time, and clearly knew what they were doing. They paid attention to the little details, and it really shows in…”
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should concrete removal cost? +
For most residential jobs in the Twin Cities Metro, concrete removal runs $500 to $3,000 or more. Slab thickness, reinforcement type, total square footage, and access conditions all push the number up or down significantly. A 400-square-foot unreinforced patio is a different project than a 600-square-foot rebar-reinforced driveway at 6 inches thick. Every job is different. Contact Nova Concrete for an accurate estimate.
How to get rid of old concrete for free? +
Broken, clean concrete (no rebar contamination, no paint, no asphalt mixed in) is sometimes picked up free by landscapers, contractors needing fill material, or neighbors with a project. Post it on local exchanges. Some Twin Cities Metro recycling facilities also accept clean concrete at no charge. Realistically, 'free' only works if the concrete is already broken and accessible. If it still needs demolition, hire it done.
What is the easiest way to remove concrete? +
For slabs under 4 inches thick with no rebar, a rented electric jackhammer handles the breaking. The hard part isn't breaking it. It's disposing of it. Concrete weighs roughly 150 pounds per cubic foot. A 200-square-foot slab at 4 inches generates over 4 tons of debris. Equipment rental, multiple haul trips, and dump fees add up fast. For anything reinforced or over 200 square feet, professional demo is faster and often cheaper than the rental route.
How do I get rid of a lot of concrete? +
High-volume concrete disposal in Minnesota goes one of two ways: dumpster rental with a concrete-rated weight limit (standard dumpsters aren't rated for it), or contractor haul-off directly to a recycling facility. We handle this on every job. Clean concrete recycles into road base and aggregate, so disposal costs at a recycling facility are typically lower than a general landfill. For commercial-scale removal, contact us directly to discuss staging and logistics.
Can concrete with rebar or wire mesh still be removed and recycled? +
Yes. Reinforced concrete gets broken down, the steel gets cut out and separated, and both materials are recycled independently. Rebar is scrap metal with real value. Wire mesh is lighter and pulls out differently. Either way, reinforcement doesn't make your slab unremovable. It makes it a longer job that requires the right cutting equipment alongside the breaking equipment. We bring both.
How thick does concrete need to be before it requires professional removal? +
Technically any thickness can be DIY'd given the right equipment. Practically, anything over 4 inches, anything with rebar on a 12-inch grid or tighter, or any slab poured over compacted gravel base (which locks in debris) changes the job considerably. Residential driveways in Minnesota are often poured at 5 to 6 inches for freeze-thaw durability. If you don't know your slab thickness, we can check before you commit to an approach.
Does concrete removal damage the surrounding landscaping or adjacent surfaces? +
It can, if the demo isn't staged correctly. We assess equipment access before we commit to a method. In tight spaces, smaller equipment or hand demo prevents equipment from grinding across a neighboring driveway apron or tearing up a lawn. We score cuts at boundaries when an adjacent surface is staying in place. This is one of those details that separates a clean job from one that creates three new problems while solving one.