The business of tearing things down

As president of Walford-based D.W. Zinser Co., Dave Zinser has seen his fair share of buildings come down.

But there was a moment a not so long ago when Zinser had a bit of deja vu.

Standing behind the former U.S. Cellular Center with his son before his company handled the demolition of that building and adjacent parking lot to make way for the new Cedar Rapids Convention Center, Zinser recalled standing in nearly the same spot with his own father decades earlier as the demolition occurred to make way for the building he was tearing down.

'There's history with what we do,” he said. 'We have worked on several sites more than once over the years.”

Zinser started his company in 1999 after returning to raise his family in the Cedar Rapids area from the Chicago area where he worked in demolition.

A second-generation demolition professional whose father worked on clearing the way for Interstate 380 to be built through Cedar Rapids, Zinser is now passing the tradition on to the third generation through his son and son-in-law who are taking the reins of the company.

'I'm still here for advice and technical support,” he said. 'But I've stepped away from the day-to-day management.”

Today D.W. Zinser has about 50 employees and handles a variety of demolition projects around the state.

The recent demolition of the Cellular Center was a particularly challenge project, Zinser said, in that what they were tearing down was in very proximity to the Roosevelt Hotel, which was not to be demolished.

'We do an engineering survey for each project to decide how it's going to come down and the impact that will have on the surrounding area,” Zinser said.

He noted that they have to consider a wide spectrum of factors including utility disconnections (and what to do about nearby utilities that can't be disconnected), removing the foundation and grading and restoring the site after the building has been demolished. Proximity to the general public, streets and sidewalks and active utilities are some of their biggest concerns.

Hazardous waste abatement - such as dealing with asbestos - can be particularly troublesome. Dust and debris is a factor as well.

'We have dust control equipment but we always have to consider the wind and the weather.” Zinser noted. 'Sometimes we are working on structures that are partially collapsed. There's a lot of inherent risk in what we do, and there are always safety factors.

'You don't just grab a hold and pull it over.”

Cory Pelley, owner of Kelley Demolition based in Mount Vernon, agreed.

'There really are so many variables, and every demolition job is different,” Pelley said. 'The demolition depends on how the building was built, how tall it is, how big the basement is, where the landfill is located from the job site. You have to know your surroundings as well.”

He noted that while working on demolition of flood affected properties in the past few years that his crew would be tearing down one structure that is just a few feet from another residence.

'It's common sense, but it's important that we try not to drop things on anything or anyone,” Pelley said.

While demolition of a house would take anywhere from half a day to a full day, Pelley said, larger projects can take up months of manpower. D.W. Zinser worked on the demolition of the former Cedar Rapids Public Works site and the project took four months, for example.

And the work at Des Moines General Hospital occupied nine months.

'That project, and ones like it, was challenging because of all the unknown construction that had previously been on the site. We weren't totally sure what all we might encounter,” Zinser said.

His company has worked on projects that included implosion of a multistory structure at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines that was located just 62 feet from the critical-care unit that was to remain intact.

Demolition crews tend to work year around as well, which Zinser said is a shift in the industry. A few decades ago, he said, business would be slower in the summer and winter months.

'When it gets below zero, it's tough to get things done,” he said.

Pelley noted that rain and mud are other weather factors that make it difficult to keep with a proposed demolition timeline.

During slow periods, demolition equipment sometimes is used for other business purposes, Pelley said. His 12-person team, for example, can help with the farming of 800 acres of land or use their trucks to haul grain.

But finding the right staff can be a challenge, much like in other industries.

'This is always dirty and always hard work,” said Zinser. 'It's not just always 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There can be a lot of travel involved.”