Renovating an older home in Cincinnati or Hamilton is a different experience than working on newer construction. The materials are different, the debris generates differently, and the surprises that come out of walls and floors during demo have characteristics that do not show up in homes built after a certain era. Understanding what you are working with changes how you plan for disposal. The EPA's homeowner guide to common sources of lead is useful background on houses from that era.
Plaster and lath is the most common older-home surprise. Houses built before the 1950s typically have walls made of plaster applied over wooden lath strips, rather than modern drywall. Plaster is significantly heavier than drywall. A room of plaster walls can weigh twice what the same room of drywall would weigh. It also breaks into irregular chunks that do not stack as efficiently. If you are demoing plaster walls, your container fills faster and gets heavier than a modern renovation of similar scope. Kitchen work runs into the same math, and our guide to kitchen demolition debris breaks it down.
What to watch for with older materials: some older homes contain materials that require special handling. Asbestos was used in floor tiles, ceiling tiles, insulation, and textured finishes through the 1970s. If your home was built before 1980 and you are disturbing materials you are not sure about, having them tested before demo is worth the cost. We do not haul asbestos-containing material, and it needs an abatement contractor rather than a roll-off. For the plaster, lath, trim, and flooring that does load normally, a Cincinnati dumpster rental covers the rest of the job.
For plaster and lath without asbestos concerns, a standard home renovation dumpster rental works. The main adjustment is sizing up. A 15-yard container that would handle a modern drywall demo may not be enough for a plaster-wall equivalent because of the weight differential. The 20-yard is often the right call for older-home renovations, and calling us with the specifics of what you are pulling out lets us give you an accurate size recommendation.
We deliver regularly to older neighborhoods in Hamilton, Middletown, and throughout the region where historic housing stock is common. If you are planning a renovation on an older property and have questions about what the debris will look like, call Jason at 513-484-2414 before the demo starts.