House Demolition, Maple Ridge

www.pedestrians.org
Demolition of a house at 8203 Maple Ridge Road, Bethesda, Maryland. In this neighborhood, the modest old houses are being torn down and replaced with large McMansions.
Produced by John Z Wetmore, producer of "Perils For Pedestrians".

[@ghost.ranger1628]

That house looked to be in great shape. It is kinda sad to see it torn down. I"m surprised that they don"t have a place that takes the doors, windows, railings.steps, etc... to be sold or used for a habitat for humanity. It looked like that house was well maintained

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

The bricks too. 65% can usually be salvaged.

[@crystalward3193]

I agree with you

[@rw0037]

Comes down to cost. A contractor/business isn't going to pay for a team of workers to meticulously disassemble, carefully handle, clean/prep, pack, and haul away used building materials, unless the specific material is unusually rare or valuable. By the time you add in all the extra handling costs, it becomes more expensive than the new material. It's literally cheaper to throw it all in a dumpster and have it hauled away. Often, the only people who take the time to sell, donate or repurpose used materials are homeowners or small-time contractors. When they do all the work themselves, they have little/no labor cost and they have the extra time and incentive to handle everything with care.

[@phoenixman8569]

where i live in Canada, British Columbia, house recycling is now law, reusable materials must be removed before demoing the structure, my city even has a store that sells used items left over from demos or home renos, at reasonable prices of course..

[@SupramanTRD]

@@phoenixman8569 as someone who is also from BC, i'm glad to hear that. Too much wasteful demolition with no consequences.

[@billbowers268]

Can't understand tearing down a nice solid house to replace it the crap they build today .

[@marktaylor2644]

man what a shame. with a little T.L.C. that could have been a nice looking home. and all that recyclable material going too the land fill. I know plenty of people that would love to have a home in that nice of shape and its gone. what a shame that we are such a wasteful society.

[@retroryan838]

What does T.L.C. stand for?

[@webgomer]

@@retroryan838 Tender Loving Care. ❤️ _Compassionate, caring, protective attention or treatment. Sometimes abbreviated to TLC, especially when using the term more jocularly or lightheartedly.I find that giving these patients tender loving care is as beneficial to them as their medication, sometimes more so.Your plants just need a little tender loving care and they'll be green and healthy again in no time!_

[@colleen7845]

There has to be a reason why it was tore down, Something we CAN'T See 🤷‍♀️

[@quagmiredavis4117]

@@colleen7845 mentally challenged owner that is issues

[@flebnard]

plot twist there is a massive roof hole in the back

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Are they Positive they have the right house ? OMG !!! . What a beautiful House .

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Yeah they really should paint a big orange X on the house just to be sure.

[@adcoxrobert3786]

@@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975 They really should. They tried painting a big orange Z, but that went against zoning ordinances.

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Zoning board might rethink that if the wrong home gets knocked down😂 it does happen on occasion. Sometimes map and parcel numbers can be tricky if they are used.

[@dariadobias4857]

Oh my gosh!! That was a beautiful house to be torn down...nice brick home. The white sided house on the upper side should have been the one torn down instead....sooo sad!!

[@debbienye6002]

That looked like a good shape house. How sad!

[@kevindoxey]

That house is built better than any new house they build today! Sure would have been nice to take a tour through the house before it was demolished!

[@MattRichardsonX]

Maybe they got the wrong house.

[@brnmcc01]

No it's not. Weak brick walls, full of lead paint, horrible windows, no insulation. No modern conveniences. Terrible house, would be damp, too hot in summer, too cold in winter, and very high utility bills. Disgusting.

[@blr6264]

you are crazy@@brnmcc01

[@bettyprice6316]

Oh my gosh, it once was a lovely house.

[@Stephen_A.]

That looked to be a nice house. Why couldn't they have at least saved the doors and windows so someone else could re-use them ?

[@tomrogers9467]

I’m in a small town in Ontario, Canada. Landfill costs are so high that buildings are dissected, not demolished. All recyclable materials are extracted, brick and concrete are crushed for aggregate, wood is chipped for much, etc. A large demolition site will have multiple piles of sorted materials.

[@robertaverill936]

I always think of the families that lived there, the Christmas tree by the fireplace.. A damn shame to tear down a perfectly good home.. All for $$$

[@cooldog60]

You read my mine. I was thinking the same thing.

[@rexlex1736]

You mean the fake Christmas tree beside the fake fireplace and the fruitcake everyone hates?

[@jdpinbaytown]

They sure Tear Down a lot of nice old Houses there in Bethesda!

[@j.r.7907]

a lot of the old houses in Bethesda are built in the center of 2 lots. at least the one my mother and sister use to rent was. it was bought torn down and 2 houses were built next door they built 2 homes also. so the builders don't really care about saving anything at the site

[@ddavejb]

Land values are through the roof there. If you have the pile of money it takes to buy it, a smallish old house(no matter the quality of the build) doesn't stand a chance. These buyers want new and much bigger houses.

[@garyholt369]

There was nothing wrong with that house it looked nice all they had to do is gut the inside and update it

[@tbirdracefan]

@@garyholt369 There was also nothing wrong with the last car you traded in. All you had to do was renew the engine and transmission and maybe some bodywork. Of course maybe that's none of my business and maybe you wanted something different that was newer and got better gas mileage. Maybe more room to haul around a growing family?

[@avenger1888]

​@@tbirdracefan That is NOT a good comparison!!! Old cars are sold to another for further use. If the engine is blown or Transmission gone you can have them repaired NOT just towed to a junk yard. Even if that happens you can still salvage most parts then the rest gets recycled. Tearing this house down does nothing but create land fill and harm to the environment.

[@boeing_RBLX]

i love the renovations, really open floorplan and amazing flow between rooms!

[@philpots48]

My parents home dated back to 1722, when it was sold it was torn down and 2 McMansions were built on the double lot.

[@garykirk9888]

I absolutely hate seeing a beautiful home like this demolished!!! So many people need housing!!!

[@bradrook3919]

It's all about greed for the contractor...but like where your heart is...

[@Og-Judy]

@@bradrook3919 not the contractor. New OWNER had it torn down so they can build a bigger house!

[@bradrook3919]

@@Og-Judy oh ...ok...

[@whez08]

Still, you have the right to do what is best for you with your own house.

[@krakenwoodfloorservicemcma5975]

Sharp looking home. I love the brick they use in Maryland.

[@crockpot5194]

Same bricks used also here in Virginia

[@olegsprygin1433]

Это всё мишура ,картонный дом для кукол . В России зимой замёрзнешь.

[@cherrydrivereviews8930]

@@crockpot5194 And in South Carolina, thats the same brick my houses made of :)

[@toddprater14]

And I Michigan as well …

[@MikeX3000]

Now thats an open concept living room.

[@j.r.7907]

A lot of people don't realize that a lot of these older houses in Bethesda may look nice but they still have galvanized pipes in them and boiler heat no central air conditioning lacking insulation old windows bad wiring they were built in the 30s -40s small rooms . I was a plumber in that area for many years to upgrade them you almost have to gut them out. a lot of people are moving out because it's cheaper to live somewhere else than rebuild what you have anymore, that has become a very expensive area to live for just an average family.

[@Og-Judy]

That still is no reason to destroy a whole house. Aging homes are easily rewired and new plumbing run. Furnace runs can also be reworked. Better to spend money "gutting" a well built home than to build a new house with the cheap garbage they sell these days for construction materials . Even a 2 x 4 isn't really those dimensions anymore ☹️🤷

[@j.r.7907]

@@Og-Judy hard to tell that to people that bought a house for 170,000. and to remodel is 75,000 and a builder offers 600,000 to just pack up and go. Diy home remodeling isn't cheap anymore go price out wood and drywall alone. In that area everything has to be permitted they like licensed people doing everything. And don't get caught without a permit that's Montgomery County they don't mess around big fines. I wish it wasn't that way ,but in that area it is and they will keep destroying these older homes as long as there is a market for new homes with people waiting. these old houses have plaster and lattice walls and ceilings not that easy to just upgrade very affordably they barely have closets let alone space to run ductwork . I love old houses but if you do the math on paper most end up this way. why do you think they build a new store down the street and move rather than rebuild what they have all about the $$

[@maynardcat]

I doubt that, nobody wants to work today for a fair price making repairs unreasonable, it's easier to tear down and build cheap prefab looking houses.

[@j.r.7907]

@maynardcat I'm a retired plumber I spent a lot of time in those houses in that area over the years.

[@pyro323]

People in the comments saying what a waste and such a nice house but there's a reason why it had to be torn down. This guy knows what he's doing!

[@azumi-osaki]

and what is the why... ?

[@monroe7403]

In the description he says it was torn down just to build a bigger house.

[@he_lives_in_apineapple_und9743]

Neve trust romantics.

[@pyro323]

@@azumi-osaki to build a bigger house.

[@Og-Judy]

They'll get a bigger house. With crappy cheap building materials to build it with. Houses back then were built to last. Ugh. Wonder what trashy mini mansion design they have in mind. I bet it will stick out like a sore thumb because it's not going to fit with the rest of the neighborhood 🤦

[@blusnuby2]

Nice work. Meticulous & efficient operator brought everything down within it`s own footprint. Good hose-work, too.

[@MrShiffles]

Not blaming the demo crew because they were hired to do a job, and it was well done (including spraying it with water to keep toxic dust from floating through the air) , but its a damn shame that whoever owns the property thought it was a good idea to tear down a perfectly solid and lovely little house!

[@radiodude1976]

The reason they did is because its located in Bethesda MD (red hot housing market) and someone decided it would be better to have a McMansion instead that the average person could never afford.

[@summerr455]

Thanks for stating the reason behind spraying the house with water!

[@XXMETAL4LIF3XX]

come to northern NJ bergen county/hudson/passaic. this is done every day around here , old 40s and 50s homes being torn down and replaced with boxes that dont even fit the block. no landscaping or trees just brick pavers and driveways. even houses built in the 80s are being torn down in some cases, oh and they always rip up the roads in front of every new development

[@nickwebb9937]

@@radiodude1976 I figured that was why, tear it down to build a stupid “modern” mansion that will look way out of place in the neighborhood.

[@larryhajduk6533]

Love your demo videos. However could you provide some backstory on why it’s being demolished? Why wasn’t any of the house materials repurposed?

[@Wouter-van-der-Molen]

it's the US, the most wasteful nation on earth. Reycling doesnt exist there.

[@specialmedia3123]

Owner saw a spider

[@jcoats5529]

Because it's old and inefficient. Cause too much to upgrade

[@troelshansen6212]

@@jcoats5529 And that is a bullshit narrative

[@Shane1163]

Went on google street view and last it was taken was in 2019 and it was still standing, 2 cars in the driveway and was lived in.. WTF why was this house torn down!?!

[@radiodude1976]

Because the house is located in Bethesda and someone decided to replace it with a McMansion because they can sell that for more money. That's the only reason I can think of.

[@judithwalters8959]

This breaks my heart to see that beautiful home torn down. My home will be 100 years old in the spring, and it's built really solid, not like the 2x4 and pressed wood homes today.

[@baileymilliken4250]

I grew up in a house built in the 1940 it was a army barracks during WW2 and prisoners from germany worked the dairy farm that was there

[@SupramanTRD]

It's as if old homes cannot exist in Canada. Developers are tearing down any single family home they can get their hands on. Meanwhile in my homeland, the average house is 600-800 years old.

[@judithwalters8959]

@@SupramanTRD That is so sad. All that beauty and charm just wasted. I grew up with a saying, if it's not broke, don't fix it. It's ashame Canada is destroying so much. No wonder land fields are so full. Supraman, may I ask where homeland is? Those are some mighty old homes. How awesome.

[@judithwalters8959]

@@baileymilliken4250 , we had a set of those in my town. Actually, we still do. People still live in them. I don't know all the history about them, but have heard people who lived there worked the pickle plant across the road from it during the war.

[@destructionnation704]

my channel statistics show you have a small competitior quickly on the rise! thank you so much for inspiring me to create my channel and as always, love the quality vid!

[@JohnZWetmore]

It looks like you have been busy. Keep it up.

[@destructionnation704]

@@JohnZWetmore thanks a lot man

[@janecarolhogue3140]

This is such a crime . This was a beautiful house

[@Dave-co1cv]

My very first thought was, "Why?" The excavator operator did a good job, but needlessly waited too long to bring down that final upper wall, which had been on the verge of falling (possibly towards the neighboring house) for quite awhile. Upon crushing the center of the house, both high outside walls should have been pushed in.

[@PeckertonDetinktive]

Like many others, I am saddened by the wastefulness here. Many less fortunate individuals could have used the windows, gutters, siding, doors, etc even if someone were building a new home for whatever reason.

[@guser436]

Legit I'd go in there for free to dismantle myself I need some doors 😂

[@ceasarandrepont1243]

I love the older homes and this happens to be a shame.

[@jkminnich]

Such a beautiful, well built home. My house was built in 2018 and it’s crap quality in comparison to that house.

[@amyellison1589]

So true about today's houses! Seems like new houses only last about 15 to 20 years. If that.

[@SupramanTRD]

That is the goal for developers. To make disposeable homes so that you're forced to replace them in a decade.

[@stevenprincipe8422]

You do a very good job of dust control this must make the Neighbor very happy.

[@barnacles62]

I helped my uncle back in the 1970s tear down a three story victorian that had been let go for years, and the town was afraid it was going to fall on people that went into a pub very close to it next door. He tore out most of the divider walls inside, and weaved cable in and out the windows on the first two stories, then took a bulldozer and pulling away from the pub, squeezed the house until the roof was at the ground. Id never thought it would work until I watched it, and people still think Im lying. The rest he dozed into small piles, and they loaded into to dump trucks. It was sad to see it go, but neglect and age do not go together to well.....

[@PawDiva]

Hi, Home much time would such a demolition take. The house next to be is going to be demolished and replaced by 4 townhomes. I'm concerned about the noise and the debris especially since I have a dog that's very sensitive to sounds.

[@crezzwell]

I am an excavator operator like this one in the video but larger in a sand quarry, and I love my job, but this was such a shame to watch. That house looked immaculate. Everything destroyed by the excavator. There is no salvaging anything when you attack it with a machine like this.

[@Jimmy06blue]

Why are they tearing it down?

[@TheTraveler976]

So sad like why??? This was such a beautiful home it was, so painful to watch...

[@user-xk9pw3xd9q]

Спасибо что под держали меня мне тоже дом. Жалко. .!

[@7u655]

I would have torn it down too after seeing that blue and pink upstairs bathroom 😂

[@ashleym7082]

What was the reason for destroying such a beautiful house that would have been a great fixer upper

[@smitastic7030]

The best houses have already been built!

[@mackhopper]

Once again - nothing reclaimed, repurposed or recycled. The outside gutters were probably aluminum and it is pointless to just fill a landfill with items that can be recycled and reused.

[@ThePickleSlicer]

Well said

[@michellesilva9459]

Agreed! They should let people sign a waiver to enter the home for architectural salvage.

[@mackhopper]

@@michellesilva9459 Amen!!! I’m thinking of starting a reclamation/salvage business to save and resale resources.

[@jimfesta8981]

Google Earth still shows the house. It was a very nice single-family home. Went well with the neighborhood. We have the same problem here in California with the tearing down of nice old houses and replacing them with those God awful MdMansions. Seems like some people have all their taste in their mouths

[@Lejohn_CR]

Oh man that house look very beautiful to be torn down

[@willthetrill4849]

What a waste of a perfectly good old house! Not dilapidated or anything

[@rosalindanunez5467]

The house looked beautiful, It was sad to see such brick home go down.

[@TomIannucci22]

Foreman: No! no! no! it was supposed to be the one on the NEXT block! (owner is standing next to foreman) Bulldozer operator: Sorry! Owner: It happens.

[@donnyhud]

what a shame!! my god!! looked like a great house!! 😢

[@DavidMiller-qu2sr]

What a great video I enjoy watching your videos keep making great videos I like your videos a lot keep making great videos I like your videos keep making great videos I enjoy watching your videos keep making great videos

[@pgerry9400]

At about 35 min . into demo you all most lost that remaining wall.going over to the neighbours. Good job brings back memories.

[@billybassman21]

Sad that such a nice house is being demolished, all because the property is worth more than the house.

[@Ronskutin]

Fred: "Hey boss we are almost done here at 1369" Boss: ".... Fred! It was 1396..." Fred: "............" Boss: "F*ck.... you are so done!"

[@desireejames1538]

Never seen anything like this would love to see what's replacing this house.Its in such a small space .

[@MSU_Spartans]

In the beginning that looked like a real nice house, it's a shame. Sure waste! Wonder why that took it down?

[@voiceofjeff]

Just wondering. Would it not be equally effective to have a hose connected to the end of the grapple to spray right where the end of the arm was? Interesting video!

[@bigjay6743]

That's crazy that they're tearing that house down maybe there's a reason like the town bought it and they're widening an intersection or something. It's a shame that house looks to be in better shape than mine.

[@BSD2000]

Zillow is crazy. That house sold for $800k in January and Zillow estimates it's worth as being over $2 million with a new 4,329sq/ft house when it's complete. Pure insanity.

[@davewolfe5246]

construction worker: your house is built sir card: declines construction worker:

[@_cfmca]

Haha, good one

[@blabaduplatinum1]

The first 8 minutes is basically the best way to clean my sons bedroom.

[@ms.krueger2660]

Why not save some of that house ?? My first home was built using old used bricks. Our home was the only one like it. The bricks were different colors and everyone loved it. What a shame it looks like a nice home.- Why was it destroyed ?? Someone could have used the windows, doors and the bricks. What a waste ?? This just upsets me !!

[@MultiMichael72]

Such a nice house. A real shame that it has been torn down.

[@fannycraddock99]

What a shame. It looked like a very nice well maintained house.

[@MadeYouReply]

For what it's worth, I looked on Zillow and the house that replaced it does look a lot nicer. I'm sure it'll also be filled with family memories. Likely doesn't have all of the expensive maintenance that such an old one did.

[@KY87Chevy]

I mean I've seen houses that need to be torn down and this ain't one of them, I don't understand

[@MrJeep75]

That looks like a nice home

[@ricksanchezsflask8794]

I like how you destroy the upstairs first just in case a teenager slept in and could be woken up by the sound of their room getting demolished.

[@vancemead5956]

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot With a McMansion and a pool, what a hot spot!

[@carlosrabico9452]

Tudo o que eu queria era uma casa para chamar de minha casa. Por isso dói tanto ver esse tipo de vídeo.

[@carlosrabico9452]

@@tonyz6421 Não querido. Foi apenas o desabafo de quem não tem uma casa própria. Neste mundo eu não espero nada de ninguém.

[@peterfitzgerald2208]

What a crime to demolish all the quality materials that were used to build this house especially the waste of all the solid wood lumber that was used. As a woodworker I hate to see the waste of any wood product!

[@mopar382]

This looks like a nice little house. Why tear it down? Cute little cape cod.

[@joemiller9931]

It's a cute little huuuus!!!!

[@collinrichmond9492]

It might look nice from the outside but the inside might be bad

[@avenger1888]

​@@collinrichmond9492 Okay the inside might have had some issues but they can fix it.

[@stevenkaskus6173]

This looks like such a nice home 😥

[@darrylwmurphy738]

Another is we are over burden with taxes, this is why some of the favorites, shopping centers, stores malls, stores just closed due to high taxes, high rent and greedy landlords and property management. Some of these homes can be saved that are in good condition.

[@TRDOffRoad2020]

I live in Memphis, that house looks better than 50% houses here now. That's a brick house on top of that...seriously 🤔

[@mib20000]

that right wall freestanding is causing stress watching it wobble with every smash of the bucket.

[@michaelreszke3804]

Yoooooo, wrong house!!!!!! It’s next door!!!!!

[@una70]

That house looks to be in great condition why are they tearing 6:48 it down, did something bad happen there? Just wondering!!😮

[@1tuff455]

that was a nice house with some good windows

[@lachlanslightsandfans]

Have you ever recorded a video of a demolition and someone comes over and talks to you? What do you do if this does happen?

[@JohnZWetmore]

Sometimes someone wants to talk. That can create a problem when I go to edit and have their voice on my audio track. One solution is to put the camera on a wide shot and lock down the tripod, and then walk a ways away and chat quietly with them beyond the range of the camera microphone. Alternatively, I just tell them that the camera is picking up their voice and invite them to come back to talk when the operator takes a break.

[@lachlanslightsandfans]

Ah yep. I have this problem when I record a few demolitions in the past: just wondering how you dealt with it.

[@bradrook3919]

I give them my recipe for chocolate chip cookies..

[@mrsseasea]

Why would they destroy this home? Looks like it would make a wonderful home for a young family.

[@congreet_universa]

Any reason why that house was torn down? Seemed like good looking house from outside.

[@garyholt369]

Well I don't get why are they turning down and putting the stuff to tear out back in the house instead of out there in the Front yard

[@cooldog60]

He was filling in the basement to drive on it.

[@williesanchez4603]

this is to whom is my concern does anyone know that what was the reason why this home got demolished. 💬 😓

[@davidthimell2726]

What were the issues with the house

[@jillsmith3937]

Why are they doing this the house looked good this is so sad

[@teresasmith8958]

I wish the address was on here, I used to live on mapleridge 40 years ago

[@PawDiva]

How long does this type of demolition usually take? The house next door to me is doing to be demolished and replaced by 4 new townhouse units and I'm very concerned about the noise and debris

[@JohnZWetmore]

A typical house demolition takes less than a day, not counting digging out the foundation.

[@konyachannel]

я о таком доме и мечтать не мог... а для кого-то он оказывается старый и скромный... м-да..

[@user-jb7fb9iw7k]

А может супруги развелись , поделить не смогли ))).

[@brianniecgorski2046]

Too bad you can't do a walk through of them before demo to see what they look like prior

[@ddavejb]

You may be able to find a real estate listing with pix for it. I find that many of these houses are recent sales and the new owner demolishes it to build a McMansion in it's place. Insane when you consider many of these houses are selling for well north of a million dollars as they are. Land values in Bethesda and the surrounding area are grotesquely high.

[@Stephen_A.]

@@ddavejb I have friends who owned a house on Maiden Lane in Bethesda. They bought it a little over 20 years ago and sold it two years ago as a tear down. McMansions were on both sides of them by the time they sold it. It was a very well built brick split level home. If I could have afforded to buy it I would have. They sold it for 850,000.00. The area was made of all similar homes, but many of them are now McMansions now.

[@user-ml6dr5rk5f]

Why they are doing that? From wich reasens

[@jimedwards9310]

Care. Take down. Nice work ❤❤

[@nigelkthomas9501]

What an absolutely shocking waste! What was wrong with this house?

[@truckmann1762]

Why is this home being demolished? Looks structural sound. Lots of building materials that can be reused. But I guess it's allot more fun to get out the big boy toys & rip it all apart. Load it up in a dump truck & dump it somewhere else.

[@mayac3539]

Why are they tearing that house down? Is it infestation or mold? From the outside it looks great!!

[@KevinEllisGuitars]

Cool!

[@garyholt369]

How come they had to tear it down

[@danpettis1675]

ahhh ...umm ..what was wrong with that beautiful house?

[@darrylwmurphy738]

Some probably don't see it the way you see it . An I have to agree with you totally

[@circa_76er]

With every end there is a new beginning...

[@jeannesnow4366]

I noticed the house was built with cinder blocks and bricks. Solid house, they don't build them like that anymore!!! Very sad.

[@JAllyFarms]

ia the reason for the water to cut down on the dust? I'll have to do this to my house in a couple years how much did you charge to do this?

[@JohnZWetmore]

Yes, the water reduces the amount of dust.

[@HelloHello-pg6ik]

Why did they tear it down

[@webgomer]

That...is so sad!

[@danielchattanoogasurajchat4148]

My God look how many people don't have a home and look what this person doing 😡

[@davidfowler384]

what the hell was up with the house better than the one I live in