Strip-Out Specialists | Calgary and Edmonton
Enviro Surface Removers takes out the finished parts inside a building: walls, ceilings, flooring, fixtures and trim. We test for asbestos first, work virtually dust-free and haul every bit of debris out. We remove. We do not rebuild. You get a clean, open space for the next trade.
BBB Accredited · Full WCB Coverage · $5 Million Liability Insurance · COR Certified · Certified for Asbestos Testing and Abatement
Calgary 4.9 stars from 58 reviews · Edmonton 5.0 stars from 15 reviews
Interior demolition means taking out the non-structural parts of a space and leaving the building shell standing. The shell is the floor slab, the exterior walls, the roof and anything that holds the building up. Everything inside it that is finished or fitted can come out.
Contractors and homeowners use several names for this work. You may hear it called interior demo, indoor demolition or a strip-out. It is the first step in most renovations and tenant fit-ups.
Our crews take out what stands between you and a clean, open space. Most jobs include several of these items:
We stop at the structure. Beams, load-bearing walls, concrete cutting and foundation work are outside our scope. If a wall may carry load, we tell you and wait for an engineer’s answer.
The right choice depends on what you plan to build next. Here is how the three options compare.
| Selective demolition | Partial removal | Full interior strip out | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What comes out | One item or area, such as a floor or a built-in | One or two rooms | Everything finished, down to studs and slab |
| Best for | Keeping most of the space as it is | A single-room redo | A gut renovation or a new layout |
| Planning matters most for | Protecting what stays | Dust and access between rooms | Utilities, testing and debris volume |
A full interior strip out is what most people mean by a gut renovation. It opens the space so your plumber, electrician and builder can see everything behind the finishes before they start.
Each room has its own hazards and its own order of work in renovation demolition. These pages go deeper.
This is the usual start for a house, condo or townhouse renovation. It also covers home interior demolition ahead of a sale, a flip or a rebuild after water damage.
Older homes need extra care. Many Calgary houses in Inglewood, Bridgeland and Kensington were built before 1990, and so were many Edmonton homes near Whyte Avenue. Materials from that period can contain asbestos, so we test before we cut. Condos in the Beltline and downtown Edmonton add a second layer: elevator booking, quiet hours and shared walls.
We protect what you are keeping. Floors along our route are covered, doorways are sealed with poly, and vents are blocked so dust does not travel.
This work clears a unit for the next tenant or the next layout. It covers offices, shops, clinics and restaurants. The work is often tight on time, and the building is often still in use.
We plan around the people who stay. That means a set route for debris, protected common areas, and hours agreed with the property manager. Retail units near Chinook Centre and office floors in the Beltline or downtown Edmonton all need a different plan, because loading access and neighbouring tenants differ in each.
Property managers and general contractors can read how we work with them on our For Property Managers and For General Contractors pages.
A crew walks the space, checks what is structural, tests for asbestos, shuts off utilities, protects what stays, strips the space in order and hauls the debris. Here is the order we follow.
Every stage from first call to last walk-through is on our Our Process page.
It is possible in buildings from before 1990. You cannot tell by looking, so we sample first.
In an older Alberta interior, asbestos can sit in:
Two Alberta documents shape this work. ASB004 explains asbestos exposure in demolition and renovation. ASB001, the Alberta Asbestos Abatement Manual, sets out how abatement is done. If a sample is positive, we follow both, move the waste as the Dangerous Goods Transportation and Handling Act requires, and dispose of it at an approved landfill under Alberta’s asbestos waste guidelines.
If you cannot confirm what is in the building, treat it as a possible hazard and test before any cutting starts.
Our equipment pulls dust at the source. We call the result Virtually Dust-Free, because a little always kicks out, but no big cloud fills the room.
Around the equipment, we also:
Older strip-out methods let dust settle on everything in the building. That is the main difference.
We remove non-structural items. A structural item is one that holds up the building or carries load from above. Partition walls usually do not carry load. Beams, posts, load-bearing walls and anything tied into the roof or floors above usually do.
When we cannot tell, we stop. An engineer confirms the answer before anyone cuts. If a wall is structural, it needs engineered support, and that work belongs to your builder and engineer, not to us.
We also leave in place anything the job needs to keep: the slab, foundation, exterior walls and the building services that serve the rest of the property.
It depends on the scope and the municipality. Work that touches structure, plumbing, electrical or gas often needs a permit. Cosmetic strip-outs may not.
Alberta’s Safety Codes Act sets the framework, and your city or county applies it. Check with your municipality before work starts, or ask your contractor to confirm. Asbestos work has its own provincial rules, covered above.
Cost depends on the size of the space, what the finishes are made of, and how hard the debris is to get out. Here is what moves the number on every job:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Size of the space | More area means more labour and more debris |
| Materials | Glued-down flooring and plaster take longer than carpet or drop ceilings |
| Access | Stairs, elevators, tight halls and long carry distances add time |
| Hazardous finds | Asbestos or mould changes the method and the disposal |
| Debris volume | Bins, hauling and disposal fees follow the weight and type |
| Schedule | Fixed deadlines and working hours affect crew planning |
Strip-outs in occupied or older buildings go wrong in predictable ways. Before you hire a crew, check these four things:
We hold BBB Accreditation and COR Certification too, and we are glad to show both.
We load and haul it all. Demolition and removal go together on our jobs, so you do not rent a bin or arrange a second crew.
Materials are sorted for disposal. Clean metal, wood and drywall go to appropriate facilities. Anything hazardous is handled under the rules covered above. We sweep the space at the end so the next trade starts on a clean floor.
It depends on the size, the materials and whether testing finds anything. A single room is a short job. A full strip-out of a house or a commercial unit is longer.
We give a schedule after the walk-through. If asbestos is present, abatement is added and the timeline changes. Access matters too: a ground-floor unit with a loading door moves faster than a fifth-floor condo with a shared elevator.
If you are searching for a crew nearby, our crews are based in Calgary and Edmonton. We work across both cities and the nearby areas.
In Calgary, that includes the Beltline, Kensington, Bridgeland, Inglewood, and the commercial corridors along Deerfoot Trail. In Edmonton, it includes the Whyte Avenue area, neighbourhoods around the University of Alberta, and the downtown core. Our crews also serve jobs near YYC and YEG.
Calgary: 403-874-3000
Edmonton: 780-977-2444
Many firms that offer demolition also build. We do one thing. We remove, and we hand the space over ready to build in.
Our Google ratings are 4.9 stars across 58 reviews in Calgary and 5.0 stars across 15 reviews in Edmonton.
Tell us about your space and we will walk through the scope with you.