The first mission in Teardown is to destroy an old building. It sounds easy, but you can’t just use the Sledgehammer tool to break everything down as it doesn’t affect the brick fireplace. Gravity doesn’t work the same way in real life, meaning you can’t break the foundation of the house and expect it to collapse.
You need to first find a way to take apart the house, starting from the rooftop, then destroying the fireplace at the end. If you are stumped, here’s an order to follow.
Step 1: Head inside the building and make a hole above the fireplace
Ignore the use of the propane canisters for now, as they can make the process harder. Go inside the building (destroy the door if you want) and make a hole above the fireplace with the Sledgehammer. You can use the fireplace as a “step” to jump up into the hole and jump up to the second floor.
If a direct jump isn’t possible, use your Sledgehammer to make a small hole in the wall around the fireplace to create another “step” you can use to jump to the second floor. If you need to hit the wall multiple times to make “steps,” that’s fine, as long as you can jump off of them to reach the second floor.
Step 2: Make a hole in the ceiling and another “step”
You need to get to the roof, which requires making a hole in the second floor’s ceiling. Like the fireplace on the first floor, you need to make the hole close to one of the walls.
When the hole in the ceiling is made, you can make a hole in the wall that acts as another “step” that you can use to reach the attic of the house. You can also make multiple steps as needed, as long as you get to the attic.
Alternatively, you can also drag either the fridge or stove that is outside and use them as a platform to jump on to get to the attic. You will have to carry them like a ladder, but it can be more reliable.
Step 3: Make a hole in the roof and step outside
Using the same principles in Step 1 & 2, make a hole in the rooftop, make “steps” in the walls and get on top of the roof.
Getting on top of the roof is important, because it will serve as the foundation for taking down the house. If you tried taking down the house from the first floor, you would struggle to reach the second floor (especially if you accidentally removed the wooden ceiling).
Step 4: Begin tearing down the building with the Sledgehammer
Now that you are at the top of the building, you can safely deconstruct the building and make your way down. You can also check your progress with the in-game height measurement (the white dot telling you how the building is too tall).
Starting from the roof may have the disadvantage of accidentally knocking down the floor below you, but you can also pull yourself back up using the same method/path you used to get up.
It also helps you track your progress as you eventually make your way down and catch any spots that you have missed. The white dot will always be at the highest point of the house, but it won’t factor in the brick fireplace. If it’s still up high, you missed a spot.
When you are at the bottom, and there isn’t anything left to destroy, it’s time to take down the fireplace.
Step 5: Destroy the fireplace with propane canisters
With the brick fireplace as the only structure left, it is easier to destroy with the propane canisters. You will get a tutorial about throwing objects, but pick up the propane canister with the right mouse button, prepare the throw by pressing the left and right mouse buttons, then throw the canister with the right mouse button again.
You get 5 canisters by default. If you run out and it’s not enough, you can head to the right to find more propane canisters at a construction site, which should be more than enough to take down the fireplace.
With enough throws, you should destroy enough of the fireplace to satisfy the height requirement, and you can safely enter your escape vehicle to leave.
With a tried-and-true method to complete the first mission, you are now free to use it yourself or improvise your own plan, knowing that you have a backup just in case something goes wrong.
