Summary

• A DA (development application) approval must be obtained prior to demolition.
• Engage a professional & licensed demolition company to perform the works.
• Recycle as much of the waste as possible.

DA Process

An appropriate DA approval must be obtained prior to demolition. If you live in a character assessable or demolition control precinct (DCP) and the proposed house is a character home your demolition request will probably be refused.

Demolition Process

This involves tearing down the entire house. Below is a general outline of the process:

• Engage a professional & licensed demolition company to perform the works. Check references thoroughly before engaging.
• Get an asbestos check. If your house was built before the 1980s it’s more than likely asbestos was used. We recommend hiring professional asbestos removalists.
• Contact electricity, water, sewerage and gas suppliers. These services will need to be disconnected and the gas metre will need to be physically removed from the premises prior to demolition. It’s illegal to do any of this yourself. You must contact the relevant utilities companies to carry out the work.
• Removal of the recyclable materials must be organised before work commences. Contact your local council for waste depot details and recycling options. There are also many companies who will resell the materials to renovators. This can reduce the costs and is more environmentally friendly. Generally we cannot reuse the majority of the materials when building a new home.
• The physical demolition of a house or building can take up to a week. It generally involves a large excavator putting the unwanted house materials into the back of a truck.
• The site needs to be left “clean”. This means all materials are removed, including the foundations of the previous house, and services capped. If this is not done then you will experience significant extra costs when construction of your new home commences. Check that the demolition contract states this will be done.

In some limited cases the home may be removed to another property. However, this is tricky and time consuming to achieve. In most cases the money you save will be eaten up by rising building costs over the period it takes to achieve.