House Demolition in Western Sydney

Built for knockdown rebuilds

Most of the houses we take down are coming down for a reason. The owners want a new home on the same block. Sometimes it is one big family home. Sometimes it is a duplex, a dual occupancy or a main house with a granny flat out the back. Either way, demolition is the first trade on site, and if it runs late, everything behind it runs late.

So we plan the job back from your builder's start date. We find out what they need at handover, what they want kept and when they want to be on site. Then we work to that.

The older homes we pull down

Western Sydney is full of homes that have done their time. There are a lot of post-war fibro cottages on timber floors, often with a tin or tile roof and a lean-to at the back. Then there are the 1960s to 1980s brick veneer homes, mostly single storey, with tiled roofs, fibro eaves and old wet areas.

Both need care. Homes built before 1990 may contain asbestos, and in these houses it often turns up in the wall sheeting, the eaves, the bathroom and laundry linings, under old vinyl floors and in flues. We look for it on the first visit and plan around it, rather than finding it when the excavator is already on the block.

How a house demolition runs

Every block is different, but most jobs follow the same order:

• Approvals. Your CDC or DA is in place, with any conditions we need to follow.
• Hazardous materials survey. The house is checked for asbestos and other hazards before work starts.
• Disconnections. Endeavour Energy takes the power off, Sydney Water looks after the water and sewer, Jemena caps the gas, and the NBN or copper line gets sorted too. We chase these up with you.
• Asbestos removal. Any asbestos comes off before the machine touches the house. Removalists licensed by SafeWork NSW do that part, and we wait for the clearance paperwork before going any further.
• Soft strip. Fittings, timber and other loose materials come out and get sorted.
• Demolition. The house is taken down by excavator, in order, with water on hand to keep the dust down.
• Slab and footings. Concrete is broken out and removed if your builder needs it gone.
• Clean up and handover. The block is cleared, levelled and handed over.

Slab, footings and site handover

Ask your builder exactly what they want before the job is priced. Some want every footing, pier and old pipe out of the ground. Some want the block scraped and levelled. Some want a fence or a tree left alone. Getting this right up front saves a second trip and a delay to the slab.

On a full clear we take out the slab, the footings, the paths and the driveway if they are going, and any old pipework that is no longer needed. Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) checks are done before any excavation, so we know where live services run.

Recycling brick, concrete and steel

A house is mostly brick, concrete, timber, tile and steel. A lot of that does not need to go to landfill. We sort as we go. Brick and concrete are kept apart from the rest so they can go to a recycler for crushing. Steel, roofing iron and old pipe go to the scrap metal yard. Timber and green waste are separated where practical.

Asbestos is the exception. It is never recycled. It is wrapped and taken to a facility that can lawfully accept it, and the load is tracked through the NSW EPA's WasteLocate system.

Duplexes, granny flats and dual occupancy

Plenty of Western Sydney blocks are wide enough for two dwellings, and more owners are building a duplex or a house with a granny flat. That usually means the whole block has to be cleared, including old sheds, carports, pools and garages. We take all of that out in the one job, so your builder starts with a clean block.

Keeping an existing granny flat or garage? Tell us. We work around it and protect it.

Neighbours, access and the street

Suburban blocks out west often have good machine access, with wide frontages and room to load trucks. That helps. But there are still neighbours either side, kids walking to school and cars parked along the kerb.

We let the neighbours know before work starts. We keep dust down with water, protect the footpath and kerb where we can, and plan truck movements so the street is not blocked for long. Trees and fences that are staying are marked and kept clear.

Getting a quote

Send us the address, a few photos of the house and the block, and your builder's start date if you have one. Tell us about anything extra to remove, like a pool, a shed or a granny flat, and send any asbestos report you already have. We will look it over and come back with a clear quote and a plan for the job.