Knock Down Rebuild Site Prep
The demolition half of a knock-down-rebuild, sequenced to your builder's start date rather than to ours.
Learn more →What is actually involved
House demolition is sometimes described as a machine turning up and knocking a building over. In Sydney, that is the shortest part of the job.
A properly run house demolition has eight stages, and the order matters. Skip one and the next one either stops or costs more.
1. Inspection
The structure, construction type, number of storeys, roof material, block access, driveway width, overhead power lines, trees, the distance to neighbouring houses, and signs of asbestos. Every one of those moves the price.
2. Approval pathway
Many Sydney dwellings can be demolished as complying development under the NSW Codes SEPP, with a certificate issued by an accredited certifier. That is usually the quicker route.
It is not available everywhere. Heritage items need a development application, and houses inside heritage conservation areas very often do too. Tree controls, flood or bushfire considerations, and site-specific conditions can also push a job to a DA. The council and approvals page sets out how that decision gets made.
The contractor can advise. The certifier or the council decides. No one should promise you an outcome.
3. Asbestos survey and removal
Houses built or renovated before about 1990 can contain asbestos cement in eaves, wall linings, wet areas, roofing, fencing and floor underlays. It cannot be identified by eye.
Where the age warrants it, a survey comes before the price is final. Anything found is removed by a separately licensed asbestos removalist, with air monitoring and a clearance certificate, before the demolition crew starts. See asbestos-aware demolition.
4. Disconnections
- Electricity — service removal by Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy, depending on the area, usually booked through a Level 2 electrician.
- Gas — disconnection and meter removal.
- Water — meter and supply arrangements.
- Sewer — capped at the boundary by a licensed plumber.
- Telecommunications — removed where present.
These lead times, not the machine, are the most common cause of delay.
5. Site set-up
Temporary fencing, dust suppression, erosion and sediment controls, and any permits needed for work zones, hoarding or skip bins on the footpath or road. Those permits are issued by council and requirements vary between LGAs.
6. Demolition
Typically soft strip first — fittings, timber, recyclable metals — then the roof, then the structure, top down. Water is used to control dust. On tight blocks, especially in the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs, the structure may be taken down more by hand near shared boundaries.
7. Sorted disposal
Brick, concrete, timber, metal and green waste are separated and sent to the appropriate facilities. Sorting keeps disposal cost down, because mixed loads are charged at a higher rate. Any asbestos-contaminated material goes to a licensed facility and costs far more.
8. Handover
Slab, footings, paths and driveway out if agreed; the block levelled and cleared. Ready for a surveyor to peg or a builder to start.
What drives the price
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Construction type | Double brick produces far more tonnage than weatherboard |
| Storeys | Two storeys roughly doubles material and adds complexity |
| Access | Narrow driveways and rear-lane-only blocks slow everything down |
| Asbestos | Separate licensed removal, testing and clearance |
| Trees | Approval and arborist requirements; removal priced separately |
| Slab and footings | In or out — the quote should say which |
The cost page has 2026 bands by house type.
Knocking down to rebuild?
Then the demolition needs to be sequenced to your builder. See knock down rebuild site prep.
Call 02 5943 7968 or send the job details through.
More services
Explore our other services
Partial Demolition
Rear extensions, second storeys, walls and wings taken off while the rest of the house stays standing and weathertight.
Learn more →Garage & Shed Removal
Detached garages, carports, sheds, granny-flat shells and outbuildings removed, slab in or out.
Learn more →Concrete & Driveway Removal
Driveways, slabs, paths and footings broken out and carted, reinforced or not, with the kerb and neighbours protected.
Learn more →Site Clearing
Blocks cleared of structures, rubbish and fill for sale, survey or construction — with protected trees left alone.
Learn more →Asbestos-Aware Demolition
How asbestos is found and dealt with before a Sydney demolition. Removal is carried out by a separately licensed asbestos removalist — referred, never done in-house.
Learn more →
FAQs
Questions people ask before they commit
How long does it take to demolish a house in Sydney?
The physical demolition of a typical single-storey house takes around three to seven working days, including sorting and carting. Allow several weeks before that for the approval, the asbestos survey and any removal, and the service disconnections, which each have their own lead times.
Does construction type change the price?
Significantly. Fibro and weatherboard houses are lighter to demolish but far more likely to contain asbestos. Brick veneer is moderate. Double brick generates much more tonnage, and tonnage drives disposal cost. Two storeys roughly doubles the material and adds complexity.
What happens to the slab and footings?
On a knock-down-rebuild they normally come out, along with piers, paths and the driveway if the new design requires it, so the builder starts on clean ground. If you only want the structure removed, the quote says so explicitly — a price that is silent on footings is a common source of disputes.
Can anything be salvaged?
Sometimes — hardwood flooring, bricks, sandstone, doors and fittings from older houses can have value or reuse. Salvage takes time, so it is agreed and priced before demolition rather than improvised on the day.
Do the neighbours need to be notified?
Notification requirements come with the approval — complying development certificates and development consents typically carry conditions about notifying neighbours before work begins. A pre-demolition dilapidation record of neighbouring structures is also sensible and often required.
Free, no-obligation