House Demolition Services
A full house demolition is more than knocking a building down. It is a sequence — inspection, approvals, service disconnections, asbestos clearance, machine demolition, waste separation, then slab and footing removal and final site clearing. Get the order right and a demolition is unremarkable, which is exactly what you want. Get it wrong and it becomes the reason your rebuild starts a month late. We demolish homes across Brighton and the Bayside suburbs every week, from weatherboard cottages to double-storey full-brick, and we manage the whole sequence so your builder inherits a site that is genuinely ready.
What full demolition includes
A complete residential demolition covers the house structure, attached and detached garages or carports, driveways, paths and paving, garden structures, and typically the concrete slabs and footings beneath. Where a pool exists it can be removed and the void backfilled and compacted, or left in place if your new build's design accommodates it. The site is cleared to a level, buildable state with all waste removed and services correctly abolished.
The sequence that matters
**Inspection and quote.** We attend the property, assess construction type, access, likely asbestos content, concrete volume and overlay position, then issue a fixed price.
**Approvals.** A building permit is required for demolition in Victoria, and council consent under Section 29A of the Building Act 1993 generally comes first. Heritage Overlay properties need a planning permit as well.
**Service disconnections.** Electricity, gas, water and telecommunications each need formal abolishment, each with its own provider lead time. This is the single most common cause of delay, so we lodge these first.
**Asbestos removal.** Anything built before 1990 is treated as suspect until inspection confirms otherwise. Licensed removalists clear identified asbestos before general demolition.
**Demolition and waste.** Machine demolition with material separated for recycling — brick, concrete, metal, timber and clean fill recovered rather than landfilled where practical.
**Site clearing.** Slabs, footings and hard surfaces out, site levelled, backfilled and compacted as required.
What drives the price
Melbourne house demolition typically runs $15,000-$35,000 for a standard three-bedroom home, moving toward $40,000 for double-storey or full-brick construction, with the full range reaching about $50,000 on difficult sites. The variables that move your number are asbestos quantity, site access and street constraints, total concrete and paving area, whether a pool is coming out, heritage requirements, and how far material has to travel for disposal. A fixed price after inspection is worth more than a cheap estimate over the phone that grows once work begins.
Fixed price, no surprises
We quote after seeing the property, not before. That means the number you receive accounts for the asbestos we expect to find, the access we will actually have, and the concrete that is really there. Variations then become genuinely rare rather than routine.
Common Questions
What is included in a full house demolition?
The house, garages and carports, driveways, paths and paving, garden structures, and generally the slabs and footings beneath. Pools can be removed and backfilled or left in place depending on your new build's design. The site is left level, cleared and with services properly abolished.
How long does the whole process take?
Machine demolition on a typical home is one to two weeks including waste removal. End to end from first inspection to cleared block is more realistically three to eight weeks, because approvals and service disconnections take longer than the demolition itself. We run those in parallel to compress the timeline.
Is the quote fixed?
Yes — we quote fixed-price after a site inspection so the number accounts for actual asbestos, access and concrete rather than assumptions. Quoting sight-unseen is how estimates grow mid-job, which is exactly what we avoid.
Related Services
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Contact us today for your free, no-obligation quote.