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Yellow excavator pulling down part of a two-storey brick block

Insights · Knockdown rebuild · Demolition

House Demolition in Sydney: Process and Cost for a Rebuild

Demolition takes days. Getting ready for it takes weeks. That's where it goes right or wrong.

The excavator is the exciting bit. But by the time it arrives, the house should already be surveyed, disconnected, stripped of anything hazardous and photographed next door. Here's how a proper demolition runs, and what pushes the price up.

Plan my demolition 0476 300 300
Brick & tile house (Syd 2021)
$63.70/m² demolished
Timber house (Syd 2021)
$53.10/m² demolished
Carting debris 15km (Syd 2021)
$48/m³
Typical demolition time
Days to a few weeks

Short answer

What does it cost to demolish a house in Sydney, and what's involved?

In Rawlinsons' 2021 tables, knocking down a Sydney brick-and-tile house cost $63.70 per m², including footings and debris removal but not asbestos or tip fees. Before demolition you need approval, services cut off, any asbestos taken out under licence, and ideally dilapidation reports on neighbouring homes. Access, outbuildings, pools, trees and hazardous materials push costs up.

Written and reviewed by

Licensed builder, NSW Contractor Licence 487805C · Founder, Buildana

Fact-checked

The weeks before the excavator

Approval first: demolition either rides along with the approval for the new home, or gets one of its own. Then a hazardous materials survey. In houses built before 1990 that means asbestos, and in older homes lead paint too.

Services come next. The electricity network disconnects the supply, the gas network abolishes the service, a licensed plumber caps the sewer and water under Sydney Water's requirements, and telecommunications are removed. Each has its own queue.

And the neighbours. The law requires written notice twice: once while the certifier is assessing, once in the week before work. I also recommend dilapidation reports on adjoining homes: a photographic record of cracks and condition before work begins. It protects everyone if there's a dispute later.

  • Approval in place, notices given
  • Hazardous materials surveyed
  • Electricity, gas, water, sewer and phone disconnected
  • Dilapidation reports on neighbouring homes

Soft strip, salvage and asbestos

A good demolition starts inside. Fittings, timber, doors and anything worth reusing come out first. It reduces waste to landfill and sometimes offsets a little cost.

Asbestos is removed next, by a licensed removalist, with the area sealed off and a clearance inspection afterwards. Only then does mechanical demolition begin.

If you want to keep anything, like old bricks for a garden wall, sandstone steps or a feature timber, say so before the contract is signed. Careful salvage costs more than smashing.

Interior walls stripped back to brick during a house demolition
The inside comes out first. Asbestos is removed and cleared before the machines start.

Planning to demolish?

Send the address with a handful of photos of the house and yard. I'll outline what demolition involves on your site, what will drive the cost, and how long it'll take.

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Knock-down and clearing

With the site fenced and dust controls running, the excavator takes the structure down in a controlled order. Materials are separated as they come off: brick and concrete, timber, metal, general waste.

Footings are dug out, the site is cleared and levelled, and the capped services are left ready for the new build. For a typical house, the mechanical part often takes only a few days.

Brick and concrete can usually be crushed and recycled, which is cheaper than sending mixed waste to landfill. Rawlinsons' 2021 figures show why separation matters in Sydney: mixed demolition material cost $360 to $370 a tonne to tip, while recyclable material was listed from $22 a tonne.

Sorting the waste as it comes down is the cheapest thing a demolition crew can do for your budget.

What pushes demolition cost up

Asbestos, first and foremost. Then access: a narrow side passage, a steep driveway, or a battle-axe lot means smaller machines and more trips.

Everything that isn't the house: a pool to remove or fill, a detached garage, a granny flat, sheds, concrete driveways and paths, retaining walls, and large trees with their stumps.

Neighbours right on the boundary, which calls for more careful, slower work and sometimes propping. And contaminated soil, which is rare but expensive when it happens.

Rubble heaped on a cleared lot where a house once stood
Brick and concrete can be crushed and recycled. Mixed waste costs far more to dump.

Handing over a clean site

At the end, the site should be clear, level, with services capped and marked, and waste dockets showing where everything went. Asbestos clearance certificates go on your file.

That's the handover to the builder. If the demolition and the build are run by the same team, the gap between the two is days, not weeks.

Demolition readiness checklist

All of these before the excavator is booked.

  1. 01

    Demolition covered by the CDC or DA

  2. 02

    Asbestos and hazardous materials survey done

  3. 03

    All services disconnected or capped

  4. 04

    Neighbour notices sent and dilapidation reports done

  5. 05

    Salvage items identified and agreed

  6. 06

    Waste separation and recycling plan in place

House demolition questions

What's the usual demolition timeframe?

The mechanical demolition of a typical house often takes a few days. Preparation, including approvals, disconnections and asbestos removal, takes several weeks beforehand.

Must the neighbours be told before demolition?

Yes. On a CDC in a Sydney council area, the certifier notifies them in writing before issuing, and you owe them a second letter at least seven days before the machines arrive. A DA has its own notification process.

What is a dilapidation report?

A photographic and written record of the condition of neighbouring buildings before work begins. It helps resolve any later claims of damage from demolition or construction.

Can demolition materials be recycled?

Much of it can. Brick, concrete and metal are commonly recycled when separated on site, and separation also reduces tip fees compared with mixed waste.

Sources and references

Costs are from the Rawlinsons handbook with the local cost index applied; rules and timeframes are checked against the sources below.

Knockdown rebuild costsHouse rates per square metre, built up from Rawlinsons.
Salvage before demolitionWhat's worth keeping from an old house.
From fibro to new buildDemolition sequence on an asbestos-era cottage.

A clean start for the new house.

Demolition planned as part of your rebuild, not as an afterthought.

Plan my demolition 0476 300 300