North Manly 2100 · Northern Beaches Council
House Demolition in North Manly: Salvage First, Then Clear
Half a century of good timber and brick. Don't send it all to landfill.
North Manly's Federation cottages and post-war brick homes were built with materials that are hard to buy now: hardwood framing, solid bricks, sometimes sandstone. When one comes down, a lot of it can be reused. Doing that well starts before the excavator arrives.
Short answer
Can an old North Manly house be deconstructed instead of demolished?
Yes. Hardwood framing, solid bricks, sandstone and fittings can be salvaged before the rest is cleared, which cuts landfill and can trim waste costs. Council expects a waste management plan either way, and asbestos must come out first under licence. The machinery part takes days. A standard-finish rebuild here costs roughly $2,490 to $2,990 per m².
Written and reviewed by Oliver Alameri
Licensed builder, NSW Contractor Licence 487805C · Founder, Buildana
Fact-checked
Deconstruction, not just demolition
A standard demolition knocks the house down and sorts the rubble afterwards. Deconstruction takes it apart in a more deliberate order so useful materials come out intact.
In North Manly homes, the good stuff is often hardwood framing and floorboards, solid clay bricks, sandstone foundations or garden walls, old doors, leadlight and fireplace surrounds. Some of it can go back into the new house as feature walls, joinery or landscaping. The rest can be sold or donated to recyclers.
It takes longer than a straight knockdown. Days, sometimes a couple of weeks. So decide early which items are worth saving, and tell us before the contract is signed rather than the morning the machines arrive.
- Hardwood framing and flooring, for reuse or joinery
- Solid bricks, cleaned for feature walls or paving
- Sandstone blocks for retaining and landscaping
- Doors, leadlight, fireplace surrounds and fittings
- Metals separated for recycling
Some of the best materials in a new North Manly home come out of the old one.
The waste plan council expects
Northern Beaches Council expects a waste management plan with development applications that involve demolition. It sets out what materials come out, how much, and where each stream goes: reuse, recycling or landfill.
Concrete and brick rubble can be crushed and recycled. Clean timber and metals go to recyclers. What's left, including anything contaminated, goes to licensed disposal. A good plan keeps landfill to a minimum and is easy to report against.
Taking down a North Manly house?
Send me the address and photos. I'll check heritage and soil mapping, flag likely asbestos, and suggest what's worth salvaging before we price the demolition and rebuild.
0476 300 300Asbestos, heritage and lagoon soils
Post-war homes here often contain asbestos, and older homes may have it in later additions. Salvage stops wherever asbestos is found. It's removed first by a licensed contractor, cleared by an assessor, and only then does deconstruction continue.
Heritage is the other constraint. Several older North Manly streets are inside conservation areas, and council may refuse full demolition of a contributory house. Then the answer is often a partial demolition and rear addition instead.
Near Manly Lagoon, coastal acid sulfate soils can be present. Removing a slab and digging new footings may need a management plan if the mapped class and depth trigger it.
What comes next, and what it costs
Once the site is clear and tested, the rebuild begins. Budget? North Manly's loading on Rawlinsons' Sydney figures is 1.13, which puts a standard-finish new house at roughly $2,490 to $2,990 per square metre. Sandstone excavation, retaining and any acid sulfate management are priced separately.
A house DA at Northern Beaches usually runs 12 to 16 weeks. Salvage adds a little time to the demolition stage. Often it's offset by recycling returns and by the materials that end up back in the new home, where a wall of old North Manly brick in the family room tends to become the thing visitors comment on first.
Before demolishing in North Manly
Six things to settle before the first wall comes down.
- 01
Heritage status, and whether full demolition is likely to be approved
- 02
An asbestos survey of the house, sheds and fences
- 03
A list of materials worth salvaging or reusing
- 04
A waste management plan for council
- 05
Acid sulfate soil mapping for lagoon-edge lots
- 06
A rebuild design ready, so the block isn't left empty
Demolition in North Manly
Can materials from my old house be reused?
Often, yes. Hardwood, solid bricks, sandstone, doors and fittings can be salvaged. Some can go into the new house; the rest can be recycled or sold.
Does Northern Beaches Council need a waste plan for demolition?
Development involving demolition generally requires a waste management plan showing how materials will be reused, recycled or disposed of.
Can I demolish a house in a heritage conservation area?
Not always. Council may refuse full demolition of a contributory house. Partial demolition with a rear addition is often the approved alternative.
How is asbestos handled during deconstruction?
Salvage stops where asbestos is found. A licensed contractor removes it, an assessor clears the area, and only then does deconstruction continue.
Sources and references
Costs are from the Rawlinsons handbook with the local cost index applied; rules and timeframes are checked against the sources below.
Take it down carefully. Build back better.
A North Manly demolition that saves what's worth saving and clears the way for your new home.