If you happen to live in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, you might find bad-looking houses where rebuilding is necessary. According to the Housing Institute of Australia, 1/3rd of the places are rebuilt to be at par with modern houses. People in Australia lack the land to build houses.
Before thinking about rebuilding a house, you must know how much it could cost you from start to end. Additionally, you have to know all the costs of the demolition or knock-down process. Here, we will discuss the things you have to know before the demolition of a house in Australia.
What Does It Mean To Demolish A House?
The process of destroying or tearing down an existing house is called home demolition. Demolition can be done with both human resources and machine power. Using human resources is a slower process, whereas demolishing a place with mechanical equipment such as excavators, bulldozers, or cranes is faster. These processes are conducted under a licensed demolition contract after the required demolition permission is achieved.
Demolishing a house lets the homeowner refresh his property to rebuild a new and exciting place. That house can be rebuilt with all modern fixtures and equipment after the demolition process.
How Much Does It Actually Cost To Demolish A House?
Knowing all of the processes of demolition, you will see that the prices can vary significantly. You need at least $12,000 to $40,000 to demolish your home in Australia. However, if your home is situated in an accessible access location, not made with hazardous materials like asbestos, and is small-sized, your demolition cost should be between $12,000 to $20,000.
Things To Consider When Demolishing A House
There are some essential things to consider when demolishing a house; some are too important to be left out. Here is a list of things you need to consider when you are planning to demolish your home,
- The total size of your house
- Access to a demolition site
- Materials to build the house
- Hazardous/Risky materials (Asbestos)
- Extra structures
- Shrubbery or tree cleaning
- Total distance to the recycling center
The Size of Your House
The total size of your house will have a great impact on the demolition process’s cost. Many contractors provide an estimate based on charging every square meter of the house. In some cases, demolition costs can be more than $40 for every square meter. But all of these depend on many factors of the property, which we will go into in other points.
Access To Demolition Site
Your property’s access and inclination for demolition equipment can be a bearing factor to the whole demolition process’s costs. If the home is situated in a complicated location, the demolition equipment’s overall transportation will cost much more. As it will be hard to transport the necessary things and dispose of unwanted materials from the site, those factors increase the total costs of demolition.
Materials To Build The House
You might question whether the materials of a house increase the price of its demolition. It depends on the raw materials used to build the house initially. All those materials can have a great impact on the total demolition price of your home.
A house constructed with timber is cheaper to demolish than a home built with bricks or concrete because those houses need special machinery, but the wood can be restored and recycled. For timber houses, many demolition costs are cut just because you can reuse timber for other purposes.
Hazardous/Risky Materials
If the house you want to rebuild via demolition process was made back in the 20th century (1920-1990), it has high chances of containing asbestos as its construction material. Asbestos is tough to remove; thus, it will increase your demolition costs. Asbestos is known to increase demolition costs three times more than other materials, such as brick or concrete. Different treatments and extra labor are required to remove asbestos altogether.
It is the same for the mold as this is also a hazardous material used to make houses back in time. Expert and experienced removalists are required in the demolition process, or else you might not be able to complete the rebuild process of your home. Set a time for experts before doing demolition to determine whether your house has those hazardous materials or not.
Extra Structures
Your old house might have different structures, such as an old pool or shed, which should be removed to rebuild the house completely. You do not want an old shed and old pool to destroy your new house’s overall look.
Tree Cleaning
You have to clean trees or any shrubs that might get in the way of demolition, but you have to make sure you plant more trees after your demolition is done. You just cannot ignore the importance of planting trees and its effects on nature.
Total Distance To Recycling Center
Keep in mind that the more distant the recycling center, the higher the costs of demolition. Recycling centers are vital for disposing or recycling items, but be ready for the added transportation costs.
Know The Demolition Process
Before you decide, you have to have a good idea of how the demolition process works. Even if the supplier tells you they will look after everything, there are some things which you have to look after all by yourself.
Permit of Demolition
It would help if you had legit paperwork done before starting the demolition of your house. This will involve lodging forms, paying the necessary fees, and working with a private certifier. All of those processes can take up to several weeks. So you have to have these extra weeks ready to get the legit paperwork prepared for the demolition. Additionally, check if there are any restrictions in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, related to the demolition of a house.
Disconnection of Usual Services
The demolition contractor has to work collaboratively on this task. You have to disconnect the property from any services, such as electricity, gas, internet, telecommunications, water, sewers, etc., before beginning the demolition. You need to know if you require a water supply to remove the asbestos from the older building. If you are building your home quickly after its demolition, then the electricity supplier should not cut the service. Instead, they should relocate the wire to a nearby electricity pole.
Baiting
Baiting is a local council requirement for every home to stop the pests from spreading to nearby neighbors’ homes. You do not want to hear your neighbors’ complaints saying their houses are packed with problems that came from your house. Some neighbors might even file a complaint about your property regarding pests.
Selecting a Demolition Contractor
You cannot go wrong with a good demolition contractor for this task. It is essential to select a demolition company that will provide all the necessary licenses, modern equipment, and best procedures to complete the demolition. That company will also know how to dispose of or recycle your building debris properly.
The Estimated Length Of Demolition Process
In some cases, the whole demolition process of a house can be completed within one day. This depends on the overall structure of the house and its materials. If the house size is enormous and the materials are tough to break, it will take longer to demolish. In total, you have to have about two months to complete all of the processes mentioned above before starting the actual demolition.
Cleanup and Disposal
After you have completed your demolition process, it is time for you to clean up and dispose of the remains of the old house. Most contractors will ensure that they clean up and dispose of the remains. If so, then a fee of $300 to $1,800 should be added to the contract with your contractor.
On the other hand, some contractors will let you know if you have to hire an additional cleanup crew for the job, and their cost for their work will be about $400 to $800 for every truck full of waste materials.
Conclusion
When all demolition processes are completed, you can finally start to rebuild your home. You will freely design every part of your property. As mentioned before, there are some restrictions in Australia regarding the demolition of a house. Make sure you are clear of any sorts of conditions to complete the demolition. After demolition, you can quickly remake the home of your dreams and live there peacefully.
