Demolition FAQs · Sydney
Demolition questions, answered.
Costs, approvals, asbestos and getting your site ready: 23 short, practical answers, each linked to the page that covers it in full.
5.0 from 22 Google reviewsThe short answers
- FreeQuotesBy phone or through the form.
- From $15,000House structure, inc. GSTIndicative: a detached single-storey house of 80 to under 150 m² with reasonable access.
- 2–5 daysMachine workTypical for a single-storey house, once preparations are complete.
- 2 licencesSafeWork NSWAD204777 demolition · AD211698 asbestos
Quotes, costs & timing
How do I get a demolition quote?
Call 0402 548 004 (7 days a week, 7am–7pm) or send the form with your site suburb and what needs to come down. You can add the address and photos of the building and street access.
Plans help but aren’t needed to start. We assess the site if needed, then put the price and what it covers in writing.
Read moreSend the detailsWhat affects the price?
House size, storeys, materials and access for machines and trucks all affect the price. Our indicative prices start at $15,000 inc. GST for a detached single-storey house structure with reasonable access.
Asbestos, slabs and footings, pools, trees, excavation, approvals, utility disconnections and difficult access are priced separately. Your written quote confirms the full scope and price.
Read moreHouse demolition costs in SydneyHow much does excavation cost?
As a typical Sydney price, a 1–2 t mini excavator with its operator costs $110–$170 per hour, ex GST, plus minimum hire and the float that brings it in. Rock costs two to four times as much as soil to dig. Use that as a planning guide: we quote every dig in writing.
Read moreExcavation costs in SydneyHow much does land clearing cost?
It’s priced item by item. As a typical Sydney price, a small tree under 5 m costs $290–$920 per tree to remove, inc. GST, and old concrete $34–$150 per m² to break up and take away, with machine time and tip fees on top. We quote every block in writing.
Read moreLand clearing costs in SydneyIs a quote free?
Yes, you can request a free quote by phone or through our form. Separate testing, reports, professional advice and approval work can involve costs; agree these before commissioning them.
How long will the job take?
A single-storey house typically takes 2–5 days of machine work once preparations are complete. Allow 2–4 weeks for the demolition stage, including disconnections and any asbestos removal.
Approvals come first. Provider lead times, weather and site conditions can extend the programme, so tell us when your builder needs the block. We confirm the timing for your job with the quote.
Read moreHow long a house demolition takesPreparation & approvals
Do I need approval before demolition?
Usually, yes: through a complying development certificate (CDC) or a development application (DA) with your council. Which one depends on the property, so check with your certifier or council first. We can coordinate approvals when included in the agreed scope.
Read moreDemolition approvals in SydneyWhat should I organise before work starts?
Decide what stays and what goes, clear out your belongings, and agree who arranges the approvals, utility disconnections and any asbestos assessment. If you suspect asbestos, leave the material alone until it’s been assessed.
Read moreWhat to sort out before a demolitionCan you coordinate with my builder or architect?
Yes. Send their plans and contact details with your enquiry, plus what they need the site to look like when we finish. Builders and certifiers we’ve worked with are on our about page.
Read moreAbout ActiveWhat can be removed
What demolition services do you offer?
Our services cover house demolition, excavation, asbestos removal, strip outs and internal demolition, garage demolition and removal, pool removal, and land and site clearing.
Read moreCompare the servicesCan part of a building be retained?
Yes. Partial demolition sits with our strip outs and internal demolition service. Mark what must stay; structural advice may be needed before the method is agreed.
Read moreStrip outs and partial demolitionAre slabs and footings included?
Only when they are written into the quote. Our indicative house prices cover the structure; tell us whether the slab, footings and driveway should go and what your builder needs next.
Do you remove garages and pools?
Yes, both. As a typical Sydney price, a single timber or metal garage costs $1,500–$4,000 to remove, and a concrete pool $3,500–$10,000 to partly remove and backfill (GST may be extra). Asbestos, slabs and access change the price, and we quote every job in writing.
Read moreGarage and pool removal costsAsbestos & safety
Do you handle asbestos removal?
Yes. Our own team removes non-friable asbestos, such as fibro sheeting, eaves and ceilings, under SafeWork NSW licence AD211698. Friable asbestos is removed by licensed asbestos subcontractors, and we coordinate it with the rest of the job.
Read moreAsbestos removalHow much does asbestos removal cost?
Typical Sydney prices for non-friable asbestos are $40–$100 per m² for wall and ceiling sheeting, inc. GST, with a minimum charge of $1,000–$2,500 for a small job, plus the clearance certificate. Use them as a planning guide: we quote your site in writing.
Read moreAsbestos removal costs in SydneyCan you identify asbestos in a photograph?
No. A photo shows us where the material is and how to reach it, but only a laboratory test confirms asbestos. Leave suspect material alone and don’t take a sample yourself.
Read moreAsbestos in a demolitionWhat credentials should I ask a contractor for?
The business name, the SafeWork NSW licence for the work and current insurance. Ours: restricted demolition licence AD204777, non-friable asbestos removal licence AD211698, and $20 million public liability plus $20 million asbestos liability cover.
Read moreHow to check a demolition contractorHow should I approach a safety concern?
Keep out of the work area and speak to the site contact agreed before work started; neighbours can do the same. For immediate danger, call emergency services.
Read moreHow a demolition runs, start to finishAccess & site clearance
Can you work with limited access?
Often, yes; our reviews mention sloping blocks and difficult access. Send the narrowest width from the street to the work area and photos of the route, including turns, overhead wires and shared driveways.
Read moreA restricted-access jobHow are neighbouring properties considered?
Tell us about shared walls, driveways and fences that stay. We plan access, truck movements and dust around them, and agree a contact for any questions before work starts.
What happens to demolition material?
Removal, transport and disposal are part of the quote. Asbestos and other materials that need separate handling get their own arrangements. Agree any salvage before work starts.
Read moreWhat a house demolition includesCan materials be salvaged?
Name the items before the quote is finalised and where they will go. Whether each one can come out intact depends on its condition and how it is fixed.
Which areas do you service?
Sydney-wide, across eight areas from the Northern Beaches and the Hills to the Eastern Suburbs, the Inner West and Parramatta. Search for your suburb, or just send it with your enquiry.
Read moreFind your suburbNo answer for that yet.
Try another word, or ask us directly. We’re on the phone 7 days, 7am–7pm.
Call 0402 548 004Need an answer for your site?
Send the suburb and the work you have planned, or call to talk it through.
Guides & advice
Bigger questions,
full answers.
When a short answer isn’t enough, these guides go through the costs, approvals and process in detail, with the official sources.
- House demolition costsOur price bands, worked examples and what’s priced separately.
- Demolition approvalsCDC or DA, and what to sort out before the machines arrive.
- How a demolition runsEvery stage from quote to cleared block, with typical timings.
- Asbestos in a demolitionAssessment, licensed removal and the clearance certificate.
- Asbestos removal costsTypical Sydney rates per square metre and minimum charges.
- Checking a contractorThe licences, insurance and quote details to ask for.

Get a free quote
Ask about
your site.
Every block is different. Send the suburb and the work you have planned, and we’ll answer the questions that apply to your site.
0402 548 0047 days a week · 7am–7pm- We talk it throughYour plans, what stays and when your builder needs the block.
- We look at the siteWhere the job needs it, before we price the work.
- You get a written quoteThe scope, separately priced items and the agreed finish.
