The process of home demolition

Demolishing a home can look like a quick (and sometimes even quite satisfying!) task, but the reality is that there’s a lot more that goes into a home demolition than the visually impressive parts of tearing down walls. 

In fact, if you bring in an expert demolition company, there are actually quite a few steps to take into consideration. 

Here’s the full process of a home demolition, so you know what to expect! 

Preparing for demolition

Getting a home ready for demolition and making plans is arguably the most important part of the whole process. 

The first step is for you to complete, if it is safe to do so. That is to walk through and see if there are any furnishings that you want to take out. That could include cabinets, built-in desks or other items that you might not think are salvageable. This is known as a ‘soft strip’ and can remove salvageable materials such as ceilings, walls, and fixtures. 

Next, a building survey will be carried out. This will help to determine the building codes, hazards, materials, and other factors that will inform the plan for demolition. 

Any hazardous materials must then be removed before demolition can begin (such as asbestos, which is common in older New Zealand homes). Only then can a demolition plan be created, which will determine what kind of approach is best, which machinery is needed, how many people will work on the job, and other factors. 

Of course, safety is paramount throughout the planning stages, so procedures will be in place from start to finish.

The demolition

The demolition plan will outline which style of demolition is best for the property; high reach or top down. 

High reach demolition uses a long-reach excavator to pull the building down from the ground level. This is the recommended style of demolition for most buildings wherever possible, as it offers efficiency as well as maximum safety for the crews working the demolition. 

Top down demolition is typically reserved for high rise buildings. In this case, scaffolding is erected around the building, and specialist equipment is brought up to working level in order to pull the building apart one floor after another. 

A standard, uncomplicated home demolition will typically take about a week. However, your demolition company will give you a good estimate of the timeframe when they plan the work.

Cleaning up after a home demolition

Just like any good chef knows in the kitchen – the job isn’t finished until the clean up is done. 

Home demolition naturally creates a lot of mess and waste, and it can be quite a task to safely remove it all from the site and dispose of it. 

Pro Environmental Services will never bury materials or waste on site, in order to protect the environment and human health. We recycle materials such as concrete, wood, glass and metal as much as possible, and properly dispose of hazardous materials in accordance with New Zealand regulations.

We will always complete the job properly by cleaning up the site and leaving it ready for you to take the next steps with the property, whatever they may be.

PRO Environmental Services for expert home demolition 

PRO Environmental Services offers experts in home demolition services across the greater Wellington region, in Auckland, and the Waikato. 

We offer internal soft strip as a standalone service, or as part of a home demolition project. And since we also specialise in asbestos removal, you can also rest assured that you have the right team for the job, even if asbestos is found on site. 

Contact us today for a free quote for your home demolition, or to ask any questions about the process for your property.