What are residential demolition services?

March 9, 2023

Have you purchased a property but want to tear the existing building down and start afresh? Or are you looking to demolish your existing home to rebuild from scratch? 

You likely need residential demolition services, which exist to safely tear down homes and apartments. 

However, it is a little more nuanced than simply bulldozing the entire site. You may even simply want to tear away certain parts of an existing building. That’s why there are three main types of residential demolition services: soft-strip demolition, top-down demolition, and high reach demolition.

Soft strip demolition 

Soft strip demolition is where you call in the experts to carefully remove select parts of a residential building. 

This could be for something as small as a single-home renovation, or a full apartment-building remodel. 

For example, we can remove internal walls or ceilings, just the fixtures and fittings, or temporary structures. Essentially, it is the professional removal of anything within a building that isn’t a load-bearing structure. 

It’s important that an expert carries out this task to avoid damaging any of the remaining structure, and to remove certain parts without risking anyone’s safety. 

Top-down demolition

Top-down demolition is a style of demolition used when completely pulling down a residential building.

As the name suggests, it is done in a very careful, controlled fashion that starts at the top of the building and works down floor by floor. This is therefore often the method of choice for tall high-rise residential buildings such as apartment blocks. 

This process can take time, as it requires the construction of scaffolding around the building and specialist equipment and machinery to complete the work safely. 

For developers who have purchased an apartment building with plans to demolish the existing property and start afresh, top-down demolition may be a good option.

High reach demolition

High reach demolition is the style of demolition we at PRO Environmental Services recommend to use whenever possible. 

In this scenario, professionals work to demolish an entire building with operatives all working from the ground. We use special long reach excavators to tear down the property. 

The main benefit of high reach demolition is that it is the safest route for operators. It removes the risks that are inherent with operators working at heights on scaffolding and in the building itself. Instead, it provides a highly efficient and effective demolition service that minimises safety risks for everyone on site. 

Not sure which residential demolition services are best for your needs? 

If you aren’t sure which type of demolition you need, we’re happy to offer our advice. We know that no two projects are quite the same, and we know how to adapt our teams and service to the task you have in mind. We offer all types of residential demolition services throughout the Wellington region and surrounding areas. 

Get in touch for a free quote for your residential demolition project, or to find out more about our services. 

Header Photo by Oleg Solodkov on Unsplash

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