What does demolition and site preparation mean for your renovation or new build?

What needs to happen before your build starts?

This is STEP 2 in building your new home or renovation project: Demolition and Site Preparation.

If you’re renovating your home, and perhaps adding on an extension, or making changes to your existing home at all, demolition will be involved.

And if you’re building a new home, you may have bought an existing house on a block of land – and you’ll need to demolish it to make way for the brand new home you’re planning.

“Demolition and Site Preparation” is an important stage in construction, and often the first real activity you see on your building site. Depending on the nature of your project, it can be all over with in a matter of days. And sometimes it can take much longer, and be a labour-intensive process where trades are working carefully to ready your property for the next stage of construction.

If you have asbestos in your home, this will be when it needs to be removed.

Asbestos is one of those areas where it’s important to get expert advice, and not only from your builder. Testing kits are available online and can enable you to very quickly determine if your home has asbestos in it. This can then help you plan who you’ll need for removal, and how to manage your risk around the type of asbestos your property has. There is lots of information available online regarding the safe management of asbestos. The Australian Government has this website (https://www.asbestossafety.gov.au/about-asbestos/about-asbestos) which is a useful resource.

Some homeowners seek to save money by installing their internal linings over the top of existing asbestos. This can create future issues whenever you may need to drill holes in walls or if a wall is accidentally damaged during living in the home. It is always better to pay for the full removal of any asbestos in your home, than bury it under more layers of building materials with your renovation.

Full demolition can be done very quickly in most cases, and will often be outsourced to a separate contractor by your builder.

Partial demolition can take longer. This may be where part of your home needs to be demolished to ready it for the future extension you’re adding. Tradespeople such as carpenters, that the builder directly organises and manages, will often carry this out. This is because they will demolish with an understanding of what is being built next – and so streamline this stage to simplify the future work happening in the coming stages.

You may also see other work occurring during this stage that relates to “Site Preparation” required before the next stage (Slab or Base Stage). This will depend on how your project is being sequenced, and if any substantial work is required before your concrete slab or footings can be poured.

The builder, or their supervisor, will be on site organising this work. You may also see trades such as carpenters, demolition contractors, and concreters. You may also see a surveyor being used for setting out boundaries and other key information for your block of land and home.

The builder’s ability to sequence work will be important. A good builder will be strategic in their project planning to make it as efficient and streamlined as possible.

Have a think about this for your project. Perhaps it may be that the work on a swimming pool will need to be brought forward, because once your home is renovated or built, you’ll no longer have access to that area. Or it could be that certain retaining and landscaping needs to be arranged early to create the required building platform for your future home.

The success of a simple and well-run building or renovation construction process is in this strategic planning and sequencing – so you save time, money and optimise the performance of all trades involved.

DID YOU KNOW?

Even if your project does not require Town Planning Approval, you can sometimes require a separate approval for demolition with your local council. Check to be sure your project complies.

For more information check out Season 7  in the “Get it Right” podcast and learn more about the construction of your new home or renovation.

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Worried about building your new home or reno?

HOME Method is my flagship online program which uses a structured approach to simplify the process of designing, building, or renovating your home, so that it aligns with your ideal lifestyle in every way.

It’s an online program, community and coaching, built around a simple yet powerful step-by-step process to navigate your project with confidence and clarity. Even if you’ve never renovated or built before.

Head to HOME Method to see more about what’s inside the program, and how it can save you stress and money as you navigate the construction of your reno or new home.