Out with the old and in with the new. In order to facilitate the construction of our new house, we had to make way by demolishing our old house. Our builder didn’t take responsibility for demolition which meant it was up to us to navigate the demolition process.
To kick off the demolition process we had to lodge a Development Application Form with our Local Council. This form helps you to communicate the scope of your demolition, and also guides you on your obligations. This Form needs to be approved by council before you can proceed with demolition.
To support our demolition application, we obtained a Certificate of Title online from Land Services SA. This certificate assists the council in determining the plot of land in question.
A good demolition contractor should carry out a Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) before demolition. This is a request to major utility holders to provide details of underground assets in or around your property. This isn’t a requirement for you to carry out. It is better to be informed so you can communicate to both the demolition contractor and builder.
We also prepared a demolition scope of work document. This document was an easy way to communicate to both the council and demolition contractors for quotation. In this scope of work we provided:
- Expected demolition dates
- Google Maps image of our block
- Floor plan of our existing house – indicating areas where asbestos was present along with locations of services
- Land details showing extent of party walls
- Detailed description of elements to be removed
- Photos of elements to be removed
We sent our scope of work to several demolition contractors for quotation. We short-listed 2 contractors who provided a prompt response. They also had good online reviews, provided relevant licences, insurances, demonstrated quality communication and provided competitive pricing. We invited both contractors to carry out site visits. This gave them the opportunity to refine pricing in light of the party walls.
We were then able to complete the council development application using some of this information. Some demolition companies offer the service to complete these applications along with applying for abolishment of services. We opted to complete this and save ourselves several hundred dollars.
We letter dropped our immediate neighbours and surrounding properties to keep them informed of the works. This give them a contact number for any issues caused by contractors to their property. We figured it was courtesy to give our neighbours a heads up and maintain positive relationships in the long run.
Abolishing services required us to get in touch with our gas and electricity suppliers. We confirmed with our demolition contractor and other utilities that we did not need to apply for abolishment of water, sewerage and telecommunications connections. Abolishment of electricity and gas services required that we provided our address and respective meter numbers. The whole process took about a month to complete. Whilst the utility distributor initiated the application, the local asset owner (SA Power Networks and APA) was responsible for removing the meters and capping the power at the pole (or distribution box if you have buried transmission lines). We focused on timings of abolishment so we knew when we needed to be in our rental property. Otherwise, we could be living in the dark and taking cold showers!
Both demolition companies came back with competitive quotes, but we went with AC Demolition as they had a decent price and better communication.
Demolition took a little time on our property. The first stage involved asbestos removal. Following this hand demolition was performed on the party walls as there was some uncertainty surrounding the construction details. There was a minor hiccup that the slabs between one of the neighbouring houses was joined. This required the concrete to be cut and separated extending the process by a few days. After, heavy machinery was brought in to remove the remaining structure and foundations before clearing and levelling the site.
In reflection, guidance on the council development application was limited or not clear. We were able to clarify any questions we had by calling the council. We were also sure to note our obligations and ensure that our demolition company were compliant. Another takeaway was we were too efficient in tying the timing of abolishment, the demolition date and organising our rental. This meant we probably moved in about 6 weeks too early. Whilst if cost us extra in rent, it did mean we could move out at a more relaxed pace!