4 Vital Tasks To Complete Before You Begin Your House Demolition
Posted on: 7 September 2018
With the scarcity of urban building plots in major cities and regional towns, finding land to build your dream home on can be difficult. For this reason, many prospective home builders choose to purchase an unappealing house in an appealing location for the purposes of demolition. This provides them with a vacant house block without having to compromise and build in a less desirable area.
It may seem as though house demolition isn't a very complex project. However, it isn't as simple as getting a bulldozer in to knock the whole thing down. Before demolition begins, there are some very important steps that need to be taken. If you're considering a house demolition project, then here are four vital steps that you'll need to take.
1. Obtain a demolition permit
To legally demolish a house, you'll need to obtain a valid demolition permit from your local council. Without one, you could face a hefty fine and be legally and financially liable for any damage or injury caused to property or people. Don't leave this task until the last minute. Many local councils can take several weeks to process the application for a demolition permit.
2. Obtain an asbestos report
Many older properties contain building materials that contain asbestos. It's vital to find out before the demolition process begins where asbestos is and how much of it is in your home. An independent inspector can complete an asbestos inspection, or a demolition company can do it if you've already engaged the services of one.
3. Disconnect your services
For safety reasons, the electricity, gas, water and sewage services to the property must be disconnected before demolition can commence. In the case of the water and sewage pipes, they will need to capped and signed off on by a qualified plumber. Again, this isn't a task that you should hold off doing. The process can take a number of weeks to complete.
4. Talk to your new neighbours
Demolition is a relatively fast project, but it's also noisy, dirty and dusty. Even with the skills of an experienced demolition contractor, there is likely to be some disruption and intrusion into your neighbours' day to day life. Although you can't avoid the noise and dust that the demolition will produce, giving your neighbours a heads up on the event is the courteous thing to do. A little good will generally goes a long way and will help you to foster a good long-term relationship.
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