Demolition Cost Calculator
Estimate demolition cost from building volume, plus hazardous material survey and removal, disconnections and site clearance.
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Demolition is priced by volume rather than floor area, because what is being removed and disposed of is the whole building. The headline rate covers taking it down and carting it away; it rarely covers the things that stop a demolition starting.
Hazardous material surveys, licensed removal, utility disconnections and the final site clearance are separate, and any one of them can delay a project by weeks if it is discovered rather than planned.
The calculation
Building volume = length × width × height. The demolition rate is applied to that volume and covers taking the structure down and removing the material. Hazardous survey and removal, utility disconnections and site clearance are added separately because they are priced independently.
Worked example
A building 10 by 8 by 6 is 480 cubic metres. At 35 per cubic metre the demolition itself is 16,800. Adding 4,000 for hazardous survey and removal, 1,500 for disconnections and 2,500 for clearance gives 24,800 — about 310 per square metre of footprint.
Survey before you price
A hazardous materials survey is required before demolition in most jurisdictions, and what it finds can multiply the cost. Commission it before committing to a programme, not after, because licensed removal of a discovered material is both expensive and slow.
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Create your free property pageFrequently asked questions
Why is demolition priced by volume?
Because the cost is dominated by breaking up and disposing of material, which scales with how much building there is. A tall single-storey warehouse and a two-storey house of the same footprint are very different jobs.
What is usually excluded from a demolition quote?
Hazardous material survey and licensed removal, utility disconnections, party wall matters, scaffolding or protection to neighbouring buildings, and final site levelling. Ask for each to be confirmed as included or excluded in writing.
Can salvage reduce the cost?
Sometimes materially. Reclaimed bricks, slates, timber and structural steel have real value, and a demolition contractor may reduce their price for the salvage rights. It slows the job, so it suits programmes with time available.
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