Before Demolition Day: Preparing Your Monash Property

Demolition day itself is usually undramatic. A machine arrives, the house comes down, trucks take it away. Whether that day happens on schedule, and whether it happens without complications, is decided by the weeks in front of it.

Here is what actually needs doing, roughly in the order it needs doing.

Get the approvals moving first

Nothing else matters if this is not underway. The demolition permit and, in most residential cases, Section 29A report and consent from council are the gating items, and council's response time is not something anyone can accelerate.

Check the overlay position on your property at the same time. It is far better to find out about a planning overlay at the start than after a design has been committed around the assumption there isn't one.

Service abolishment: start this early

This is the item that most often delays a demolition, and it is almost always because it was started too late.

Disconnection is not abolishment. Abolishment means the supply is permanently removed back to the main. Electricity, gas, water and telecommunications each have separate processes, separate lead times, and no awareness of each other.

Critically, you can apply for these while approvals are still in progress. Doing so overlaps two long lead times rather than stacking them end to end, and it routinely takes weeks off a program.

Electricity abolishment goes through the distributor for your address, which around Monash is generally in the eastern distribution area. Gas goes back to the main rather than being a meter removal. Water is a meter removal plus whatever the new build requires. Telecommunications needs its own request.

Do not assume a demolisher handles these. Confirm who is lodging each one.

Asbestos assessment

Any house here built before 1990 should be assessed before demolition, not during. The assessment is quick. What causes expensive delays is assuming rather than checking, then discovering asbestos once work has started and having to stop and mobilise a licensed removalist.

If asbestos is present, licensed removal happens as a separate scope before general demolition. Our article on asbestos in Monash homes covers what to expect.

Salvage: decide before, not during

Once the machine starts, salvage is over. Anything you want out has to come out beforehand.

Worth considering: fixtures and fittings, appliances, quality joinery, mantelpieces, leadlight, solid timber doors, bricks and roof tiles where they have reuse value, and anything with sentimental value. Established plants can be lifted and potted if you want them in the new garden.

Be realistic about time and cost. Careful salvage is hand work and it takes longer than people expect, so decide what genuinely matters rather than planning to strip everything.

Neighbours and boundaries

Tell your neighbours before the machines arrive rather than after. It costs nothing and it prevents most of the friction that arises during demolition.

Practically, check for shared or boundary structures, particularly fences and any wall built to or over the boundary, since those raise obligations before work starts. Photograph the condition of adjoining properties, driveways and the nature strip beforehand, because a documented before-and-after position resolves disputes quickly.

Where street trees or significant trees are on or near the site, controls may apply independently of your demolition approval, and those need checking.

Insurance and site security

Confirm the demolisher's public liability cover and that it is current, and ask for the certificate rather than a verbal assurance. Speak to your own insurer as well, because a vacant property awaiting demolition is often treated differently under a policy than an occupied one.

Site fencing goes up before work begins, and the property needs to be secured against entry.

Access

Walk the access route with the contractor before the day. How does a machine get in, where do trucks stand and load, is there room to turn, and does anything need protecting on the way past.

If trucks cannot stand legally on the street, that may need a permit and it has a lead time of its own. On narrower streets around the area this is worth resolving early rather than on the morning.

The week before

Confirm every service abolishment is genuinely complete rather than merely applied for. Confirm approvals are in hand. Make sure the property is empty, including sheds, the garage and the roof space, which is where things get forgotten. Remove vehicles and anything stored on the block. Check the fencing is up and the site secure.

The short version

Approvals and service abolishment set the date, so start both early and run them in parallel. Get asbestos assessed rather than assumed. Finish salvage before the machine arrives, because there is no second chance. Photograph boundaries, talk to your neighbours, confirm insurance, and walk the access route in advance. Do those and demolition day is a non-event, which is exactly what you want it to be.