How much does demolition cost in Cairns?
Demolition in Cairns is quoted per job for houses, pools and outbuildings, and per square metre for floor area and slabs. A typical house on a standard block is $12,000–$40,000, typically $25,000. An elevated or low-set timber home of three bedrooms without significant asbestos is $15,000–$22,000, and a single-storey brick veneer home $18,000–$30,000.
High-set timber homes in Edge Hill, Parramatta Park and Manunda, concrete block homes in Earlville, Westcourt and Woree, and beachside houses from Trinity Beach to Clifton Beach each come down on different rows, and a backyard pool is often in the same job. The bands shown are national; the sources do not support a separate Cairns price.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Demolition cost in Australia.
Demolition Prices in Cairns 2026: Cost Table and Price List
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full house demolition, typical house on a standard block | $12,000per job | $25,000 | $40,000 |
| Single-storey timber or fibro house demolition (3-bed, no significant asbestos) | $15,000per job | $18,000 | $22,000 |
| Single-storey brick veneer house demolition (3-bed, no asbestos) | $18,000per job | $22,000 | $30,000 |
| Double-storey house demolition | $25,000per job | $32,000 | $50,000 |
| House demolition priced per square metre of floor area | $40/sqm | $60 | $150 |
| Concrete in-ground pool removal, full (shell removed, backfilled) | $8,000per job | $12,000 | $18,000 |
| Pool partial removal / fill-in (concrete shell broken and filled) | $5,000per job | $8,000 | $10,000 |
| Fibreglass pool removal | $7,000per job | $10,000 | $18,000 |
| Concrete slab removal, reinforced, incl. disposal | $55/sqm | $74 | $95 |
| Garden shed demolition & removal (no asbestos; slab extra) | $280per job | $700 | $1,600 |
| Garage demolition, single (no asbestos) | $3,000per job | $5,000 | $6,000 |
| Whole-house internal strip-out (to frame) | $8,000per job | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Kitchen strip-out / demolition | $2,500total | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Bathroom strip-out / demolition | $1,500total | $2,000 | $4,500 |
| Internal wall removal, non-structural | $800per wall | $2,000 | $2,500 |
| Disconnecting services before demolition (electricity, gas, water, sewer) | $1,000per job | $2,000 | $3,000 |
| Asbestos removal priced inside a demolition quote (bonded, typical house) | $1,500per job | $3,000 | $10,000 |
Prices are as published by demolition contractors, builders and cost guides, fetched in November 2026. Most of those sources do not state a GST basis; the pool fill-in and fibreglass pool figures include GST. Every band rests on at least two independent sources. Permit, council and certifier fees vary by council and are not priced here. The sources do not support separate city prices, so Cairns shows the national bands.
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Get Cairns quotes →How Demolition Costs Vary Across Cairns
Across Cairns the bands do not change. The house type, the block and the time of year are what move a job between rows and within them.
- Inner suburbs on stumps - Elevated timber homes in Edge Hill, Parramatta Park and Bungalow sit in the timber row at $15,000–$22,000 without significant asbestos; a built-in ground floor can move the job toward the two-storey row at $25,000–$50,000.
- Concrete block homes - Low-set block homes in Earlville, Westcourt and Mooroobool have heavier walls than timber, so ask where the quote sits against the typical house band of $12,000–$40,000.
- Northern beaches - Older beach houses in Trinity Beach, Holloways Beach and Yorkeys Knob often come with a backyard pool, removed in full for $8,000–$18,000 or filled in for $5,000–$10,000.
- Southern corridor - Homes in Edmonton, White Rock and Gordonvale are often on larger blocks with a garden shed at $280–$1,600 or a single garage at $3,000–$6,000 to clear as well.
What Cairns Demolition Jobs Actually Cost
Three Cairns jobs, each priced from a row on this page. The sites vary; the rows do not.
Manunda high-set home
A three-bedroom timber home on stumps coming down for a rebuild, with no significant asbestos found, is $15,000–$22,000, typically $18,000. Where the old sheeting does test positive, removal inside the quote is $1,500–$10,000 as its own line.
Trinity Beach pool removal
A concrete in-ground pool taken out in full and backfilled is $8,000–$18,000, typically $12,000; a fibreglass pool removed instead is $7,000–$18,000.
Whitfield bathroom strip-out
A bathroom stripped out ahead of a renovation by a demolition contractor is $1,500–$4,500, typically $2,000, and a kitchen stripped in the same visit is $2,500–$6,000.
House Demolition Cost in Cairns by Construction Type
A whole house is priced by what it is built from and how high it goes. A typical house on a standard block is $12,000–$40,000, typically $25,000. A single-storey timber or fibro three-bedroom house without significant asbestos is $15,000–$22,000, a single-storey brick veneer house $18,000–$30,000 and a double-storey house $25,000–$50,000. Some contractors price per square metre of floor area instead, at $40–$150 per square metre.
Timber on stumps comes apart faster than concrete block or brick, which is why the timber row at $15,000–$22,000 sits below the brick veneer row at $18,000–$30,000. For a block home, ask which row the contractor has priced against, because block walls take more breaking and carting than veneer.
A house quote may stop at the stumps or the floor slab. Ask whether stumps, footings and the ground slab under an elevated home are included; a reinforced slab removed with disposal is $55–$95 per square metre on its own row.
Pool, Garage and Slab Demolition Cost in Cairns
Smaller structures have their own rows. Removing a concrete in-ground pool in full - shell out and the hole backfilled - is $8,000–$18,000, while breaking the shell and filling it in place is $5,000–$10,000; a fibreglass pool comes out for $7,000–$18,000. A single garage without asbestos is $3,000–$6,000, a garden shed $280–$1,600 with any slab extra, and a reinforced concrete slab is removed with disposal for $55–$95 per square metre.
Where a backyard pool is part of a Cairns job, the method is the first decision. Full removal at $8,000–$18,000 takes the shell out and backfills the hole; a fill-in at $5,000–$10,000 breaks the shell and fills it in place, which can limit building over it later, so ask the builder or certifier before choosing.
Garden sheds and single garages are priced on their own: a shed without asbestos is $280–$1,600 and a single garage $3,000–$6,000. An older shed with fibro sheeting is an asbestos job before the demolition starts.
Strip-outs, Services and Asbestos: Demolition Cost in Cairns
Not every job takes the whole building. A whole-house internal strip-out to the frame is $8,000–$20,000, a kitchen strip-out $2,500–$6,000 and a bathroom strip-out $1,500–$4,500; removing a non-structural internal wall is $800–$2,500 per wall. Before a house comes down, electricity, gas, water and sewer are disconnected for $1,000–$3,000, and bonded asbestos removed inside a demolition quote for a typical house runs $1,500–$10,000.
In Cairns a strip-out often comes before the renovation of an older elevated home or unit. A kitchen strip-out is $2,500–$6,000 and a bathroom $1,500–$4,500 when a demolition contractor does them as their own jobs; in a unit block, check the body corporate rules on working hours and waste before booking.
A whole-house strip-out to the frame is $8,000–$20,000. Disconnect the services first at $1,000–$3,000, and test linings and eaves before work starts: bonded asbestos removed inside the demolition quote runs $1,500–$10,000.
In Queensland, a demolition work licence is needed to demolish or dismantle a structure using load-shifting equipment such as an excavator, skid steer or crane, and the QBCC refers demolition workers to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland. A stand-alone asbestos job, such as a whole fibro house stripped before anything else happens, is priced in our Cairns asbestos removal cost guide.
What Affects Demolition Costs in Cairns
In Cairns the construction, the height of the house, asbestos and the season decide where a quote lands.
Timber, block or brick
Timber or fibro homes are $15,000–$22,000 and brick veneer $18,000–$30,000; heavier block walls take more machine time and more trucks to cart away.
Elevated homes
A high-set home with a built-in ground floor may be priced as a two-storey house at $25,000–$50,000, so ask how the contractor has counted it.
Asbestos
Fibro sheeting in older homes and sheds can contain bonded asbestos, removed inside a demolition quote for $1,500–$10,000 for a typical house before the rest comes down.
Wet season
Heavy rain can stop machine work and turn a cleared block to mud, so ask how the program handles weather days.
Extra structures
A pool, shed, garage or slab each has its own row: a concrete pool in full is $8,000–$18,000 and a slab $55–$95 per square metre.
Vegetation and access
Overgrown yards and large trees near the house can block machine access; tree removal is a separate job, so ask whether any is in the price.
How to Save Money on Demolition Cost in Cairns
Demolition Cost in Cairns by Job Size
Small jobs are one structure or one room: a shed at $280–$1,600, a non-structural wall at $800–$2,500, a bathroom strip-out at $1,500–$4,500. Whole houses are priced by construction type, or by floor area at $40–$150 per square metre.
Clearing a whole block is the house plus each structure around it, and every one is its own row. Check the quote names each item before you compare.
Demolition Cost in Cairns: What the Quote Should Include
Cairns demolition quotes are easiest to compare when each one lists every structure, says how the stumps, slab, asbestos and services are handled, and shows waste, access and approvals as separate lines.
- What is coming down, priced against our rows - for example a typical house at $12,000–$40,000 or a single-storey brick veneer house at $18,000–$30,000 - and what stays (slab, driveway, fences, trees)
- Whether the price includes waste removal and tipping, and how the site is left: levelled, cleared to the slab, or ready for a builder
- The disconnection of electricity, gas, water and sewer, quoted at $1,000–$3,000 or shown as the owner's job, with who books each utility
- An asbestos inspection result, and any removal priced as its own line - bonded asbestos inside a demolition quote is $1,500–$10,000 on our table
- For a pool, which method is quoted: full removal at $8,000–$18,000 or a fill-in at $5,000–$10,000, and how the fill is compacted
- Who obtains the demolition approval or permit and whether the fee is in the price or passed on at cost
- The contractor's licence or registration where your state requires one, and their public liability insurance
- Site access, machinery and any traffic or footpath arrangements on the street, shown as lines rather than buried in the total
- A single GST basis across every line, the contractor's ABN and the payment stages
Frequently Asked Questions — Demolition Cost in Cairns
Our Methodology
Prices on this page are compiled from publicly available cost guides, supplier and contractor price lists and individual tradesperson websites across Australia, fetched in November 2026. Every band rests on at least two independent sources, and the typical figure is one a source states. The demolition evidence does not support separate city prices, so Cairns shows the national bands. Our price guides are produced independently and no tradesperson can influence a published figure. All prices are estimates and will vary based on your specific job. Always compare quotes. Last reviewed November 2026. Read our full methodology →