How much does demolition cost in Canberra?
Canberra demolition is priced per job for houses and outbuildings and per square metre for floor area and concrete. A typical house on a standard block is $12,000–$40,000, typically $25,000; a single-storey brick veneer home of three bedrooms with no asbestos is $18,000–$30,000, and a timber or weatherboard home without significant asbestos $15,000–$22,000.
Established suburbs hold a mix of brick and weatherboard homes on generous blocks, from Ainslie, Downer and Hackett in the north to Griffith, Hughes and Curtin in the south, with Belconnen and Weston Creek further out. A garage, a carport slab or an old pool often goes in the same job. The bands are national; the sources do not support separate Canberra prices.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Demolition cost in Australia.
Demolition Prices in Canberra 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 Canberra shows the national bands.
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Get Canberra quotes →How Demolition Costs Vary Across Canberra
One set of bands covers every district. What changes from one Canberra suburb to the next is the house, the block and the access.
- Inner north - Older brick and weatherboard homes in Ainslie, Downer and Hackett come down for rebuilds; a timber or weatherboard house without significant asbestos is $15,000–$22,000.
- Inner south - Larger homes in Griffith, Red Hill and Deakin can be two-storey, priced in the double-storey row at $25,000–$50,000, and established trees close to the house make access part of the quote.
- Woden and Weston Creek - Brick veneer homes in Curtin, Hughes and Weston sit in the brick veneer row at $18,000–$30,000 where no asbestos is found.
- Belconnen - Homes in Aranda, Macquarie and Cook often have a single garage, at $3,000–$6,000 without asbestos, and a concrete driveway or slab removed at $55–$95 per square metre.
What Canberra Demolition Jobs Actually Cost
Three Canberra jobs and the rows that price them. Your quote prices your own block; these show where each kind of job sits.
Downer weatherboard home
A three-bedroom weatherboard house coming down for a rebuild, with no significant asbestos, is $15,000–$22,000, typically $18,000. Disconnecting electricity, gas, water and sewer first adds $1,000–$3,000.
Hughes brick veneer rebuild
A single-storey brick veneer home of three bedrooms with no asbestos is $18,000–$30,000, typically $22,000, and the driveway slab out with disposal is $55–$95 per square metre.
Kambah kitchen strip-out
A kitchen stripped out for a renovation by a demolition contractor is $2,500–$6,000, typically $3,000; a whole-house strip-out to the frame would be $8,000–$20,000.
House Demolition Cost in Canberra 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.
A knock-down-rebuild quote in Canberra often sits beside the builder's, so the two should agree on what is left. Timber and weatherboard come apart faster than brick, which is why the timber row at $15,000–$22,000 sits below the brick veneer row at $18,000–$30,000; a two-storey home is $25,000–$50,000.
Ask whether the quote includes the footings, paths and driveway. Where a contractor prices a house by floor area instead, the rate is $40–$150 per square metre, typically $60.
Pool, Garage and Slab Demolition Cost in Canberra
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 an old backyard pool is part of the job, full removal at $8,000–$18,000 takes the shell out and backfills the hole, while a fill-in at $5,000–$10,000 breaks the shell and fills it in place. Check with the builder before choosing a fill-in, because it can limit what is built over that spot.
Garages and garden sheds have rows of their own. A single garage without asbestos is $3,000–$6,000 and a shed $280–$1,600, with any slab extra; an older garage with fibro sheeting is an asbestos job first.
Strip-outs, Services and Asbestos: Demolition Cost in Canberra
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.
Not every Canberra job takes the whole house. A kitchen strip-out is $2,500–$6,000 and a bathroom $1,500–$4,500 when a demolition contractor does them separately, and in a townhouse or unit complex, check the owners corporation rules on working hours and waste first.
Before a whole-house strip-out at $8,000–$20,000, test for asbestos and book the services. Bonded asbestos removed inside the demolition quote runs $1,500–$10,000, and disconnecting electricity, gas, water and sewer is $1,000–$3,000.
Ask the contractor which licence and approvals apply to your job and who arranges them, and get the disconnection of electricity, gas, water and sewer confirmed in writing before the machines arrive. A stand-alone asbestos job, such as a whole fibro house stripped before anything else happens, is priced in our Canberra asbestos removal cost guide.
What Affects Demolition Costs in Canberra
In Canberra the construction, asbestos, the trees and access, and what else comes down decide where a quote lands.
Construction type
Timber or weatherboard at $15,000–$22,000, brick veneer at $18,000–$30,000 and two-storey at $25,000–$50,000: heavier and taller houses take more machine time.
Asbestos
Older homes, garages and sheds can contain bonded asbestos in eaves, wet areas and sheeting. Removed inside a demolition quote it runs $1,500–$10,000 for a typical house.
Trees and access
Established street and garden trees near the house limit where machines can work; ask whether any tree work is in the price or a separate job.
Garages and concrete
A single garage is $3,000–$6,000 and a reinforced slab or driveway $55–$95 per square metre, each on its own line.
Services
Electricity, gas, water and sewer have to be off before work starts, at $1,000–$3,000; book them as soon as the date is set.
Winter work
Frosty mornings and wet ground can slow machine work in the colder months, so ask how the program allows for weather.
How to Save Money on Demolition Cost in Canberra
Demolition Cost in Canberra by Job Size
Single structures and single rooms are the small end - 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 type or by floor area at $40–$150 per square metre.
For a full rebuild site, the quote should list the house and each other structure separately, with the services and any asbestos shown as lines of their own.
Demolition Cost in Canberra: What the Quote Should Include
Canberra demolition quotes compare best side by side when each names every structure, states how asbestos and the services are handled, and shows waste, trees, 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 Canberra
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 Canberra 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 →