How much does demolition cost in Melbourne?
Melbourne demolition is priced per job for houses, pools 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 three-bedroom brick veneer house with no asbestos is $18,000–$30,000, typically $22,000, and a weatherboard house without significant asbestos $15,000–$22,000.
Clinker brick and brick veneer homes in Bentleigh East, Glen Waverley and Mount Waverley, weatherboard and bungalow streets in Reservoir, Preston and Pascoe Vale, and post-war homes in Sunshine and St Albans each sit on different rows, with a garage or pool often in the same job. The bands are national; the sources do not support a separate Melbourne price.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Demolition cost in Australia.
Demolition Prices in Melbourne 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 Melbourne shows the national bands.
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Get Melbourne quotes →How Demolition Costs Vary Across Melbourne
The same bands apply across Melbourne. Between areas it is the walls, the block and the access that move a job between rows and within them.
- South-east rebuild suburbs - Brick veneer homes in Bentleigh East, Oakleigh South and Clayton sit in the brick veneer row at $18,000–$30,000 where no asbestos is found; solid clinker brick takes longer to break, so ask which row the quote is closest to.
- Northern weatherboards - Weatherboard and bungalow homes in Reservoir, Preston and Pascoe Vale sit in the timber row at $15,000–$22,000 without significant asbestos.
- Western suburbs - Post-war homes in Sunshine, St Albans and Braybrook often need an asbestos line first, removed inside the demolition quote for $1,500–$10,000.
- Eastern suburbs - Larger homes in Doncaster, Templestowe and Balwyn North can be two-storey, at $25,000–$50,000, and often have a backyard pool that comes out in full for $8,000–$18,000.
What Melbourne Demolition Jobs Actually Cost
Three Melbourne jobs, each priced from a row on this page; your own quote prices your site.
Bentleigh East brick veneer home
A three-bedroom brick veneer house cleared for a rebuild, with no asbestos, is $18,000–$30,000, typically $22,000; disconnecting electricity, gas, water and sewer first adds $1,000–$3,000.
Templestowe backyard pool
A concrete pool removed in full and backfilled is $8,000–$18,000, typically $12,000; a fill-in instead is $5,000–$10,000.
Preston bungalow strip-out
Stripping a bungalow back to the frame for a renovation is $8,000–$20,000, typically $10,000, and the old bathroom on its own would be $1,500–$4,500.
House Demolition Cost in Melbourne 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.
Weatherboard comes 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 Melbourne home is $25,000–$50,000, typically $32,000.
On a knock-down-rebuild the demolition and building quotes should agree on what stays. A house quote may stop at floor level, and a reinforced slab or driveway removed with disposal is $55–$95 per square metre on its own row.
Pool, Garage and Slab Demolition Cost in Melbourne
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.
If an in-ground pool goes too, full removal at $8,000–$18,000 takes the shell out and backfills the hole, and a fill-in at $5,000–$10,000 breaks the shell and fills it in place, which can limit what is built over it later. A fibreglass pool comes out for $7,000–$18,000.
Single garages and garden sheds have their own rows: a garage without asbestos is $3,000–$6,000 and a shed $280–$1,600. Older garages and sheds with fibro sheeting are an asbestos job first.
Strip-outs, Services and Asbestos: Demolition Cost in Melbourne
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 Melbourne strip-outs come before many renovations of bungalows, weatherboards and apartments. A kitchen is $2,500–$6,000 and a bathroom $1,500–$4,500 when a demolition contractor does them as separate jobs; in an apartment, check the owners corporation rules on hours, lift protection and waste first.
For a whole-house strip-out at $8,000–$20,000, test linings and eaves for asbestos and book the services. Bonded asbestos removed inside the demolition quote runs $1,500–$10,000, and the services are disconnected for $1,000–$3,000.
In Victoria, demolishers are registered building practitioners in three classes - low rise (up to two storeys), medium rise (up to five storeys) and unlimited - and an application for a permit to demolish must show the demolisher has the knowledge, experience, equipment and storage facilities for the job. In some cases report and consent from the council is needed under section 29A of the Building Act 1993, and Energy Safe Victoria says electricity supply must be removed before demolition (abolishment of supply). A stand-alone asbestos job, such as a whole fibro house stripped before anything else happens, is priced in our Melbourne asbestos removal cost guide.
What Affects Demolition Costs in Melbourne
In Melbourne the walls, asbestos, the access and what else comes down decide where a quote lands.
Brick, veneer or weatherboard
Weatherboard at $15,000–$22,000, brick veneer at $18,000–$30,000 and two-storey at $25,000–$50,000; solid and clinker brick take longer again.
Asbestos
Post-war homes, garages and sheds can contain bonded asbestos in eaves, wet areas and sheeting, removed inside a demolition quote for $1,500–$10,000 for a typical house.
Narrow blocks
Houses built close to the side boundary, with no driveway down the side, limit machine access and move a job up within its band.
Extra structures
A pool at $8,000–$18,000, a single garage at $3,000–$6,000 and a slab at $55–$95 per square metre each add a row.
Services
Electricity, gas, water and sewer are disconnected for $1,000–$3,000; the job waits on the last one.
Waste and salvage
Sorted brick, concrete and steel cost less to dispose of than mixed loads, and old clinker or red brick can sometimes be salvaged, so ask how the waste is handled.
How to Save Money on Demolition Cost in Melbourne
Demolition Cost in Melbourne by Job Size
At the small end is a single structure or 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.
A full knock-down is the house plus every structure, slab and service that goes with it, each on its own row; check the quote names each one.
Demolition Cost in Melbourne: What the Quote Should Include
Melbourne demolition quotes compare best when each names every structure coming down, explains the asbestos and services plan, and shows waste, access and approvals as their own 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 Melbourne
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 Melbourne 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 →