How much does demolition cost in Australia?
Demolition in Australia is priced per job for whole structures 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 timber or fibro house of three bedrooms 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.
The housing changes from city to city - timber Queenslanders in Brisbane and Townsville, double brick in Perth, fibro cottages in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, weatherboards in Melbourne, Geelong and Hobart - but the sources do not support separate city prices, so every city page carries these same national bands with its own local buying guidance.
Demolition Prices in Australia 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 every city page shows these national bands.
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Get quotes →Demolition Cost in Australia by City
The bands on this page apply in every city below: no source supports a separate price for any one city. Each city page shows the same rows and adds local buying guidance - the suburbs, house types, blocks and access that decide where a job lands within its band.
What Australian Demolition Jobs Actually Cost
Three jobs from around the country, each priced from a row on this page. The rows are national; your own site decides where a quote lands.
Brisbane timber Queenslander
A three-bedroom timber home on stumps cleared for a rebuild, with no significant asbestos, is $15,000–$22,000, typically $18,000; disconnecting the services first adds $1,000–$3,000.
Perth backyard pool
A concrete in-ground pool removed in full and backfilled is $8,000–$18,000, typically $12,000; breaking the shell and filling it in place is $5,000–$10,000.
Melbourne bungalow kitchen strip-out
A kitchen stripped out for a renovation by a demolition contractor is $2,500–$6,000, typically $3,000, and a non-structural wall between the kitchen and living room adds $800–$2,500.
House Demolition Cost in Australia 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, fibro and weatherboard houses 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. Double brick, solid brick, stone and concrete block have no row of their own, so ask the contractor which row a quote for one of those is built from.
Ask where the house price stops. Some quotes end at floor level; stumps, footings, a slab or a driveway may be extra, and a reinforced slab removed with disposal is $55–$95 per square metre on its own row.
Pool, Garage and Slab Demolition Cost in Australia
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.
A backyard pool is its own 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 what is built over it later, so ask the builder or certifier before choosing.
Garages and garden sheds have their own rows: a single garage without asbestos is $3,000–$6,000 and a shed $280–$1,600, with any slab extra. Older garages and sheds with fibro walls or roofs are an asbestos job first.
Strip-outs, Services and Asbestos: Demolition Cost in Australia
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.
Strip-outs sit between demolition and renovation. 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 strata or body corporate building, check the rules on working hours, lift protection and waste first.
For a whole-house strip-out at $8,000–$20,000, settle asbestos and the services first: bonded asbestos 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 asbestos removal cost guide.
What Affects Demolition Costs in Australia
Anywhere in Australia the construction, asbestos, access and what else comes down decide where a quote lands.
Construction type
Timber or fibro is $15,000–$22,000, brick veneer $18,000–$30,000 and a two-storey house $25,000–$50,000; solid brick, stone and block walls take longer to break and cart.
Asbestos
Older homes, garages and sheds can contain bonded asbestos. Removed inside a demolition quote it runs $1,500–$10,000 for a typical house, and it comes out before the rest of the building.
Site access
Sloping blocks, narrow side passages, canal frontages and tight streets limit which machines fit, slowing the job and moving it up within its band.
Extra structures
A pool, garage, shed or slab each adds its own row: a concrete pool in full is $8,000–$18,000, a fibreglass pool $7,000–$18,000 and a single garage $3,000–$6,000.
Services
Electricity, gas, water and sewer are disconnected for $1,000–$3,000 before work starts; the job waits on the last one.
Weather and season
Storms, wet seasons and wet winters can stop machine work, so ask how the program allows for weather days.
How to Save Money on Demolition Cost in Australia
Demolition Cost in Australia by Job Size
Small jobs are single structures or rooms - a non-structural wall at $800–$2,500, a bathroom strip-out at $1,500–$4,500, a kitchen at $2,500–$6,000. Whole houses are priced by construction type, or per square metre of floor area at $40–$150 where a contractor quotes that way.
A full knock-down is the house plus everything else that goes with it. Each structure, slab and service has its own row, so check the quote names every one.
Demolition Cost in Australia: What the Quote Should Include
Wherever you are in Australia, compare demolition quotes line by line: every structure named, the asbestos and services plan stated, and waste, access and approvals shown separately.
- 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
Licences and Rules by State: Demolition Cost in Australia
Demolition is licensed and approved state by state. The wording below is what each regulator or council publishes, with no fee or dollar figure repeated here; for the ACT and the Northern Territory WTD found no page to quote, so ask the contractor.
- New South Wales - In New South Wales, Service NSW says no licence is required to demolish buildings or structures less than 6 metres in height, subject to conditions; SafeWork NSW issues a restricted demolition licence (DE2) for load-bearing work on structures between 6 and 15 metres high, and an unrestricted licence (DE1) above that. Houses, garages and pools can be demolished as complying development if the work meets the Demolition Code, and in buildings built before 1987 asbestos must be handled and removed by a licensed contractor. Jemena's gas page says abolishment is required for demolition, whether or not you expect to reconnect later.
- Victoria - 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).
- Queensland - 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. Brisbane City Council says you need an approval for minor demolition works to a home built during or before 1946, and that drain capping must be carried out by a licensed plumber.
- Western Australia - In Western Australia, demolition work is licensed in two classes - Class 1 for structures 10 metres or more in height and Class 2 for structures under 10 metres, which WorkSafe's scope says does not include demolition work on a single-storey dwelling - and it is an offence to do Class 1 or Class 2 work unless licensed. A council demolition permit is needed to demolish, dismantle or remove a building or incidental structure.
- South Australia - In South Australia, the person doing the demolition must hold a South Australian contractor's licence issued by Consumer and Business Services, and must notify SafeWork SA at least 5 days before starting demolition work on a structure at least six metres in height, work using load-shifting machinery on a suspended floor, or work with explosives.
- Tasmania - In Tasmania, notifiable demolition work must be done by a person who holds a licence under the Occupational Licensing Act 2005, and the owner must engage a building surveyor before the work starts; the Director can declare some demolition work to be low-risk.
- ACT and Northern Territory - 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.
Frequently Asked Questions — Demolition Cost in Australia
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 every city page 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 →