Looking to build a new home, or do an extension? There are a number of factors before and during a demolition that can lead to a successful start to the project. Here’s 3 to help get you started!

#1 - Planning time away (if you’re the sentimental type)

Does your house have special memories for you? When you walk into rooms does it invoke emotion?

This can make it hard to watch your family home being demolished. It can be a good idea to decide to avoid your property while the house is being knocked down. Why not treat yourself to celebrate new beginnings and take a week off and holiday with the family to replace a sad event with a happier one! 🍾🏝🚢

#2 - Planning for special items to be removed from the home

If there is something you want to keep from the house then it’s always best to ensure you plan to have it removed from the home early. If you want that treasured chandelier from the lounge room or the amazing cast fireplace to be preserved then it’s best to organise a tradesman to pull it out before there are multiple trades on site demolishing the house.

#3 - Planning what you would like to recycle before starting

Are you into recycling? Do you look at your home and think there are so many things that would surely be useful to someone? We shouldn’t just send it to the tip, should we?

It is right to consider these things. We should be recycling more. It may be comforting to know that all bricks and concrete go to be recycled into road base and gravel. They are then reused in the building industry. Unfortunately, it can very difficult to recycle some building materials without spending a substantial amount in getting it back to a saleable condition. Hardwood timber is another item often recycled, oftentimes your builder will have an apprentice de-nail this timber to be used elsewhere in the build. We have often seen hardwood timbers from old homes featured in the new homes as, for example, posts or exposed collar ties in vaulted ceilings, and sometimes as features in landscaping as well. A personal story featuring recycled hardwood is a hardwood post that we used in our backyard for our kids flying fox. Memories of our kids and their friends (all now grown-up) being hurled down through our backyard with screams of delight (or fear.. I could never tell) were a regular part of our weekend. It is now a post in our granny flat and the memories of that time are often evoked.

#4 - Lemonade Brownie Points (tradies will LOVE you for this!)

This one may be a bit left-field but worth mentioning. Demolition work is hard work – and dangerous work. Quite often the demolition teams work in hot environments e.g. in ceilings and on roofs. They are also swinging sledgehammers, using crowbars and moving heavy materials. At the demolition stage, it’s a group of guys who, at the end of the day, have definitely earned their keep doing this type of work. They are tired and spent but we have seen it melt away as the owners turn up with cold drinks and a bag of muffins - or in winter – cappuccinos. We’ve even seen some clients leave a large chiller at the back door of their house each morning before they leave, filled with ice water and a squeeze of lemon! Who does that?! It is really appreciated and in summer it doesn’t last long.

At the end of the day workers in the construction industry are just the same as anyone else. If they know they are appreciated they will give you 110%. You may think this is too hard or nonsense but we have seen things done for the client that never appear on the invoice.

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