Demolition costs and quotes
Demolition costs depend on what must go, what stays and how the site can be accessed. To compare two quotes, request the same scope, the same services and a clearly described final condition.
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What affects the budget?
A terraced house, a garage beside the road and an apartment strip-out need different arrangements. Material quantities matter, alongside protection, moving rubble to the skip and work on utilities. Separate demolition costs from surveys, any asbestos removal and subsequent building work.
Your first step
Mark what must go and what stays on a plan or room list. Supply available reports and photographs taken from a safe position. Flag missing information without opening a wall or touching suspect material to complete your enquiry.
Compare items for your type of work
House: how far does demolition go?
Separate the building, slab, foundations and cellar. Specify retained walls, protection for neighbours, utility disconnections and the required ground level. A quote ending at above-ground demolition covers different work from one including foundations and backfilling.
Garage: a small building with several cost items
Describe the roof, slab, adjoining walls and known access width. Setup and transport costs do not disappear because the area is small. If you are keeping the slab, have its retention and expected condition after waste removal written into the quote.
Interior: from the room to the street
Specify the layers to remove, floor level and waste route. Compare protection of shared areas, handling, agreed cleaning and items for salvage. Removing a finish alone differs from removing its substrate too. New finishes should be listed separately.
Wall: cutting, structure and finishes
Separate the structural assessment, specified reinforcement, cutting, disposal and making good. A line reading ‘wall opening’ does not establish who carries out each task. Also ask how the work will be coordinated with other contractors.
Prepare your quote
Give each company the same description: municipality, building use, affected parts, known access and expected final condition. State whether plans are current and whether any areas remain unexamined. An initial estimate needs refining when missing information becomes available.
- Building, rooms and elements to remove or retain
- Slab, foundations, cellar and final ground level
- Access, floor level, shared passages and building use
- Available studies, asbestos survey and permissions
- Waste: handling, sorting, skips, transport and treatment
- Total including VAT, options, exclusions, payment stages and extra work
Before work starts
Formalities depend on the project and region. In Flanders, demolition generally requires permission, with conditional exemptions. In Brussels and Wallonia, confirm the procedure with the municipal planning service. The quote should state who prepares applications and the associated costs. Accepting it does not replace permissions.
Asbestos rules and official sourcesYour questions
What does demolition cost per m² or m³?
Demotek does not publish one rate for different sites. Check what the unit measures: floor area, wall area, building volume or waste volume. These quantities are not interchangeable. Request the assumed quantities, individual item prices and total including VAT, fixed costs and exclusions.
Are rubble removal and the skip included?
Have loading, delivery, hire duration, exchanges, transport and treatment specified. Ask which quantities and waste categories are allowed for and what an excess or extra exchange costs. Agree who checks placement and local formalities. Moving rubble inside the building may be a separate item.
How do I compare quotes with and without asbestos removal?
Have the affected materials identified before comparing amounts. Request separate survey, asbestos removal, demolition and waste items. Suspect material found later needs an appropriate assessment before work resumes. Agreeing an additional charge alone does not authorise the work.
Which documents should I request before a deposit?
For consumer renovation work, FPS Economy specifies a quote on request when the company agrees to provide the service, and an order form when a deposit is paid. Keep the accepted offer, annexes and payment evidence. Have payment amounts and stages recorded.
Official sources
How should hidden foundations or additional work be handled?
Ask which assumptions underpin the price: thickness, depth, quantities and accessible areas. Agree how a difference will be documented, priced and submitted for approval before extra work, including any schedule impact. Compare quotes once unknowns have been clarified. An unpriced item does not mean a zero cost.
Are permission applications and studies included?
Only if the offer describes those assignments. Identify who commissions studies, prepares applications, pays administrative fees and supplies documents to contractors. Schedule the start around the required checks and permissions, then coordinate utility disconnections. A date in the quote does not replace these steps.