Garage & outbuilding demolition
Plan the structure, roof materials and site access as separate parts of the demolition.
Request a quote
Prepare your quote
- Building to remove and retained elements
- Identified roofing or suspect materials
- Route to the street, slab and foundations
The building and ground
Access, neighbours, sorting and waste removal affect the quote. State whether the slab and foundations are included. For a shed at the back of a garden, describe the route to the street and landscaping to protect: a small area with narrow access may require more handling.
Specify whether the whole building goes or a wall, slab or another outbuilding’s connections remain. A suspect roof requires checking before removal. If asbestos is confirmed, its removal and demolition must be coordinated as separate items, with an agreed final ground condition.
Points to clarify for your quote
Specify what goes, what stays and street access. Suspect roofing or panels must be assessed before demolition. Confirm the permit or exemption with the municipality, including for an outbuilding. Mention electricity, water or drainage connected to a retained building: shutdown or continued use must be coordinated beforehand.
Define the scope around the future use of the site
Keep the slab or clear the ground
Explain what will replace the garage: a new shelter, parking space, garden or a project still to be decided. Keeping the slab can be part of the request, but reusing it for a new building needs a separate assessment. Ask for options with and without slab removal, specifying how foundations and the final ground condition are treated. This lets you compare prices for the same outcome.
Identify what the garage still supplies
Mention known sockets, outdoor lighting, taps, rainwater connections and pipes before treating the garage as independent. Some may also serve the garden or another outbuilding. Have retained, disconnected and altered services assigned to the appropriate professionals. A door, fence or gate to salvage should also appear in the scope, together with its destination after dismantling.
Before work starts
Describe the garage or garden shed, access and available documents. If asbestos is confirmed, the contractor’s work plan normally provides for removal before demolition unless that poses a greater risk to workers. The quote must distinguish removal, demolition and disposal.
Official sources
- FPS Employment · Asbestos surveys before work (French)
- Flanders · Demolition permits and exemptions (Dutch)
- Brussels Region · Planning permission (French)
- Walloon Public Service · Work requiring planning permission (French)
- OVAM · Identifying asbestos (Dutch)
- FPS Employment · Code, Article VI.3-51 (PDF, French)
Your questions
I want to demolish my garage, but the roof sheets look suspicious.
Have the materials assessed before demolition. Fibre cement does not automatically contain asbestos, and a photograph cannot diagnose a roof. Do not climb onto the roof or break a sheet to check it.
Can you work on a shed at the back of the garden?
Access must be assessed before equipment can be confirmed: passage width, turns, steps and distance to the street. Describe paths and planting that need protection. Do not dismantle the roof to improve access before its materials have been identified.
Who repairs the facade after an attached extension is demolished?
Identify roof junctions, fixings, openings and surfaces that will be exposed. Specify temporary protection and permanent repairs, assigning each item to a contractor. Demolition can leave an unfinished wall: facade finishes, insulation and weatherproofing must be explicitly assigned and priced.