Demolition - knock down rebuild

Hello,

Iam currently looking at demolishing my house for a knock down rebuild.

Read other online forums to be cautions with dealing with demolisher as they can hit your back pocket unexpectedly.

An example provided was the demolisher will give you a very cheap quote. They cover everything but with a condition that if they find unexpected asbestos under the house there will be additional charge.

Keep the long story short, many people went ahead thinking is all fine until the demolisher rings them up and requested them to return home straight away during normal business hours (while many are at work) and say " if you dont come within the next 30 mins to inspect the unexpected asbestos found underneath the house we will have to move the truck to the tip and charge you an extra $5000"

As the normal mums and dad they are generally working and there is no way they can walk off work and attend the site within 30 mins so they have to forfeit and pay the demolition company the extra $5000.

How the demolition company get away from this? how do they know is asbestos by looking at it? they dont have a lab sample?

BTW, this is a good case, there are some nightmare stories i heard they the demolisher placed their own asbestos onto the site and requested that to remove layers and layers of dirt which costed some people more than $10K to $20K.

So with the story above, could some please recommend a good demolition company that you had used previously in Sydney ?

thank you.

 

I can't recommend one.... but can recommended which one not to use. Will PM you.

 

Thanks Monalisa. Will wait for your PM.

 

anyone else can help please?!?!?!

 

This exact story happened to me few months ago. Only difference is that the demolisher didn't charge me extra but left the asbestos at the corner of the block for me to dispose at a later stage.

 

@TML

Get an asbestos survey done before you get quotes. That way the contractor can be advised that thereis asbestos and to allow for it.

Alternatively, have the demo specification require that the contractor undertake the asbestos survey 2 weeks before commencement and to provide a copy of the report and if necessary a quote for removal prior to the demolition commencing.

A licensed asbestos removalist must provide notice to Workcover that they will be commencing asbestos removal, have appropriately trained staff, an asbestos removalist licence, appropriate SWMS etc. It can't be done within the same activity as the demolition ie without advising workcover or booking the time slot for a tip which takes contaminated waste eg: Eastern Creek or Timbriki.

I haven’t used them but Democorp seem to do alot of site clearing.

 

I thought is illegal to dump asbestos without being covered up??? how much did it cost you in the end to dump them?

 

Thanks Scott. Yes that can definitely be an option.

Spoke to a demolition company and was advised that asbestos may be underneath the stab and in the soil. So with a asbestos survey it will not cover those inaccessible areas.

 

Cost me nothing. I guess at the end of the day depends on the demolisher you hire. My guy was rough as guts but generally a nice guy. Could have slugged me big time.

 

Was it free to take it to the tip? I thought there was a special asbestos charge?

 

It's probably free if you get it dumped in the Plutonium waste section of the tip, as it's a lot less toxic...

 

Hi @TML
I have sent you a PM.

 

thanks Monalisa. good to get your feedback.