Cost to Demolish a House

By Kim
Last updated 12th June 2024 - Reading time: 14 mins

Are you considering demolishing your house? You may be questioning, 'how much does it cost to demolish a house?'.

This article will go over everything you need to know about the prices of demolishing a house. We will include the overall home demolition prices, the supply costs for demolishing a house, the labour costs of this type of work, and any additional costs that might come up during your demolition project.

home demolition

Average Cost of House Demolition:

Depending on the complexity of the job, it usually takes: 4 – 8 days

£12000

How Much Does it Cost to Demolish a House?

We will also look at the timescales you can expect with this type of work, the various types of house demolition and some tips on finding the right contractors for the job.

Demolishing a home is a large job that may seem quite overwhelming. However, sometimes this type of work is necessary. This type of work is often the easiest option for homeowners when they want to build their dream home.

Demolition work doesn’t always involve removing the entire house. Sometimes you might just want to remove a specific part of the house in order to make room for something like a conversion or an extension.

The cost to demolish a house will vary. The prices will depend on the scale of the project at hand. Many factors will affect the overall costs, including the size of your home, the location of your property, and the materials your home is made up of.

So, what is the demolition cost for a house?

If you want to demolish a small house of around 80 - 120 square metres, this will most likely cost around £5600 - £12,000. The demolition of a medium-sized house of around 150 - 200 square metres will usually cost roughly £10,600 - £17,000.

If your house is of the larger size at around 200 - 250 square metres, the demolition costs will be around £15,600 - £22,000.

Demolition Prices

Below is a table showing the average demolition of a house cost:

SIZE OF PROPERTY AVERAGE DEMOLITION COSTS
Small house demolition (80-120 square metres) £5600 - £12,000
Medium house demolition (150-200 square metres) £10,600 - £17,000
Large house demolition (200-250 square metres) £15,600 - £22,000

Supply Only Costs

If you are thinking about demolishing your house, you may be interested in learning more about the supply costs. This is the cost of the job without the cost of labour.

home demolition

When it comes to demolishing your house, you won’t usually need to worry about any particular supply costs. However, if you are demolishing your house and replacing it with a new one, you will need to buy materials for the new home. Most people will choose to demolish their house if they want to replace it with their dream house.

If you want to remove your old house and replace it with a new house, you can expect to pay around £50,000-£200,000 to have a new house built. The overall cost for a new house will vary depending on the type of property, the size of the property and the materials used to build it.

Your location will also affect the overall costs. Those based in the London area can expect to pay more to get a new house built than those based in the North or other places in the UK.

Additional Costs

There are several additional costs that you may need to consider when demolishing your home. Below is a list of the extra costs that you may need to budget for with this type of work:

New House Build

If you want to remove your old house and replace it with a new house, you can expect to pay around £50,000-£200,000 to have a new house built. The overall cost for a new house will vary depending on the type of property, the size of the property and the materials used to build it.

new house build

Your location will also affect the overall costs. Those based in the London area can expect to pay more to get a new house built than those based in the North or other places in the UK.

Landscaping

When you get your house demolished, you may need to get some gardening work done to help improve the appearance of your land. This is because there will be a big gap where the house once was, and this area will likely look quite untidy.

The average cost for landscaping work is around £200 - £600. The price you pay will depend on the level of work that is needed and your location in the UK.

Garden Waste Removal

If you are removing some parts of your garden along with your house demolition, then you may need to think about garden waste removal.

If you do need to remove any of your garden waste, you can expect this to cost around £50 - £300. The average cost for this will depend on the amount of waste that needs to be removed and the location of your property.

Skip Hire

In some cases, you may need to hire a skip to get rid of all of the waste from the demolition of your house.

skip hire

You can expect to pay around £200 - £800 to hire a skip for this type of work. The price for the skip will depend on the size of the skip needed and the length of time that you need the hire.

Labour Costs and Timescales

If you want to demolish your house, you might want to find out more about the labour costs for this type of work. The labour costs will usually make up the majority of the total cost of the job. Here, we will go over what you can expect to pay for the labour portion of this type of work.

The labour prices for a house demolition will usually cost around £100-£200 per contractor per day. The actual price that you will pay will usually depend on their skills and their expertise in house demolitions. A house demolition will usually be completed by a team of at least three contractors.

The work generally takes around four to eight days on average to complete. This means that you can expect the total labour costs to fall anywhere between £1200-£8000 in total.

In some cases, the work might take longer to complete. This usually applies if the contractors come across any issues that can make the demolition more difficult. If the ease of access to the house is restricted, this may also add some additional time to the length of the job.

If you live in London, you can expect the labour to be higher in cost in this area. This is due to the fact that labour costs in London are generally more in comparison to the labour costs in the North or other areas of the UK.

If you are planning on demolishing a small house, you can expect this project to take around 3-5 days. If your home is a medium-sized house, this will usually take around 4-8 days. If you have a large house, you can usually expect this demolition to take around 6-12 days to complete.

Cost Factors of House Demolition

There are several factors that may affect the overall cost of demolishing your house. Below is a list of the things that may affect the overall cost of this job:

home demolition

Size of the House

The size of the house will affect the overall cost of the job. The larger the home, the longer the demolition is going to take. When the job takes longer, this will result in higher labour costs due to the additional time the contractors will be on the job.

Location of the House

The property's location can also affect the job's overall cost. If you live in London, you can expect the labour to be higher in cost in this area. This is due to the fact that labour costs in London are generally more in comparison to the labour costs in the North or other areas of the UK.

What's Involved in House Demolition?

If you are planning on demolishing your house, you may be wondering about how to demolish a house. Below, we will go over the steps involved with demolishing a house.

  • All the services will be cut off from the garage, including the electricity, water, gas and anything else that runs into the house
  • The contractors will create a boundary around the garage for the safety of themselves and pedestrians walking by the site
  • The windows, doors, linings, and any existing timber will then be removed
  • The lead flashing and roof tiling will then be removed
  • The contractors will then remove the structural joists from the building
  • The walls will then be demolished and knocked down. Any salvageable materials from the demolition will be saved
  • Finally, the contractors will then break up the foundations of the house, as well as all of the debris that is left
  • Once the job has been completed, the contractors will get rid of all the waste and everything else from the work site

Can I Do a House Demolition Myself?

In general, it is not recommended that you try demolishing a house yourself. House demolition is a very complicated and large job, and parts of it can be very difficult. It can be very unsafe if it’s not completed correctly. With this in mind, you should avoid trying to do this job as a DIY project.

home demolition

If you want to ensure that you and your family are safe and if you want to make sure the demolition job is done to a high standard and completed correctly, it is always best to leave this type of work to professionals.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for House Demolition

Most demolition projects are classed as permitted development, so there’s no need to worry about planning permission. However, there are some cases where this does not apply.

If your house is a listed building or you live in a conservation area, you will need to get planning permission before this work can be completed. If you are at all in doubt about whether or not you’ll need planning permission, it’s important to get in touch with your local authority for some advice.

The contractors you choose should have some good knowledge of any building regulations that must be followed. This is why it is very important to choose qualified house demolition contractors with relevant industry knowledge.

Types of House Demolition

There are many different types of property demolitions. Below, we will go over the various types of demolition and what each type involves.

home demolition

Total Demolition

A total demolition is the demolition of the entire house. This is most commonly the case if you plan to rebuild your home in a new location or rebuild your dream home. This type of demolition will eliminate every aspect of the home, including the roof, the walls, the foundations, and every other aspect of the house.

Selective Demolition

Selective demolition involves removing just selective parts of the house but not the whole house. Some older buildings might need to have just some parts demolished. If you live in a listed building, there will likely be several restrictions on the parts of the house that can and can’t be demolished.

This is where a selective demolition would be the best option. In some cases, you might need to remove certain parts of the home, such as an external wall, to make room for something extra like an extension.

Interior Demolition

Interior demolition involves demolishing some interior parts of the property. With this type of demolition, the other building pieces will be protected, so the structure remains. Interior demolition could involve removing a wall, a ceiling, or a partition. This demolition is great for creating open-plan living space or creating more space in the house.

Dismantling or Deconstruction

This work involves dismantling parts of the building to help preserve some parts for reuse, recycling, or refurbishing. This type of demolition is much more labour intensive, and this usually results in much higher labour costs. The work often takes much longer than other types of demolitions.

Explosive Demolition

Explosive demolitions are very specialised types of demolition. It uses explosives to bring down large or high-rise buildings. This type of demolition is much more common in flat or apartment buildings or commercial buildings rather than in house demolitions.

The explosion itself is planned perfectly to target the structural support system, so the building collapses in on itself, making it come down in the safest way.

Hiring Contractors for House Demolition Checklist

You may need to consider some things when hiring contractors to demolish your house for you. Below is a list of some things you should consider when finding the right contractors for the job:

  • Does the contractor give any guarantees with the house demolition work?
  • How much is the cost to demolish a house? – Ask for a breakdown of each cost so that you know you’re paying a good price for each element of the job
  • Do the contractors have experience demolishing your type of house?
  • How much experience do the contractors have in demolishing houses?
  • Will the contractors fix any issues that may come up?
  • Do you need to hire any additional contractors for different parts of the work?
  • Do you need to provide anything to the contractors so that they can complete the job?
  • How long does it take to demolish a house?
  • Can the contractors provide any pictures of previous work?
  • Will the contractors take care of all of the waste removals for you?
  • Search for ‘house demolition near me’ online to find reputable local companies to carry out the work

FAQs

Do I need planning permission to demolish a house?
Most demolition projects are classed as permitted development, so there's no need to worry about planning permission. However, there are some cases where this does not apply. If your house is a listed building or you live in a conservation area, you will need to get planning permission before this work can be completed.

If you are at all in doubt about whether or not you'll need planning permission, it's important to get in touch with your local authority for some advice.
Can the council demolish my house?
In some cases, the council can demolish your house. The council will only be able to issue a demolition notice if your home is in a housing renewal area (HRA). Before a housing renewal area can be designated, the council will have to send notices and consult everyone living within the area.
Do I need planning permission to demolish interior walls in my home?
If you want to demolish some interior walls, this is classed as permitted development, so planning permission won't apply. However, if you live in a listed building or a conservation area, you should check with your local authority before the work starts.
What materials will I be able to salvage from the house demolition?
There are some things that you may be able to save during the demolition and then go on to sell. The most common materials you can usually salvage during this type of work include quality brickwork, timber, copper piping and any of the house's features such as radiators or sinks.
Do contractors need a demolition license for this type of work?
The contractors won’t usually need to have a demolition license. However, the contractors must comply with the relevant health and safety rules. They also have to ensure they comply with the building regulations that apply in the area of your house.

Sources

https://thompsonsofprudhoe.com/news/methods-of-demolition

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