Demolition Checklist Sydney Pre Demolition Preparation Guide

This week decides whether demolition starts on time or gets pushed. The three most common day-one delays are utilities not confirmed off, site access blocked, and paperwork missing on the morning the crew arrives. This checklist prevents all three. Work through it from Monday to Friday and you will be ready.

Monday: Utility Confirmation

There is a critical difference between a utility abolishment being booked and it being done. A booking is a future intention. A completion is a fact. You need the fact confirmed before your start date, not the intention.

Make these calls on Monday. For each one, the question is not “Is my request in the system?” It is: “Has the abolishment been physically completed and recorded on your end?” Ask for a reference number or completion notice confirming the work is done.

For the full utility abolishment booking process and lead times, see our 12-week knockdown rebuild guide. That guide covers how to book. This checklist covers how to confirm the booking is done.

Tuesday: Site Access Preparation

Blocked access on day one does not just delay the start. It may mean the crew cannot commence at all and you are charged a mobilisation fee. See our guide on what drives demolition costs in Sydney before you confirm your start date. Walk the access route yourself this week.

Minimum Clearance Widths

Standard demolition excavators in the 8 to 30 tonne range used on full house demolitions are 2.5 to 3.5 metres wide. You need a minimum 3.5 metres clear width for a standard demolition excavator to access the site without risk of damage or delay. Mini plant, used on tight-access sites, requires a minimum 2.5 metres. Confirm with your contractor which machine size is coming and measure your access accordingly. Do not estimate it. Use a tape measure.

The Access Checklist

• Cars and trailers. Move every vehicle off the property and from the street-access route. If neighbours have vehicles near the access point, give them a heads-up the night before.
• Bins. Council bins, garden waste bags, skip bins from previous work. All need to be moved off the access path.
• Pot plants, garden furniture, children’s equipment. These are the most commonly missed items. Walk the full access route from the street to the back of the property and remove everything.
• Side path clearance. Items stored on side paths are the single most common unexpected blockage on day one. Hoses, stored timber, garden tools, Weber BBQs, clotheslines. Clear all of it.
• Gates and locks. The contractor needs unrestricted access from the moment they arrive. Arrange spare key or code handover in advance. Do not leave a locked gate for a crew that has a 7am start.
• Skip bin position. Confirm the bin placement with your contractor this week. The bin must not block machine access or truck turning. If it requires a road occupancy permit, confirm that permit is in hand.

Measure the narrowest point of the access route. Write it down. Text it to your contractor today so there are no surprises on the morning.

Wednesday: Protecting What You Are Keeping

If it is not on a written protection list, assume the crew will demolish it. That is not a criticism of demolition crews. It is how scope works. Your job this week is to make the protection list explicit and physical.

Mature Trees: Tree Protection Zones

Any tree you want to retain needs a Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) installed before the first machine arrives. Under Australian Standard AS 4970-2009, the TPZ radius is calculated by multiplying the tree’s trunk diameter at breast height (DBH, measured 1.4 metres above ground) by 12. Minimum TPZ radius is 2 metres, maximum is 15 metres.

Example: A tree with a 40cm trunk diameter at 1.4m height has a TPZ radius of 40cm x 12 = 480cm, or 4.8 metres from the centre of the trunk.

Mark the TPZ with orange mesh safety fencing installed on star pickets. This is the minimum physical standard. Machines must not enter this zone. Confirm with your contractor in writing that the TPZ is a no-go zone for all equipment, and attach a written note to the fencing with the tree details and the retained tree status.

Fences, Items to Salvage, and Garden Beds

• Boundary fences. Confirm in writing with your contractor which fences are to remain and which are being demolished. Photograph each retained fence this week and send the photos to your contractor with a note confirming its status.
• Items to salvage. Mark every item you want saved with bright orange or yellow tape. Give the site supervisor a written list the morning of day one. If it is not on the list, do not assume it will be saved. Items commonly lost in demolition include letterboxes, feature pavers, outdoor light fittings, and clothesline frames.
• Garden beds and topsoil. If specific garden beds are to be protected or topsoil is to be stockpiled for the rebuild, this must be communicated explicitly to the supervisor on day one. Note the location and what action you want taken.

The principle is simple. If it is not explicitly on a written protection list that you hand to the supervisor at the start of day one, assume it will be demolished.

Thursday: Pets, Family, and the Noise Reality

Animals

Dogs and cats must be kept off site for the full duration of demolition. This is not optional. Demolition dust is harmful to animals and machinery noise causes significant distress. Arrange boarding, a friend’s place, or keep them confined indoors well away from the demolition area.

If you know neighbours have dogs that back onto the demolition site, a courtesy call is worth making. It is not a legal requirement. But a stressed dog barking for three days at noise and machinery is the kind of thing that turns a good neighbourly relationship into a complaint.

Children and Dust

Demolition noise at 10 metres runs 85 to 95 decibels for typical excavation activity. That is louder than a lawn mower and comparable to standing near busy traffic. Children should not be on or near the site during demolition.

The noisiest days will typically be slab removal and concrete breaking. These are the highest-noise, highest-dust events. On those specific days, keep children and anyone with respiratory sensitivities well clear of the site and immediately downwind areas.

Demolition dust is not ordinary construction dust. For pre-1987 properties, it may contain asbestos fibres. Even on newer properties, fine concrete and brick dust is a real health risk for children. A safe distance is at least 50 metres from active demolition, and indoors with windows closed on high-dust days.

Friday Morning: The 48-Hour Neighbour Notice

This is not the formal two-week written notification you sent earlier. That was about the relationship. This is logistics.

Knock on the door of each immediately adjoining neighbour on Friday. Keep it brief. Something like: “We start Monday. The contractor’s name is [Name] and the direct site number is [number]. There will be some parking disruption on the street for the first few days. Trucks and the skip bin. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.”

Leave the contractor’s mobile number, not just yours. Direct access to the site supervisor reduces escalations and means small concerns get handled at the right level without going straight to a complaint.

For the full neighbour communication approach and dispute prevention strategy, see our neighbour management guide.

Day One: The Five-Point Walkthrough Agenda

Before the first machine moves, walk the site with the supervisor and cover these five items in order. Do not skip any of them. This conversation takes fifteen minutes and prevents problems that would otherwise take days to fix.