Demolition & Excavation Contractors Hills District Sydney
The Hills District is one of Sydney’s most affluent residential precincts – and one of its most active knockdown-rebuild markets. Prestige homes built across the 1980s and 1990s on generous blocks are now reaching the age where demolition and rebuild is more cost-effective than renovation. The scale of these projects, the size of the blocks, and the strict environmental and heritage constraints that apply across The Hills Shire make this a market that requires an experienced, well-equipped contractor.
Get It Away operates from our Smithfield office at 84 Victoria Street, Smithfield NSW 2164, serving the Hills District via the M2 and Norwest Boulevard corridor. We hold a SafeWork NSW Restricted Demolition Licence (DE2, AD214489) and deliver house demolition, acreage site clearing, asbestos removal, and excavation across Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Norwest, Bella Vista, and surrounding suburbs.
What Gets Demolished in the Hills District
The Hills District demolition market is dominated by larger residential properties on blocks that range from 600m2 to multiple acres. The housing stock is predominantly 1980s and 1990s construction – brick veneer and double brick – with a different set of characteristics to older inner-ring Sydney homes.
1980s-90s prestige homes
Double brick and brick veneer construction on 700m2 to 1200m2 blocks across Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, and Kellyville. These homes are now 30 to 40 years old, expensive to update, and sitting on land that has increased dramatically in value. Knockdown-rebuild and dual-occupancy development are both common outcomes.
Asbestos: less common than pre-1987 fibro homes but still possible in insulation, floor tiles, and eave linings built before 1987.
Acreage and rural-residential properties
Larger rural-residential blocks across Kellyville, Rouse Hill, and the outer Hills corridor typically require clearance of multiple structures before a new build commences – main dwelling, secondary dwellings, sheds, stables, and fencing. Full property clearance is a common scope.
Tree preservation orders apply to many large-block properties. See our TPO section below for full detail.
Northwest Metro corridor
The Northwest Metro has driven significant infill development along the Kellyville, Rouse Hill, and Castle Hill corridors. Older commercial buildings and residential properties within walking distance of metro stations are being cleared for medium-density development.
The Hills Shire Council LEP permits higher density near metro corridors – demolition scopes are increasing in scale and complexity.
Tree Preservation Orders – A Hills District Priority
The Hills Shire Council enforces tree preservation orders across much of the district. TPOs protect significant individual trees and species groups regardless of their proximity to the building footprint. On many Hills District sites, the TPO-affected trees are closer to the house than they appear – and root zones extend well beyond the visible canopy.
Demolition that damages or removes a TPO-protected tree without approval can result in substantial penalties from The Hills Shire Council. We identify all TPO-affected trees during our pre-demolition site assessment and plan demolition and machinery access routes to avoid root zone disturbance throughout works.
Pre-demolition tree assessment
We identify TPO trees and their root protection zones before any machinery enters the site. Where TPO trees are within the demolition footprint, we advise on the approval pathway with The Hills Shire Council before works commence.
Machinery access planning
Excavator and tipper access routes are planned to avoid compacting soil within root protection zones. On tighter blocks, compact excavation equipment is used where standard machines would encroach on protected areas.
TPO removal applications
Where a TPO tree genuinely prevents demolition from proceeding, we advise on lodging a tree removal application with The Hills Shire Council. Approvals typically require an arborist report and Council assessment – lead time is typically 20 to 40 days.
Excavation Across the Hills District
The Hills District sits on a combination of clay soils, shale, and sandstone depending on location. Sloped blocks are common across Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, and the Norwest corridor, requiring staged excavation and retaining wall preparation.
Sloped site excavation
Many Hills District blocks have a significant fall across the site. Excavation must be staged to maintain ground support, with temporary cut batters or shoring in place where required. Retaining wall preparation is frequently part of the scope, with excavation completed to the engineer’s specified levels before wall installation.
Residential and dual-occ excavation
Building platform preparation, basement garage excavation, footing excavation, and service trenching for residential new builds and dual-occupancy developments. Clay-dominant soils require specific compaction methods to meet the engineer’s bearing capacity specifications. All excavation completed with compaction records provided.
Demolition Approvals, The Hills Shire Council
Demolition in The Hills Shire falls under The Hills Shire Council. The council’s LEP has specific provisions for heritage items, environmental constraints, and development near the Northwest Metro corridors.
Standard residential demolition
Most standard residential demolitions proceed via a Complying Development Certificate through a private certifier. Required documents include demolition specification, asbestos assessment, and utility disconnection evidence. TPO clearance must be in place before a CDC can be issued.
Heritage and environmental constraint sites
The Hills Shire LEP lists heritage items and heritage conservation areas across the district. Properties on heritage-listed land or within conservation areas require a full Development Application with The Hills Shire Council, including a Heritage Impact Statement. DA determination typically takes 60 to 90 days.
SafeWork NSW notification
Required 5 business days before demolition involving asbestos above 10m2. We lodge this on your behalf.
Utility disconnections
Ausgrid (electricity in most Hills areas), APA Gas, and Sydney Water all require formal disconnection. We coordinate all three.
TPO clearance
Confirmation that no TPO trees will be impacted, or approvals for any TPO tree removal, must be in place before demolition commences.
Project Insight
Residential Demolition and Site Clearing – Castle Hill
A 4-bedroom double brick home on a 900m2 block in Castle Hill was referred to us ahead of a dual-occupancy knockdown-rebuild. The property had three significant TPO-protected trees along the rear boundary, which required pre-demolition arborist assessment before the CDC application could be submitted.
We coordinated the arborist assessment, confirmed machinery access routes that avoided all root protection zones, and submitted the CDC application documentation including the asbestos assessment report. No asbestos was identified in this 1989-built home, reducing the scope to structural demolition only.
Full structural demolition including footings was completed with excavator access restricted to TPO-compliant routes throughout. The site was levelled and handed over to the dual-occupancy builder on day 3.
Scope: TPO assessment coordination + CDC support + full demolition + site clearance | Timeline: 3 working days | Location: Castle Hill, Hills Shire
Areas we cover
Our Location
Smithfield Office – M2 Access to the Hills District
Get It Away operates from 84 Victoria Street, Smithfield NSW 2164. The M2 Hills Motorway provides fast access from Smithfield to Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, and Norwest – bypassing inner Sydney entirely. Our teams are on site in the Hills District efficiently and without delays.
We are familiar with The Hills Shire Council requirements, local certifiers, and the specific site conditions – including TPO constraints and sloped terrain – that characterise Hills District projects.
Get It Away Demolition and Excavations
84 Victoria Street, Smithfield NSW 2164
Smithfield office – M2 access to Hills District
Also serving nearby areas from our Smithfield office
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Pool removal, large-block clearing, and Aerotropolis precinct site preparation across Penrith
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Urban demolition, basement excavation, and heritage-sensitive works in Parramatta and surrounds
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Residential demolition, duplex knockdown-rebuilds, and granny flat removal across Fairfield LGA
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Licensed asbestos removal, knockdown-rebuilds, and sandstone excavation across the Shire
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Demolition and excavation across Liverpool, Casula, Prestons, and the Aerotropolis corridor
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Residential and commercial demolition across the Greater Macarthur Growth Area
Start Your Hills District Project Today
From large block demolitions in Castle Hill to dual-occupancy site preparation in Kellyville and acreage clearing across Rouse Hill, Get It Away delivers Hills District projects with the experience, equipment, and fixed pricing that local property owners rely on.
Get It Away Demolition and Excavations | ABN: 69 145 254 119 | SafeWork NSW Demolition Licence: DE2 – AD214489
84 Victoria Street, Smithfield NSW 2164 | info@getitaway.com.au