House Demolition
Full and partial knockdowns of brick-and-tile, weatherboard and double-storey homes, permit through to level site.
Learn more →Where civil work starts
Demolition ends with a cleared block. Construction starts with a level, compacted, correctly drained building pad. Civil contracting is the work in between, and on a straightforward flat Perth block it is a short stage. On a sloping block, a subdivision, or a commercial site it is a project of its own.
The scope covers bulk earthworks, cut and fill, site levelling, detailed excavation for footings and service trenches, retaining preparation, drainage and soakwells, hardstand and road base, and plant hire on a wet or dry basis.
Perth ground, and what it does to earthworks
Most of the metropolitan area sits on the Swan Coastal Plain, on deep sand. That is easy ground to work: it cuts cleanly, does not hold water against an excavation, and compacts predictably when it is placed in layers. Excavation productivity is high and the weather rarely stops a job for long.
The exceptions are worth knowing before you price a job.
Limestone. Along the coastal strip and the Spearwood dune line through Fremantle and Scarborough, Tamala limestone sits close to the surface. A trench that was priced as sand and hits rock at 800mm is a different machine and a different rate.
Clay and laterite. Towards the Darling Scarp around Armadale, and on parts of the foothill fringe near Midland, sand gives way to clay and laterite. Clay holds water through winter, behaves differently under compaction, and will keep plant off a site after heavy rain in a way that sand never does.
Groundwater. Parts of the coastal plain have a shallow water table, particularly in low-lying areas near wetlands and the river. Deep excavation there may need dewatering, and dewatering brings its own approvals.
Compaction and certification
The part clients underestimate is compaction. Fill placed in a single deep lift and driven over twice is not compacted fill, and it will settle for years. Fill placed in controlled layers of a few hundred millimetres, each compacted and tested, is engineered fill and can be built on.
If a slab, footings, a driveway or a retaining wall is going over filled ground, get the testing and the geotechnical certification done as the fill goes in. Retro-fitting proof after the fact is not possible — the only options are excavating it back out or piling through it.
Plant hire
Wet hire supplies the machine with a ticketed operator; dry hire supplies the machine alone. Excavators, skid steers, tippers, rollers and compaction equipment are the usual list for residential and light commercial work.
Machine size is normally dictated by access rather than by the task. On a narrow infill block the question is not what would be fastest, it is what fits down the side and under the power lines.
Booked with demolition
On most residential projects, civil work follows straight on from the house demolition and the site clearing while plant is already on site, which avoids a second mobilisation. Where a pool has been removed and the area will be built over, the backfill is the civil stage and the certification matters. Hard surfaces come out under concrete removal.
Call (08) 9516 0951 with the block, the level difference and what you are building, and we will arrange a site assessment.
More services
Explore our other services
Pool Removal and Filling
Fibreglass and concrete pools removed, the void backfilled in layers and compacted ready for whatever comes next.
Learn more →Pool Demolition
Shell demolition for in-ground and above-ground pools, including solid concrete structures and surrounding decking.
Learn more →Strip-Out and Soft Demolition
Internal demolition for offices, shops and homes — walls, ceilings, floors and fit-out stripped back to structure.
Learn more →Kitchen Demolition
Cabinetry, benchtops, splashbacks and floor finishes out, services capped, floor ready for the new install.
Learn more →Bathroom Demolition
Vanity, bath, toilet, wall tiles and screed removed cleanly so waterproofing can start on a sound substrate.
Learn more →Asbestos-Affected Demolition
Pre-1990 Perth homes need an asbestos check first. We arrange licensed removal before demolition starts.
Learn more →Garage and Shed Demolition
Colorbond sheds, limestone and brick garages, carports and patios removed, slab included if you want it gone.
Learn more →Site Clearing
Vegetation, rubble, old slabs and fencing cleared off a block so the builder can set out and start pegging.
Learn more →Concrete Removal
Driveways, paths, patios and slabs broken out and carted to a recycler rather than straight to landfill.
Learn more →Rubbish Removal
Household, commercial and construction waste collection — you pay for the volume you actually put on the truck.
Learn more →Mulch Delivery
Bulk mulch delivered across Perth, useful once a cleared or backfilled site needs covering before landscaping.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
What does a civil contractor do that a demolition contractor does not?
Demolition removes what is there. Civil work shapes what is left: bulk earthworks, cut and fill to a design level, detailed excavation for footings and services, compaction to a specification, and drainage. On a knockdown rebuild the same crew often does both, but they are separate scopes with separate quotes and separate levels of engineering input.
What is cut and fill?
Cutting material off the high side of a sloping block and placing it on the low side to create a level building pad. It is common on Perth's foothill blocks around Armadale and the Darling Scarp. The fill has to be placed in controlled layers and compacted, and where a structure will sit on it, tested and certified by a geotechnical engineer.
What is the difference between wet hire and dry hire?
Wet hire supplies the machine with an operator and typically includes fuel, maintenance and insurance on the plant. Dry hire is the machine on its own, with you supplying a ticketed operator and taking on the operating obligations. Wet hire is the default for short jobs and for anyone without their own crew.
Do I need engineering sign-off on filled ground?
If you are building over it, yes. A builder needs to know the bearing capacity of what they are founding on. That means the fill is placed in layers, compacted, density tested, and certified by a geotechnical engineer. Uncertified fill either gets rejected or forces the builder to price piers through it, which costs far more than doing it right first.
Can you work on a block with limited access?
Yes, with smaller plant and more truck movements. Machine size is the main constraint on infill and battleaxe blocks around Perth, and it changes the day rate and the duration rather than the possibility. The narrowest point of the access and any overhead power lines are the two things to identify before the plant is booked.
Free, no-obligation