House Demolition
Full and partial knockdowns of brick-and-tile, weatherboard and double-storey homes, permit through to level site.
Learn more →What a strip-out is for
Every renovation and fit-out starts with taking something out. A strip-out is that stage done as a controlled job rather than as a demolition free-for-all: partitions, suspended ceilings, floor coverings, joinery, fixtures and redundant services removed down to the structural shell, with everything that stays protected.
The work covers both sides of the market. Commercial — offices, retail tenancies, hospitality fit-outs, warehouses and industrial interiors. Residential — whole-house renovations, apartment interiors, and single-room jobs like a kitchen or a bathroom.
Typical scope
- Stud and glazed partitions, and non-load-bearing masonry
- Suspended ceiling grid, tiles, bulkheads and redundant ceiling services
- Carpet, vinyl, tiles, timber flooring, screed and adhesive residue
- Joinery, shopfitting, shelving, counters, reception fit-out
- Fixtures, fittings, sanitary ware and appliances
- Redundant electrical, data, plumbing and mechanical services after isolation
- Waste sorted, removed and disposed of, with the site swept on handover
What a strip-out will not do is alter structure. Removing a load-bearing wall, cutting a new opening, or taking out a section of slab is structural work that needs engineering input and, in most cases, a building permit. We stop at the point where an engineer needs to be involved and tell you so.
Protecting what stays is most of the skill
In a demolition, nothing survives. In a strip-out, most of the building does — and the difference between a good crew and a bad one is entirely in what is still intact afterwards.
That means lift protection and corridor protection in multi-tenanted buildings, floor protection where the slab finish is being kept, dust containment so the tenancy next door is not covered, and knowing when to stop cutting because there is a live service behind the lining. In Perth's double-brick residential stock it also means care around wall junctions, because internal brick walls are often doing more work than the plans suggest.
Commercial strip-outs and make-good
A large share of commercial strip-out work in Perth is make-good: a lease is ending and the tenancy has to be returned to the condition the lease specifies. Make-good clauses vary enormously — some require a return to base building shell, others only the removal of tenant alterations.
Read the clause before you scope the job. Stripping more than the lease requires is money spent for nothing, and stripping less means doing it twice. Where the scope is ambiguous, get it agreed with the landlord's representative in writing before the first ceiling tile comes down.
Residential strip-outs
House renovations usually mean a partial strip-out: the wet areas, the kitchen, floor coverings throughout and sometimes ceilings, while the roof, external walls and structure stay. Apartment work adds strata approval, building management rules, lift bookings and restricted work hours.
Asbestos is the recurring issue in the older suburbs. Vinyl floor tiles, sheeting in wet areas, eaves lining and the sheet behind the old meter box are all common in pre-1990 Perth homes, and all require the asbestos process to run first.
Waste volumes from a full-house strip-out are larger than people expect — a mid-size house fills several truck loads. That side of it runs through rubbish removal, and where floor tiles come up off a slab it overlaps with concrete removal.
Ranges and the things that move them are set out in the demolition cost guide. Call (08) 9516 0951 with the floor area and what you want left standing.
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 →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 →Civil Contracting
Bulk earthworks, site preparation and plant hire for larger residential and commercial projects.
Learn more →
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
What is soft demolition?
Soft demolition, or strip-out, is the removal of everything that is not holding the building up: partitions, ceilings, floor coverings, joinery, fixtures, services and finishes. The structural frame, load-bearing walls, slab and roof stay. It is slower per square metre than knocking a building down because everything that remains has to survive the process undamaged.
How do you know which walls are structural?
A walk-through before the quote, with the plans if they exist, and then verification on site once linings come off. Anything uncertain is left standing and referred to the builder or an engineer rather than guessed at. In Perth's older double-brick housing stock, internal walls are frequently load-bearing, which surprises people who have only worked with timber-framed construction.
Can a commercial strip-out be done outside trading hours?
Yes, and in shopping centres and multi-tenanted office buildings it usually has to be. Night and weekend work, building management induction, loading dock bookings, lift protection and noise restrictions all get built into the program. The trade-off is cost — after-hours labour is dearer, so it is worth confirming early whether the restriction is real or assumed.
Do you handle the electrical and plumbing disconnections?
Service isolation is coordinated with a licensed electrician and a licensed plumber before removal starts. Circuits are made dead and tested, water is isolated and drained, and drainage points are capped so nothing is left open to the sewer. Gas, where present, is isolated by a licensed gas fitter. These are separate licensed trades, not something a demolition crew does itself.
Is asbestos likely in a commercial strip-out?
In any Perth building constructed or fitted out before 1990, yes, it must be assumed until tested. The common locations are vinyl floor tiles and their adhesive, sheet backing behind switchboards, fire-rated door cores, eaves and wall sheeting. Licensed removal happens as its own stage before the strip-out proper, with the clearance documentation issued before other trades return.
Free, no-obligation