Things to consider

When planning on demolishing an old home to make way for your new project, the costs of removing the existing building must be taken into account in you costings.  The cheapest option is to have a removalist transport it on behalf of his customer who will pay for the move leaving you with just the old piers standing.  If the existing building has asbestos fibro cladding then this has to be removed at your cost prior to the move.  When there is more than 10m² a licensed asbestos remover needs to be engaged. 

If the existing building is not suitable for moving eg. Brick veneer on a slab then a quote must be sort for a licensed demolisher to take it down and dispose of the materials.  Negotiate with the demolishers if there are materials in the building you would like to salvage for the new project. This sometimes impacts on the price as the demolisher maybe generating income from selling the materials that can be salvaged.  For the most environmentally friendly option choose a demolisher that manually removes the material and supplies a second hand building materials yard rather than filling up the local land fill by dozing and dumping.

The last stage of demolishing is always a clean-up by dozer or excavator of the concrete piers, slabs or foundations.  If there is a concrete driveway ask your builder if it would be advisable to leave it in place for the building stage to allow for easier and cleaner access especially on steep blocks.  Ask the demolisher if he is experienced in leveling or digging footings as there is money to be saved by engaging that machine for the first stages of your building project straight after the last stage of the demolition eg save a float delivery charge.  Put the demolisher in touch with the builder for a cohesive approach to Development Applications and temporary fence hire.