How Much to Demolish a House?
Demolishing a house is a very large project that is often carried out to build something different or more structurally sound in its place.
Demolition doesn’t always involve getting rid of the entire house. Sometimes you may just need to remove part of the house to make room for something new, such as an extension or a conversion.
The cost to demolish a house will vary based on factors such as:
- The size of the house.
- Where the house is located.
- The materials the house is made from.
- How straightforward access to the site is.
Each of these elements will impact the overall demolition cost.
So, what is the cost of demolishing a home in the UK?
If you want to demolish a small property of around 80 to 120 square metres, this will cost around £6,500 to £13,500. The demolition of a medium-sized property of around 150 to 200 square metres will usually cost around £12,000 to £19,500.
If your house is quite large, at around 200 to 250 square metres, the demolition will cost around £17,500 to £25,500.
This type of project can often take around four to eight days to complete safely.
Plus, the removal of all of the demolished materials can be quite lengthy, and any surrounding properties may also need to have some necessary supports put in place.
House Demolition Price List
Below is a table showing the average cost of various house demolition jobs:
| Size of Property | Average Demolition Costs |
|---|---|
| Small house demolition (80-120 square metres) | £6,500 - £13,500 |
| Medium house demolition (150-200 square metres) | £12,000 - £19,500 |
| Large house demolition (200-250 square metres) | £17,500 - £25,500 |
Supply Cost to Demolish a House
Demolishing a house doesn't usually incur any supply costs, as the main expenses are labour and waste removal.
However, if you demolish an old house with the intention of replacing it with a new one, you will need to consider the costs of that on top of the demolition costs.
For example, the cost of building a house is around £180,000 to £500,000. The overall cost for a new house build will vary depending on the size of the property, the type of property and the materials that the new house is built with.
Labour Cost to Demolish a House
Labour costs will usually make up most of the total cost for a house demolition.
Usually, you should expect to pay between £130 and £220 per person, per day to demolish a house. The actual price you pay will usually depend on their skill level and their experience in demolishing houses.
This type of job will usually be completed by a team of at least three contractors. Since the work generally takes around four to eight days on average to complete, this means you can expect the total labour costs to fall anywhere between £1,800 and £6,000 in total.
In some cases, the work may take longer than average to complete. This is usually the case if the contractors stumble across issues that may make the demolition process more difficult.
Also, if the ease of access to the property is restricted, this could also add some additional time to the length of the job.
If you live in the London area, you can expect the labour costs to be higher. This is due to the fact that labour costs in London are generally higher in comparison to the labour costs in the North or other areas of the UK.
House Demolition Timescales
Demolishing a house is not a simple job and requires a lot of work, so you can expect the timescales to be quite substantial.
Here are some typical timescales for demolishing a house based on size:
- Demolishing a small house (up to 120m²) will take around 3 to 5 days.
- Demolishing a medium-sized house (up to 200m²) will take around 4 to 8 days.
- Demolishing a large house (up to 250m²) will take around 6 to 12 days.
The timescales given above are based on a demolition job where no issues arise. As with a lot of other large jobs, there are some issues that may become a problem during the process of the demolition, and these may add some additional time to the length of the job.
It’s important to keep in mind that the longer the job takes to complete, the more you will have to pay for the work.
Types of Home Demolition
There are several different types of demolition. In this section, we will take a look at the different types of demolition and what each type involves.
Total Demolition
A total demolition is the demolition of the entire house. This is most commonly the case if you plan to rebuild your home in a new location or rebuild your dream home.
This type of demolition will get rid of every aspect of the home, including the roof, the walls, the foundations, and every other aspect of the house.
Selective Demolition
Selective destruction involves removing certain parts of the building but not the whole building. Some old buildings may need to have certain parts of them demolished.
If you live in a listed building, there may be some restrictions on which parts of the house can be demolished, so a selective demolition would be the best option in this case.
In certain cases, you may need to remove parts of the home, such as an external wall, to make room for something new, like an extension.
Interior Demolition
Interior demolition may involve removing a wall, a partition, or a ceiling. This is great for creating an open-plan living area or for creating more space within the house.
During this type of demolition, the other parts of the building will be protected so that the structure is maintained.
Dismantling or Deconstruction
When this type of work is carried out, it involves dismantling or deconstructing parts of the building to preserve some of the parts for reuse, refurbishment, or recycling.
This type of demolition is a lot more labour-intensive and will usually result in much higher labour costs. The work will often take much longer than other types of demolition.
Explosive Demolition
An explosive demolition is a very specialised type of demolition that uses explosives to bring down high-rise building structures.
It is also never used for domestic demolitions in the UK.
FAQs
Q: Do you need permission to demolish a home?
A: You won’t usually need to worry about planning permission when it comes to demolishing a house. Demolition work is usually considered to be permitted development. This means that it doesn’t normally require any type of planning permission.
However, it’s worth noting that your permitted development rights might be removed or restricted in some cases. This is usually the case if you reside in a conservation area or a listed building.
There have also been amendments to planning regulations, which may mean prior approval is required before work can take place, even under permitted development rules.
It’s always worth checking with your local authority if you’re ever in doubt about whether or not you need planning permission.
Q: Is it worth demolishing a house and rebuilding it?
A: When it comes to deciding whether or not you should renovate or demolish your house and then rebuild, it’s worth adding up the costs of each of the projects and seeing which is best for your budget. You may also want to speak to an architect to go over your options.
Demolishing your house and rebuilding it means that you can build the home of your dreams which you may not be able to achieve with a simple renovation.
If you’re desperate to achieve your dream house to your exact specifications, demolishing and rebuilding would be the only real option.
However, it's worth considering the sheer size of this type of project and whether it is worth it for you personally.
Q: Can I demolish my house myself?
A: In some cases, you may be able to. However, you should contact your local authority for some advice, as they have specific rules, regulations, and health and safety requirements that you need to be aware of before you can do this job.
Demolishing a house yourself may seem like the best option if you want to save on labour costs. However, if you make any mistakes along the way, it could be costly in terms of money and safety.
There may be some smaller parts of the job that you can tackle yourself, such as demolishing a wall, to help keep the costs down.
Q: How much is planning permission for demolishing a house?
A: If you contact your local council about your house demolition project and find out that you need to apply for planning permission, you will need to apply for this before starting the work.
If that is the case, you may be wondering how much it will cost to apply for planning permission for your project. The cost for a planning application in the UK is £462.
Q: How will a contractor work out the demolition costs?
A: In most cases, the demolition specialists will calculate the overall costs of a demolition project based on the size of the floor area of the space that needs to be demolished.
With this in mind, it would be a good idea to calculate the floor area of your house in square metres. That way, you can provide your house measurements to various demolition companies so that you can obtain a few different quotes for the work and compare the costs.
