Find a demolition specialist
Over 10,000 rated tradespeople
are ready to help you get your job done
Over 3 million happy homeowners
have found a quality tradesperson
Over 1 million ratings
with 88,000 5* ratings in the last 12 months
Join our group of happy customers
Thousands of 5 star reviews
Read real reviews from customers about their service experiences.
Was really quick in attending to this job and was done ease. Very polite and professional.
Karen
Job booked in quickly and carried out professionally for a fair price. Would recommend.
Antonio
Quick, professional and friendly. The team gave me the impression that they are happy to do extra to get the best results. Carl and the team did exactly what they said they would do in the quote in the agreed time.
Daniel
This page has everything you’ll need to know about finding and hiring a local demolition contractors.
Browse Demolition specialists
Take a look at our Demolition specialists profiles, read reviews and request quotes directly.
Find demolition contractors near you with Rated People
Once you’ve taken the decision to demolish an existing structure, there is a process that needs to be followed to ensure the correct permission is granted and all health and safety legislation has been followed. A demolition specialist can help advise on what is (and isn’t) required, as well as timelines, and permissions for what you intend to use the land for after. Once all the paperwork is taken care of, they’ll bring in a team of people to carry out the demolition safely.
Costs for demolition
Costs vary depending on a number of factors, with £60-80 per square metre as a starting point. Demolishing semi-detached or terraced houses will incur additional costs as the adjoining properties will need structural support work after demolition. Ease of access and the volume of waste / hazardous waste disposal required will also affect the costs.
Renovating vs. demolition: some considerations
Considerations for demolition
- Building a brand new home is subject to a zero percent VAT rate. That means demolishing a building and starting from scratch can often be cheaper than building on top of the existing shell of a property (which is subject to VAT). This will typically depend on the amount of work required on what’s left of the existing property.
- Building from the foundations up means you’re in full control. This gives you peace of mind that everything’s been built securely and you’re not relying on the integrity of old walls.
Considerations for renovation
- There may be parts of the existing building that have features you’d like to work into your newly designed home. It’s a popular technique on TV shows like Grand Designs, and can help give your new home real character, while preserving some of the heritage of the existing site.
- Depending on exactly how much of the property could be saved, and your plans for the future size of the property (of which there are likely to be restrictions), it may be more cost effective to work with existing walls and structures.<
- Making alterations to an existing building can be much easier to get planning permission for. While demolition itself doesn’t often need planning permission, the details may need to be agreed with the local council, and a prior approval application will be needed for the new home you plan to build.
Guidance on planning policies
Planning policies will vary depending on where you are in the UK, but generally speaking, planning permission will be granted if you intend to replace an existing structure. It’s important to get planning permission before the demolition of the existing structure – if you remove the existing building, technically there’s nothing to replace, and your case for planning permission becomes weaker.
Whichever option you pursue, and wherever your plot is situated, planning policy is likely to have some of the same considerations such as:
- whether the building of the new property is in keeping with the character of the immediate area
- the size of the new property and/or its location
- services and amenities to neighbouring properties not being adversely affected.
There are the usual caveats here about listed properties or homes in national parks or conservation areas. For further details, check out the Planning Portal website.
Questions to ask a demolition specialist
- What are the pros and cons of demolition specific to your property?
- What advice would they offer regarding planning permission and demolition consent, and to what extent will they help you through this process?
- How long do they expect demolition to take?
- Can they break down the costs between demolition and waste disposal?
- What complications do they foresee and are there any cost implications?
- Will you be able to reuse the existing amenities into the building for your new property?
I am the proprietor of riverside property services. we are a family run business since 1973.We specialise in all types of specialist removal,building works and all types of roofing works undertaken Licences to take and carry all types of rubbish from household to bi hazard and asbestos. We specialise in all types of demolition works private and commercial. We are a reliable company with offices based in Surrey and covering all areas. No obligation free quotation for all works. Fully insured tradesmen
RLH driveways have been successfully installing driveways, patios and other paving solutions in Scotland for over 10 years. We have a reputation for quality service and a professional skilled workforce. We will provide you with a driveway or patio you can be proud of and add value to your home.
Lightelectrics.co.uk Light electrics & renovations bring excellence to the electrical industry whether thats changing a socket, installing spot lights to a full house rewire! We cover everything! With our latest expansion we are now able to offer complete refurbishments on properties as well as construction and building requirements. With a combined 30 years experience across these industries, there’s nothing we can’t handle!
Despite the competitive pricing, the lack of professionalism makes their services impossible to recommend. For the first appointment (11am-1pm), they texted after 12pm to say they couldn't arrive before 1pm. For the rescheduled appointment, they did not show up. This kind of unreliability is deeply frustrating, especially when customers plan their day around appointments.
Home and Property Maintenance Patios/Fencing Block Paving Guttering/Fascia Pressure Washing Waste Removal All General Ground Work
Phoned him on a Monday, quoted on Monday, job done by Tuesday. Couldn't ask for better. Excellent job at a fair price. Over the moon. I can recommend him without hesitation..
Excellent, efficient job and area was left incredibly clean and tidy at the end. Very good communication throughout the quoting and arranging process. Highly recommended.
Quick clear waste management ltd is a fully licensed and insured waste carrier service which provides an efficient and fast solution for removing your domestic, garden and building waste. Based in bexley but with a work radius covering most of London, Kent and Essex we pride ourselves on being cheaper and more convenient than most skips for most jobs. A polite and friendly service ensures we get well recommended by our past customers. From general household waste collection to property clearances we provide a wide range of services to cater everyone’s needs. All waste is removed with a record of collection and disposal to ensure peace of mind to the customer their waste is being disposed of accordingly and the best interest of the environment taken into consideration. Please feel free to contact us regarding a free quotation. Thank you
Very polite, quick response. I Could not be happier with the service provided. They quoted a fair price before turning up and carried out the works as asked. It’s great to see a company care as much, I highly recommend for a stress free service.
Chambers Construction is a family run a complete building service based in Worcestershire.We specialise in new builds, extensions,conversions and complete refurbishment throughout to suit all your building needs. All our tradesmen are fully qualified and experienced to achieve the highest standards whatever your demands. We pride ourselves on our exceptionally high standard of finish and work with our customers to ensure their build is as stress free and enjoyable as possible.
Excellent job, Sam and his team worked efficiently and tidied up nicely at the end of each day. Would have no problems with recomending Chambers Construction to others.
CB ONE Solution Ltd is specialise in Waste Removal-Demolition-Strip Out-Builder Waste-Commercial Waste-Garden Waste-Office Waste,Friendly and professional with all the costumers,experience over 5 years
V pleased with work V pleasant man
We're a family run business that provide a professional and reliable service in hard landscaping, driveway, fencing and much more.
Excellent workmanship would thoroughly recommend Ian Wheeler for his value for money and complete understanding of what we required, and nothing was to much trouble in completing the job.
No Job Too Small
Very good job completed and we were very happy with the outcome of the work. I would recommend them, they are very pleasant and easy to deal with!
Very quick,efficient, if not a little bit steep financially.
I have over 14 years of experience in the building trade(started young). I am able to do all aspects of building work except plumbing and electrics and take great joy in all i do. Being a builder I have realised their is always solutions to any problem.
Arrived on time and did what we wanted done (loft ladder). Was pleasant and polite observing current Covid rules. We have arranged for him to come back and do various other jobs.
Graham did a very professional job in solving a tricky problem with water seeping into the garage. He turned up as promised, and kept me informed at all stages of the job. He did an extremely good job and left the area clean and tidy. I would have no hesitation in recommending him in the future.
Very reliable, honest, skilled and reasonably priced. I would highly recomend him
I am more than happy with the work carried out, professionable and reliable tradesmen. Very happy with the service provided. I would highly recommed Worx 4 U. We were particulary impressed with the preparation and the knowledge of the product Andrea and Mark Kimber
I've given him 5 stars because he communicated with me really well, and I was impressed by the photos of work that he had completed. I didn't use his services this time because it turned out he wasn't quite right for this particular building work job, but I may well ask him to do some work for me in the future.
At JS Building Services we appreciate building projects are a daunting and stressful time for clients, this is why we are always available and happy to help. We work in conjunction with our clients to provide the best result. Whether it be for a renovation, new build or existing remodelling. Whatever your exterior or interior preferences, we can make it happen. We offer high quality building services which include: - Plastering and wall boarding - Tiling services - Wallpapers and other indoor fittings - Wood floor expertise - Lofts and extensions - Driveways - Underfloor heating installation - Electrics (with a certified electrician)
Really nice chap, very polite, on time, and did a perfect job! Really really impressed! Would definitely use again.
My name is Daniel Lea I have 13 years experience as a groundworker, I worked with my father who has over 40+ years. Check us out on Facebook @leagroundwork for regular updates. The work we carry out are (but not limited to) as follows: All aspects of paving (blocks, natural stone, driveways, patios, etc). Drainage installation. Concrete foundations and slabs. Brick and stone walls Kerb laying.
Outstanding craftsmanship, utterly reliable, immense range of skills and jobs undertaken, flexible and great value - you get what you pay for. Within 2 mins of Daniel (owner) turning up we got a real sense of knowledge, passion and most of all, trust. Daniel & co installed a water feature with ril, aco channel, tank and pump, as well as built retaining walls, steps, fences, gates, lifting and relaying paving and finally installed drainage to sort out the flooding. Perfect job, we are delighted.
All exterior works undertaken no job to big or small with over 20 years experience professional workmanship is our key making costomer’s happy is our goal. Find us on Facebook goggle my builder bark checkatrade rated people and much more fully Insured
Very satisfied with the work. Would recommend .
If you are looking for a quality thing, do not hesitate to look for it. Our workers offers high quality services at an affordable price for everyone.
costi paid attention to detail and made sure i was happy with everything before he finished the job. great price too.
Get our app for homeowners
- Send messages and get notifications from tradespeople
- Add photos to get more accurate quotes
- View tradespeople's profiles