Demolition in Lake Macquarie
Lake Macquarie has a lot of fibro cottages, older brick homes and sloping lakeside blocks being cleared for new houses. We plan demolition around the slope, the access, the asbestos in older homes and the Mine Subsidence District approvals that can affect when your new build starts.
- Asbestos taken out by SafeWork NSW licensed removalists
- Hazardous materials survey on older homes
- Services disconnection confirmed before work starts
- Clearance certificate before demolition resumes
Homes being replaced around the lake
Around Warners Bay, Belmont, Toronto, Cardiff and Swansea, many original houses were built in the post-war decades. Fibro cottages on brick or timber piers are common, along with weatherboard holiday homes that became permanent houses and plenty of brick veneer homes from later decades. A good number of these are now coming down so owners can build a new home that suits the block and the view.
Older lakeside houses often had additions over time, such as an enclosed verandah, a fibro sleepout or a rear laundry. Those additions are frequently where asbestos shows up.
Sloping and lakeside blocks
Lake Macquarie has a lot of blocks that fall toward the water or toward the back fence. A slope changes how a house comes down. Machines need a safe working platform, material has to be moved uphill to the truck, and retaining walls or old terracing may need to be kept or removed depending on what your builder wants.
On lakeside lots, we also look at runoff. Sediment controls are set up so loose soil and debris stay on site and out of drains and the lake.
Mine Subsidence Districts
Much of Lake Macquarie sits in Mine Subsidence Districts. In those areas, building work, including the new home in a knockdown rebuild, needs approval from Subsidence Advisory NSW. Your builder or designer normally lodges this.
Demolition does not usually wait on that approval, but your new home does. Knowing where it stands helps us time the demolition so the block is not left bare for long.
Asbestos in fibro cottages
A house finished before 1990 may well have asbestos somewhere in it. In Lake Macquarie cottages, the usual places are external fibro cladding, eaves, bathroom and laundry linings and old roofing. A hazardous materials survey ahead of demolition confirms what is there. Removalists with a SafeWork NSW licence do the removal, with advance notice given to SafeWork NSW and a clearance certificate in hand before the main structure is touched.
Approvals and services
Demolition in Lake Macquarie goes through either a CDC or a DA with Lake Macquarie City Council. Electricity is supplied by Ausgrid, water and sewer by Hunter Water and gas by Jemena. Telecommunications need disconnecting too, and a Before You Dig Australia enquiry goes in ahead of any digging.
Asking for a quote
Send the address and photos of the house, the slope and the access from the street. If your block is in a Mine Subsidence District and the build approval is under way, let us know where it is up to.
Common questions
Is it harder to demolish on a steep lakeside block?
It takes more planning. We need a safe platform for machines, a way to move material up to the truck, and sediment controls so soil stays on site. We look at all of this on the first visit.
Do I need Subsidence Advisory NSW approval to demolish?
Subsidence Advisory NSW approval applies to building work in Mine Subsidence Districts, including the new home in a knockdown rebuild. Your builder or designer usually arranges it. Check with them early so the timing lines up.
Can you keep the old retaining walls?
Often, yes, if they are sound and your builder wants them. We agree what stays before work starts and work around it during demolition.
Which council approves demolition around the lake?
Lake Macquarie City Council handles DAs. Many jobs can also go through a Complying Development Certificate from a registered certifier or council.
Got an old Hunter house that needs to come down?
Put the address and a handful of photos into the quote form. We will check access, asbestos and the approval path, then send back a written quote.