Kitchen, Bathroom and Commercial Strip-Outs in Newcastle

What gets stripped out

Think of a strip-out as peeling a room or tenancy back to its bones, so the next trade starts on a clean shell. Walls, floors, ceilings and the structural frame stay. Cabinetry, linings, fittings, floor coverings and old services come out. It is the usual first step in a renovation, a fit-out or a change of use.

We do residential and commercial strip-outs across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens and Cessnock, working to the scope your builder, designer or shopfitter sets.

Kitchen strip-outs

For a kitchen, we pull out the cabinets, benchtops, splashbacks, appliances, sink and tapware, and usually the floor covering. Where the renovation calls for it, we also take out wall linings, bulkheads and old exhaust ducting. Plumbing and electrical points are made safe by the licensed trades before we start, and capped where the new kitchen will pick them up.

Older Hunter kitchens sometimes have asbestos in the backing of vinyl flooring or in sheeting behind the splashback, so we check before anything is levered off.

Bathroom strip-outs

In a bathroom, we take out the tiles, bath, shower, vanity, toilet, screens and wall linings, often back to bare studs and joists. In homes built before 1990, the wet-area linings behind the tiles are one of the most common places to find asbestos sheeting. If testing confirms it, removal is handled by a SafeWork NSW licensed crew before the rest of the room is stripped.

Laundries and ensuites follow the same process and are often done in the same visit.

Commercial strip-outs

Commercial strip-outs cover shops, offices, cafes, medical suites and warehouse fit-outs at the end of a lease or before a new tenant moves in. That can mean partitions, suspended ceilings, carpet tiles, shopfront joinery, kitchens and old services. We plan the work around building access rules, loading dock times and any neighbouring tenants who stay open while we work.

Asbestos checks before the first wall comes off

A hazardous materials survey ahead of any strip-out in an older building tells us what is in the walls, floors and ceilings before anyone cuts into them. This matters most in homes and shops built before 1990. If asbestos is found, it is removed under NSW rules, SafeWork NSW gets advance notice where the removal is licensed, and a clearance certificate has to be in hand before the strip-out goes on.

Protecting what stays

A strip-out is about taking out only what is meant to go. Before work starts, we agree what stays: floors that will be polished, a window or door being reused, a heritage ceiling or an original fireplace. Those items are protected or marked so the crew can see them.

Floors and paths between the work area and the street are covered, and dust is kept within the work area as much as practical. In an occupied house, we agree which rooms are off limits and keep a clear path for the household.

Terraces and older inner-city homes

Inner Newcastle has a lot of Federation and Victorian terraces, especially around Cooks Hill, The Hill and Newcastle East. Many sit in heritage conservation areas, and a rear extension or internal renovation there often starts with a careful strip-out rather than demolition. Shared party walls, narrow side passages and lane access all shape how the work is done and how material gets out to the street.

Waste sorting

Strip-out waste is sorted as it comes out. Timber, metal, plasterboard, tiles and concrete go to separate streams where a facility will take them, and general waste goes in its own bin. Asbestos waste is handled separately and is only taken to a site permitted by law to take it.

Working with your builder or shopfitter

Tell us when the next trade is booked and the strip-out will be timed to wrap up before then. We leave the space clean, with services made safe and any issues we found, such as rot, termite damage or old wiring, noted for the builder.

Pricing a strip-out

Through the quote form, send the address, a photo of each room or tenancy, and a short scope of what needs to come out. Drawings or a builder's schedule help. If you have an asbestos test or survey, include it. A written quote follows once we have looked it over.