Asbestos
Older house demolition in Melton and Melton South
Older house demolition in Melton follows a different order from a knockdown on a newer estate. Much of the housing around the old township, Melton South and Brookfield went up before 1990, when fibro sheeting and asbestos cement were ordinary building materials. That does not mean every older house is full of asbestos. It means nobody should start pulling one apart until somebody has checked. This is how we handle an older house, from the first photo to a clear block.
Where asbestos turns up in older Melton houses
In the houses we see around Melton, the usual places are eaves linings, the walls and floors of bathrooms and laundries, the backing under old vinyl, flat sheeting on a sleep-out or enclosed verandah, the back fence, and the garden shed or garage. Some roofs are corrugated asbestos cement. Older electrical meter boards can contain it too. You cannot tell by looking, and you should not break a sheet to find out.
A house built in the 1960s, 70s or 80s is the most likely to have it. A house from the 1990s or later is less likely, but extensions, sheds and fences on the same block can be older than the house. Tell us the year if you know it, and send photos of the eaves, the wet areas and any sheds. If you are not sure, say that. It is a normal answer.
What has to happen before the knockdown
In Victoria, asbestos has to be identified before a house is demolished, and asbestos that has to come out is removed before the demolition starts. WorkSafe Victoria sets the rules on who can remove it. Removing more than ten square metres of non-friable asbestos, such as sound fibro sheeting, needs a licensed removalist. Friable asbestos, the loose and crumbly kind, always needs a removalist with the higher class of licence.
In practice that means an assessment first, a written list of where the asbestos is, and a licensed removalist taking it out under controlled conditions. When removal is finished, the area is inspected and a clearance is issued. Only then does our excavator come in. We do not start a knockdown on a maybe, and we will not fold asbestos into the general rubble to save a day.
How we sequence the job
We price the knockdown and show the asbestos removal as a separate line, so you can see what each part costs. The licensed removalist is booked so their work is finished before our demolition day. Services are isolated. The house is emptied of anything you are keeping. Temporary fencing goes up where the site needs it. Then the structure comes down with the excavator, and roofing, frames, brick and concrete are kept apart as they are loaded into our hooklift bins.
If we find suspect material during demolition that was not in the report — a sheet behind a wall lining, or a buried piece of old fence — we stop work in that area and call you. It gets tested, and if it has to be removed, it is removed properly before we carry on. That pause costs a little time. Skipping it is how a block ends up contaminated and a neighbour ends up worried.
Older blocks have other surprises too
Asbestos is not the only thing an older Melton house hides. Many older blocks still have a septic tank or the remains of one, an underground water tank, or an old incinerator pad down the back. Brick piers and stumps under a weatherboard house, a second slab under a sleep-out, and old clay sewer pipes are common. None of these are emergencies. They are just things that should be on the list.
Older blocks in Melton South and around the township also tend to have mature trees, longer driveways and a garage built hard against the boundary. Tell us which trees stay and whether any are protected, and point out the shared fence. We protect what you ask us to protect. It helps a lot if it is marked before the machine arrives.
What to send us
Send the suburb, the year the house was built if you know it, and photos of the front, the back, the eaves, the bathroom and laundry, and every shed and fence. If you have an asbestos report, attach it. If you do not, we can tell you what kind of assessment the job needs and help you line it up.
Waste is sorted on site and taken to licensed recycling and disposal facilities in Melbourne's west, with concrete, brick, metal and timber separated for recycling wherever possible. Asbestos is not part of that stream. It is wrapped, labelled and taken by the licensed removalist to a facility that is allowed to accept it. We are based in Melton, and older houses in Melton South, Brookfield, Kurunjang and the township are a regular part of our week.
Quick answers
The short version, if you skipped the scan.
Do all older houses in Melton have asbestos?
No, but houses built before 1990 often have some, usually in eaves, wet areas, sheds or fences. It has to be checked before demolition, not guessed.
Can you demolish a house that has asbestos?
Yes, once it has been removed. A licensed removalist takes out the asbestos first, a clearance is issued, and then we knock the house down.
Is asbestos removal shown separately in the quote?
Yes. We show it as its own line, so you can see what the removal costs and what the knockdown costs.
What happens if you find asbestos during the knockdown?
We stop work in that area and call you. The material is tested, and if it has to be removed, a licensed removalist does that before we carry on.
Get a free quote
Suburb, photos, and what you want left behind. We call back within one business day.
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0434 999 799Or email info@rsdemo.com.au