Printed folder and keys beside a garden gate ready for a demolition job

Demolition day readiness checklist for Bristol owners

8 min read
How to
The preparation for a demolition job in Bristol falls mostly to the owner. This ordered checklist covers clearing the property, securing consents and notices, isolating services, agreeing access and fixing the start date and contacts before the crew arrives.

Most of the preparation for a demolition job in Bristol happens in the weeks before the machines arrive, and it falls mostly to the owner. The contractor can plan the sequence of work, but only the owner can clear the contents, confirm the paperwork, open the access and agree the hours. This checklist puts those jobs in the order that tends to work well, so that nothing important is discovered on the morning the crew is due.

The list is written for an owner of a house, a garage or a small building. It assumes the contractor has already been appointed and has sent a written method. Where a step depends on the council or on a neighbour, the guide says so, because those steps have their own timing and cannot be rushed.

Step one: decide what leaves the building

The first task is the one that is easiest to postpone. Contents, fixtures and anything of value should be removed before the contractor starts, because a demolition crew will not sort personal belongings and will not be responsible for items lost in a skip. Start with documents, photographs, jewellery and family items, then move through furniture, appliances and garden equipment. Anything you want to keep needs a destination booked, whether that is a family member's property, a storage unit or a sale.

Salvage deserves a decision at this point rather than on the day. Reclaimed bricks, timber, sanitaryware and slates can have value to a buyer, but they need careful removal and extra time, which affects the programme. The guide on salvaging materials from Bristol demolition explains the trade-offs, and the choice should be made before the contractor prices the job. If you want reuse, say so in writing so that the method statement reflects it.

Ask the contractor for a list of what they will need you to remove, and confirm which items they will take away as part of the job. Clear a room only once the contractor has seen it, because some services and fixtures may affect the structure or the order of work. Photograph each room before it is cleared. If a question arises later about what was removed and what was left, those photographs are the simplest answer.

Step two: secure the paperwork and the notices

Before any work begins, the owner should know which approvals apply. Planning permission is not always needed for demolition, but the position depends on the building and its location, and the Planning Portal's guidance on demolition says that you should ask your local planning authority what is required before any work commences. In Bristol that authority is Bristol City Council. A written answer from the council is the safest document to hold, because it records the position on the date you asked.

The council's building control team needs its own notice. Section 80 of the Building Act 1984 stops anyone starting a demolition until the council has been notified and has either responded or let six weeks pass, and whoever gives the notice must copy it to the occupiers of adjoining buildings and to the gas and electricity suppliers. In Bristol the notice is made online through the council's demolition of buildings page, and the council's reply sets conditions on how the work is to be carried out. Very small buildings and internal work in a building that stays occupied are exempt, but most house demolitions are not.

Notices to neighbours are the next part of the paperwork. Where the work touches a shared wall, section 3 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 requires a party structure notice to the adjoining owner at least two months before that work starts, and excavating close to a neighbour's foundations needs a separate notice at least one month ahead under section 6. Either notice lapses if the work has not begun within twelve months. A neighbour who has not consented in writing within 14 days is treated as being in dispute, which brings in surveyors. If the owner misses that window, the start date moves, however ready the crew may be.

Insurance is the last part. Ask your insurer whether the policy covers the period when the property is empty or partly stripped, and check that the contractor's public liability insurance is in place before the first day. Keep copies of the contractor's written method, the council's answer and any notices in one folder that can be shared with neighbours and with the crew.

Step three: isolate services and check for asbestos

The owner is the main source of information about the building's services. The HSE construction phase plan guidance lists information the contractor needs from the client, including where the services and isolation points are, any access restrictions to the property and whether asbestos is present. Write those details down before the contractor visits. If you have an electricity supplier, gas supplier or water company contact, put their details in the folder as well, so that disconnections can be booked in good time.

Asbestos is the item most likely to change the plan. The HSE construction phase plan guidance (CIS80) advises that work should not begin on a suspected asbestos site until a demolition or refurbishment survey has been carried out. If you have any reports from earlier work on the property, give them to the contractor now. The guide on asbestos surveys before demolition sets out what a survey covers and why it comes before the programme is fixed.

Step four: access, parking and boundaries

The plot has to be reachable for lorries, skips and plant, and the route has to be agreed with the people who live or work nearby. Walk the route yourself, noting parked vehicles, overhead wires, bins, trees and the width of the gate. Tell neighbours which days the access will be blocked and when deliveries are likely. On a residential street, a short conversation with the neighbours often prevents a complaint later.

Boundaries need protecting as well. Mark the edges of the property clearly, and agree who will fix hoarding or fencing where it meets a pavement or a neighbouring garden. Take photographs of walls, gates, paths and any adjoining structure before work starts, because a condition record is the simplest way to show what was there before the job began. Where the property sits in one of the districts the site serves, such as Horfield, the local street layout will shape how the access is planned, and the contractor should walk the route with you.

Step five: agree the start date, hours and contacts

The last step is the one most people leave until the end. The start date should be fixed in writing, with a note of the days and hours the crew will work. Agree how the owner will be told about delays, weather changes or problems found during the work. Name one person at the contractor's office and one person on site, and give both your mobile number. A short daily update is a sensible minimum for a job of more than a few days.

Confirm the sequence as well. The owner should know whether the contractor expects to strip the building before any machinery arrives, whether there will be a period when the structure is left standing and what happens if the programme is stopped by the council or by a neighbour's objection. The contractor's written method should answer these questions. If it does not, ask for it to be revised before the deposit is paid.

Ask for a walk-round on the first morning, before any machine starts. The contractor's site lead can show where the exclusion zone sits, where the welfare facilities will go and where material will be stacked. Keys, alarm codes and any arrangement for neighbours' access should be handed over at the same time and confirmed in writing, so that nobody has to ask again on the day. An owner who is away for the job should nominate someone with authority to make decisions on site, and tell the contractor who that is.

Once the checklist is complete

A checklist is only useful if it is revisited. Re-read the written method when the contractor sends a revised programme, and check that the notices, insurance and access arrangements still match the dates in it. Bristol projects often slip in small steps, and a revised date can make a notice period or a booking fall out of line.

When the five steps are done, the owner should be able to answer three questions without looking anything up: who is responsible for each part of the job, what has been agreed in writing, and where the paperwork is kept. That is the readiness the crew needs. The demolition day guide describes what the crew will then do, hour by hour.

If you have not yet chosen a contractor, you can request comparable demolition quotes through this site. Ask each provider for the same written method and the same list of notices, so that the answers can be compared on equal terms. For a house, the residential demolition service page sets out the scope that most quotes start from.