Local Residential Demolition for Clifton properties

Ask each contractor to explain the sequence priced. The answer might include investigation, isolation of services, removal of fixtures, protection or temporary support, controlled structural work and segregation of material. It should refer to the Clifton property in front of them. On a narrow mews plot, material handling may govern progress; on a raised terrace, protecting the pavement and managing the level difference may be central. Generic descriptions make it hard to see whether those conditions have been allowed for.

Uncertainty should be visible rather than buried. Older buildings may contain layers of alteration that drawings do not record, and suspect materials should be assessed by competent people before disturbance. Ask which areas were accessible during pricing, what further survey information is needed and how an unexpected finding would be documented. Where works may affect an adjoining owner, obtain appropriate professional advice early enough for it to inform the method.

Define the handover as carefully as removal. State whether foundations and slabs go, whether openings in retained walls are made weather-tight, and what happens to drains or exposed services. Request appropriate material records and an account of agreed changes. A clear quotation gives the same information to every bidder and places exclusions beside the price, leaving the next designer or builder an intelligible account of what was removed and what remains. Record the final access condition and outstanding inspections with it.