Demolition
Taking a building down is the easy part. Doing it safely, without damaging what is staying, and leaving the ground clear and level afterwards is the job. We handle domestic and commercial demolition across Benfleet, Castle Point and the wider county, on our own plant and with our own tradesmen.
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Most of what we demolish is not a tower block. It is a garage that has outlived its roof, a conservatory nobody uses, an outbuilding in the way of an extension, or a plot that needs clearing before anything can be built on it.
We take on the small domestic jobs that larger demolition firms are not interested in, and we take on commercial site clearance and bulk excavation with the plant, insurance and trained operatives to match. What matters more than the size of the structure is whether it can be brought down safely, and what is next to it.
Detached and attached garages taken down, the slab and footings broken out, and the ground left clear and level. Attached garages need care where the structure ties into the house, and asbestos cement roof sheets are common on garages of a certain age, so those get identified before anything is touched.
Conservatories dismantled rather than smashed, so the glass and frames come out in a controlled way. The base and dwarf wall are broken out if you want the ground back, and we make good where the structure met the house.
Sheds, workshops, stores and old brick outbuildings removed, along with the bases they stood on. Usually the constraint is getting a machine to the back of the garden, and we will tell you at the quoting stage whether it can be reached or whether the job is a hand strip.
Interiors stripped back ready for refurbishment or further works. Fittings, partitions, floor coverings, ceilings and services taken out, with materials segregated as they come out rather than mixed into one skip.
Redundant pools drained, the shell broken out and removed, and the void backfilled in compacted layers before topsoil goes back. Backfilling properly is the part that gets rushed, and it is why some filled pools settle years afterwards. Done correctly you end up with usable garden.
Whole plots cleared, structures demolished, hardstanding broken out, and the ground dug out and graded ready for construction. Material is crushed and reused on site where it can be, which cuts what has to be carted away.
Slabs, bases, hardstanding and old driveways broken out and taken away, whether or not there is a structure on top of them.
We look at what is coming down, what is staying, what it is attached to and how we get a machine to it. On anything with an asbestos risk, that gets identified now rather than discovered later.
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Gas, electricity and water are isolated and capped by the relevant supplier before demolition begins. This is the part that most often sets the start date, because the utility companies work to their own timescales, so we get it moving early.
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Some demolition requires prior notification to the council, and some requires planning permission. We will tell you which applies to your job so nothing gets started that should not be.
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Structures are demolished in sequence rather than all at once, working away from whatever is staying. Neighbouring walls, fences and boundaries get protected, and we work to agreed hours where there are houses either side.
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Materials are separated on site and recycled where possible. Loading happens as the work progresses rather than a pile building up on your driveway for a fortnight.
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Slabs and footings broken out if that is what you have asked for, arisings removed, and the site graded and left level and ready for whatever comes next.
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What to do with...
Asbestos turns up regularly in garage roofs, outbuildings, soffits, old floor tiles and downpipes on properties built before 2000. It is not necessarily a problem, but it is never something to disturb and find out afterwards.
Where we suspect asbestos, we have it surveyed before anything is touched, and where it needs removing we bring in licensed specialists to do it. We do not remove licensed asbestos ourselves, and we would be cautious of anyone offering to take it out as part of a general demolition price.
Once it is dealt with and documented, we carry on with the demolition.
Planning & Permissions
For most domestic outbuildings, garages and conservatories, no formal application is required, though there are exceptions worth knowing about.
Prior notification to the council is generally needed for demolishing a whole building, and full planning permission can be required in conservation areas, for listed buildings, and where the structure is covered by an Article 4 direction. Building Regulations come into play where demolition affects a structure that is staying, such as an attached garage or a party wall, and the Party Wall Act may apply where work is close to a boundary shared with a neighbour.
None of this is usually a problem, but it is worth establishing before a machine arrives. We will tell you what we think applies to your job, and if you are unsure, Castle Point Borough Council or your local authority will confirm it.
What it costs
The price of a demolition job comes down to four things: how big the structure is and what it is made of, whether asbestos is present, how much waste has to be carted away, and whether a machine can reach the work.
Access is usually the biggest variable on domestic jobs. A detached garage with a driveway alongside it is straightforward. The same garage at the end of a rear garden reachable only through the house is a completely different price, because most of it comes out by hand.
We come and look at it properly and give you a written price that holds. The visit is free, and there is no obligation afterwards.
Benfleet, Hadleigh, Thundersley and Canvey Island are on our doorstep, and we work regularly across Leigh-on-Sea, Rayleigh, Basildon, Southend and Wickford. If you are elsewhere in Essex, ask us anyway.
Free Estimate
Fill in the form with your postcode and a details about your job, and we will get back to you to arrange a visit. No obligation, and no pressure if you decide to go elsewhere.
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Most detached garages come down and are cleared within a day, sometimes two if the slab and footings are coming out as well. Waiting on utility disconnections or an asbestos survey usually takes longer than the demolition itself.
For a standard domestic garage, usually not, but prior notification can apply and there are exceptions in conservation areas and for listed properties. We will tell you what applies to your job before anything starts.
It is sorted on site and recycled where possible. We take it away with our own lorries as the work progresses rather than leaving it piled up.
Yes. We have it surveyed, and licensed specialists remove it before we carry on with the demolition. It is far safer, and usually cheaper, to establish this at the quoting stage than partway through the job.
We protect what is staying and we make good what we move. Fence panels often have to come down to get a machine in, and they go back up when we are finished.
Yes. Breaking out the slab and footings, removing the arisings and grading the ground level is a normal part of the job, and because we do groundworks too we can go straight on to the base or foundations that follow.
What we do
Demolition, groundworks, drainage and concrete works, delivered by an experienced team across projects of all sizes.
Free Estimate
Tell us what you need and your postcode, and we will come out and give you a proper price.
Maibo Demolition & Groundworks is an established contractor based in Benfleet, Essex, delivering professional demolition and groundworks services across Essex and the surrounding areas. With over 18 years of industry experience, our skilled team works across commercial and domestic projects, with CSCS and CPCS training throughout.
Office:
01268 944304
Mobile:
07795 193177
Email us on:
jamie@maibo.co.uk
Based in Benfleet, Essex
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