Commercial demolition covers non-residential buildings: shops, offices, warehouses, workshops, farm and industrial sheds, community halls and small institutional buildings. It also covers commercial strip-outs, where a tenancy is taken back to a shell for a new fit-out or returned to the landlord at the end of a lease. In Bendigo, that work ranges from Hargreaves Street shopfronts and Mitchell Street offices to industrial units in Golden Square, East Bendigo and Epsom.
Bendigo Demolition Service is a referral service. We pass commercial enquiries, with consent, to registered demolition businesses that take on commercial scopes in the region. We do not carry out work, and we do not hold demolition registration.
How commercial jobs differ from houses
Commercial demolition is generally more regulated, more documented and more dependent on the program. Typical differences include:
- Registration class. The Victorian Building Authority registers demolishers in classes. Some cover low-rise buildings only, while others cover larger or more complex structures. Make sure your contractor's class suits the building.
- Asbestos registers. Workplaces built before 2003 should already have an asbestos register under Victorian workplace law. That register is the starting point for the demolition scope, although a pre-demolition survey may still be needed to find materials hidden in the structure.
- Hazardous materials beyond asbestos. Older commercial buildings can contain lead paint, PCB-containing capacitors in light fittings, synthetic mineral fibre insulation and refrigerants. Each has its own handling requirements.
- Traffic, public safety and hoarding. Work beside footpaths or on CBD streets may need hoarding, traffic management and council road-occupation approvals.
- Out-of-hours work. Retail strip-outs are often done at night or on weekends to suit neighbouring tenants.
Heritage in central Bendigo
Bendigo's central area includes significant nineteenth-century commercial buildings, and many sit in heritage precincts. Facade retention, where the street front is kept and the rear is demolished, is common in heritage cities and needs careful engineering. Any demolition of a street-facing facade triggers section 29A report and consent. In a Heritage Overlay, a planning permit is generally required first. Allow for heritage advice and approval time in the program.
Commercial strip-outs
A strip-out removes partitions, ceilings, floor finishes, joinery, services and signage while leaving the base building intact. End-of-lease make-good strip-outs follow the lease schedule, so read it carefully and share it with whoever you contact. Points to settle up front:
- what the landlord requires to remain (base building ceiling grid, lighting, carpet tiles and so on);
- which services must be made safe and capped, and by which licensed trades;
- hours of work and building rules for noise, lifts and loading docks;
- waste and recycling reporting, which some landlords and head contractors require.
Typical commercial process
- Site walk with the owner, project manager or tenant representative.
- Review of the asbestos register, plus a pre-demolition hazardous materials survey if needed.
- Demolition plan and safe work method statements, with engineering input for structural removal or facade retention.
- Permits, 29A consent, and road or footpath occupation approvals.
- Service isolation and disconnection.
- Licensed removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials, followed by clearance.
- Soft strip, then structural demolition in the planned sequence.
- Waste separation, recycling records and site handover.
Rural and industrial buildings
Around Greater Bendigo, a lot of commercial demolition is practical rather than urban. Examples include old packing sheds, workshops, piggeries and machinery sheds on farming land near Marong, Huntly and Axedale. These often have asbestos-cement roofing, old fuel or chemical storage, and large steel frames with scrap value. Ask whether steel recovery is reflected in the price.
What affects price and timeline
The main factors are building size and construction, height, hazardous materials, proximity to neighbours and the street, approvals, and how much material can be recycled. Commercial contractors usually price from drawings and a site walk, and many will break the price into strip-out, hazardous materials, structural demolition and site finish.
Documentation you will likely be asked for
Commercial clients, project managers and landlords usually expect paperwork as well as a clear site. Ask in advance whether the contractor can provide:
- a demolition plan and safe work method statements for high-risk work;
- the asbestos removal control plan and clearance certificate;
- waste dockets and recycling percentages for sustainability reporting;
- certificates of currency for public liability and workers' compensation insurance;
- registration numbers for the demolisher and any licensed trades used for service isolation.
Having these listed in the request for quote makes it easier to compare contractors, and avoids handover delays at the end.
Program and staging
Commercial projects often stage demolition: a strip-out first, hazardous materials removal next, and then structural demolition once approvals land. Staging can keep a site productive, but each stage needs its own scope and handover point.
Frequently asked questions
Does my commercial building already have an asbestos register?
Most Victorian workplaces built before 2003 are expected to have one. Ask the owner or managing agent for a copy. A demolition survey may still be required because it looks deeper into the structure.
What registration does a commercial demolisher need in Victoria?
Demolishers are registered with the Victorian Building Authority in classes based on the building's size and complexity. Ask for the registration number and class, and check it on the VBA register.
Can a strip-out happen while neighbouring shops trade?
Usually yes, with hoarding, dust control and agreed hours. Many retail and office strip-outs in town centres are done out of hours.
Do I need a permit for a shop fit-out strip-out?
Internal non-structural strip-outs often do not need a demolition permit, but building rules, landlord requirements and any structural or facade work can change that. Check with your building surveyor.
Who is responsible for make-good at the end of a lease?
Normally the tenant, according to the lease. The demolition contractor works to the scope you give them, so share the make-good schedule at the quoting stage.
Next step
Send us the address, building type, approximate floor area, and any asbestos register or drawings you have. With your consent, we will pass the enquiry to a registered commercial demolisher who covers Bendigo and central Victoria.