What we take on
Seven jobs across the Illawarra, the Southern Highlands and the Shoalhaven:
- House demolition — full residential knock-down, left level and ready to build.
- Strip outs and partial demolition — structure stays, everything inside goes.
- Garage and shed removal — including the slab, if you want it gone.
- Pool removal — partial fill or full dig-out, with the difference explained.
- Concrete removal — driveways, slabs, paths and footings.
- Site clearing — vegetation, rubbish, old structures and fill.
- Asbestos-aware demolition — how it is identified and who is allowed to remove it.
The two things that decide your price
Demolition quoting is not complicated, but it is frequently done badly. Two variables account for most of the difference between a number that holds and a number that grows.
What is in the building. The Illawarra was built with fibro. Post-war housing through Warrawong, Cringila, Berkeley, Unanderra and Port Kembla — and across the escarpment suburbs from Corrimal up to Thirroul — used asbestos cement sheeting extensively for walls, eaves and roofing. Any house built before about 1990 should be treated as potentially containing asbestos until a survey says otherwise.
That matters commercially as well as legally. Asbestos changes the sequence of the job, the licensing required, the disposal pathway and the cost. A demolition quote that does not mention it on a 1960s fibro house has either not looked, or is planning to raise it later when you have fewer options.
What leaves the site, and where it goes. Disposal is usually the largest single line in a demolition. It is charged by weight, it varies by material, and asbestos waste goes to specific facilities at a different rate again. A quote should tell you the tonnage assumption it is built on and what happens if the actual load comes in over it. "Rubbish removal included" without a number is not an inclusion, it is a hope.
Access, on an Illawarra block
The strip between the escarpment and the coast produces some genuinely awkward sites. The older suburbs along the northern line — Thirroul, Austinmer, Bulli, Corrimal, Woonona — have narrow blocks, tight lanes and steep driveways. Nowhere to swing an excavator and nowhere to stand a truck is a real constraint, and it changes the machine selection and the number of loads.
Newer estates through West Dapto, Shell Cove and out toward Calderwood are the opposite: open blocks, easy access, straightforward staging.
We price the access, we do not average it.
Approvals, honestly
Demolition in NSW generally needs either development consent from council or a complying development certificate issued by an accredited certifier, depending on the property, the zone and what applies to it. Heritage listings and conservation areas — significant through the Southern Highlands and present in pockets of Wollongong — change the pathway.
Councils typically also want a waste management plan setting out where material is going, and services have to be formally disconnected before anything comes down.
Here is what nobody on this site can do: promise you an approval, or a date for one. The contractor can tell you what your job is likely to require, based on having done it nearby. Council or a certifier decides. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something. The council and approvals page goes through the process properly.
Areas we cover
Shellharbour · Southern Highlands · Nowra and the Shoalhaven · Kiama · Dapto · the northern suburbs
Plus Wollongong itself, Albion Park, Figtree, Port Kembla, Warrawong, Unanderra, Bulli and Helensburgh.
Who actually does the work, and under what licence
Demolition work arranged through this site is carried out by A.C.N. 670 293 875 Pty Ltd, trading as Civillink Logistics (ABN 90 670 293 875), holder of NSW demolition licence AD214819, current to 8 September 2031.
You do not have to take that on trust. Search the licence number on the Verify NSW asbestos and demolition register and it will return the holder, the status and the expiry date. We would rather you checked.
Two things we will not claim. We do not remove asbestos — that is separately licensed work under NSW law and it goes to a separately licensed asbestos removalist, every time. And we will not show you reviews we did not receive.
What we will do is give you a written price with the assumptions visible, and tell you plainly when something needs testing before anyone can quote it properly.
Call 02 4214 4202 or send the details through for a site assessment.
Seven jobs we take across the Illawarra
| Job | What it covers | |
|---|---|---|
 |
House Demolition | Full residential demolition on Illawarra blocks — disconnections, hoarding, knock-down and a level, ready-to-build site. |
 |
Strip Outs & Partial Demolition | Internal strip-outs and partial demolition where the structure stays and everything inside it goes — shops, offices and pre-renovation homes. |
 |
Garage & Shed Removal | Detached garages, carports, sheds and lean-tos removed, with the slab taken out or left depending on what you are building next. |
 |
Pool Removal | Concrete and fibreglass pool removal, either a partial fill or a full dig-out, with the difference explained before you choose. |
 |
Concrete Removal | Driveways, slabs, paths and footings broken out and carted, including reinforced slabs that need a hammer rather than a bucket. |
 |
Site Clearing | Vegetation, rubbish, old structures and fill cleared off a block so it can be surveyed, sold or built on. |
 |
Asbestos-Aware Demolition | How asbestos is identified and handled before demolition on older Illawarra homes. Removal is carried out by a separately licensed asbestos removalist — we refer, we do not remove. |
Wollongong out to the Highlands and the Shoalhaven
Four things we put in writing
A Price That Includes the Tip
Disposal is the line that blows out demolition quotes. Ours names the tonnage assumption and what happens if the load comes in over it.
Asbestos Handled Honestly
If the house is pre-1990 we say so before quoting, and removal goes to a separately licensed asbestos removalist. We refer that work — we do not do it.
A Licensed Demolisher, Named
Demolition work is carried out by A.C.N. 670 293 875 Pty Ltd, trading as Civillink Logistics, holder of NSW demolition licence AD214819 (current to 8 September 2031). You can check that number yourself on the Verify NSW register before anyone starts.
The Block Left Ready
Level, clear and clean enough for a surveyor to peg, rather than a pile of broken slab pushed into the corner.
What the work actually looks like
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to demolish a house in Wollongong?
As a 2026 planning guide, a straightforward single-storey house on an accessible Illawarra block generally runs $18,000 to $30,000, with two-storey and difficult-access jobs above that. Asbestos and disposal volume are the two variables that move the number most, which is why a quote that has not been to the site is close to meaningless.
Do I need council approval to demolish?
Almost always something is required. Depending on the property and the zone, demolition may be able to proceed as complying development with a CDC issued by a certifier, or it may need development consent from council. Heritage listings, conservation areas and some overlays change the answer entirely. The contractor can tell you which pathway your job is likely to fall into; council or an accredited certifier makes the decision.
What happens if there is asbestos in the house?
It is assessed before anything is knocked down, and any removal is carried out by a separately licensed asbestos removalist — not by the demolition crew, and not as a line buried in a demolition quote. Post-war Illawarra housing used a great deal of fibro, so on a pre-1990 house we assume asbestos is present until testing says otherwise.
Who actually does the work?
Independent, third-party demolition contractors. This is a referral website — your enquiry goes to a contractor working in your part of the Illawarra, and the quote, the contract and the licences are theirs. Ask to see their licence and insurance before work starts.