Strip out vs demolition — what's the difference?

People use "demolition" for anything that involves knocking something about, which is how we end up quoting jobs that were never ours to quote. The distinction is simple and it's worth knowing before you start ringing round, because it decides which kind of contractor you need, what insurance and permissions apply, and how much the job costs.

Strip out: the inside comes out, the building stays

A strip out — also called a soft strip — removes the non-structural interior of a building. Kitchens, bathrooms, ceilings, partitions, floor coverings, fittings and redundant services all go. The structure, the load-bearing walls, the floors and the roof stay exactly where they are. It's a careful, hand-tool-and-small-plant job, done room by room with protection in place, and it ends with a clean shell ready for refurbishment or fit-out.

That's what we do, and it's what most refurbishment projects actually need.

Demolition: the structure comes down

Demolition is the removal of the structure itself — taking a building down in whole or in part. It's a different discipline with different plant, different engineering input, different notifications and permissions, and different risk. Partial structural work such as removing a load-bearing wall to open up a ground floor sits in that camp too: it needs a structural engineer's design and temporary support, not a strip out crew with a breaker.

We're explicit about this: we do not undertake heavy demolition, warehouses, factories or bridge demolition. If that's your project, you want a specialist demolition contractor, and we'd rather tell you that on the phone than take the job and struggle.

Where the two overlap

On many demolition projects a soft strip happens first. The interior is stripped so materials can be segregated and recycled properly before the structure comes down. So the two trades often work back to back on the same site — they're just not the same job.

Which one do you need?

You need a strip out if…

• You're refurbishing and want the property back to a clean shell
• You're preparing a rental or resale property between tenants or sales
• A fit-out team needs an empty unit to start work in
• You're taking out kitchens, bathrooms, ceilings, partitions or floor coverings
• You're clearing a property or site and need the waste removed under licence

You need a demolition contractor if…

• The building, or part of it, is coming down
• You're removing load-bearing structure or forming structural openings
• The project involves industrial, warehouse or infrastructure structures

Still not sure?

Send us a few photos and a sentence about what you're trying to achieve. If it's a strip out we'll quote it; if it's genuinely demolition we'll say so plainly, and you'll have saved yourself a fortnight of the wrong quotes.