When it comes to commercial development in Australia, few areas in the heavily built-up coastal belt are vacant, or free of any existing structure. You may have paid a premium for that parcel of land and it's likely that somebody else also saw its value in years gone by. Now, a significant part of your project is going to involve demolition and you need to ensure that you get a professional company to help you do the job properly. While you may be focused on all the details necessary to put up your new structure, you must make sure that key questions are answered before you choose your demolition expert. What do you need to focus on?

Who Are You Dealing With?

Many general contractors like to market themselves as demolition experts as well. They may have experience of small-scale projects as most contractors do, but when it comes to large scale undertakings they are not going to be in the same ballpark. Be very careful when you assess the previous experience put forward by a candidate and do some research to ensure that it is of a similar scale to what you are planning. It's essential to ask for references and follow them through, as you draw up your shortlist.

Assessing Risks

Like it or not, insurance is critical. This type of activity can be very dangerous and can open everyone up to claims for compensation should things go wrong. Ask your candidate company to fill you in on all the potential liabilities, so that you can see they are switched on to threats. Don't take any company's word that they have insurance; ask to see the policy. Make sure that the small print includes your business entity as an additional insured against all risks.

What's Involved?

Many companies like to hedge their risks when it comes to providing you with a full and written estimate of potential costs. Certainly, it can be difficult to develop a final figure before the job begins and all the various elements are revealed. Still, you deserve to have a very educated assessment, so that you can compare like-for-like with different companies.

Cleaning up

Demolition is only half of the job. Somebody has to clean up everything once it's been knocked down. It's best if the demolition company takes control of this as well, as they will know exactly what was involved during the knock-down. There may be some specific cleanup tasks to perform based on materials or components that were demolished.

Safety First

Finally, ensure that the company you work with has safety front and centre of their mind. This applies not only to employees, but anybody who happens to be in the general area. Determine what specific precautions they intend to put in place and don't forget to ask questions if you're not happy with all the answers.