If you're about to demolish a house in Sydney and the place was built before 1990, you almost certainly have asbestos on site. Getting the asbestos story right before demolition starts saves you money, keeps SafeWork NSW happy, and protects your family and your neighbours from real airborne fibre exposure. Here's the practical guide.
Why Sydney's Housing Stock Is Loaded With Asbestos
Australia was one of the world's biggest per-capita users of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) between roughly 1945 and the mid-1980s. Bonded asbestos cement sheeting — "fibro" — went into hundreds of thousands of Sydney homes. It's cheap, strong, waterproof and easy to work with, so builders used it everywhere: external walls, eaves, roofs, bathroom linings, laundry linings, floor tile backings, pipe lagging, fence sheets. Even bricks-and-tile homes usually have fibro somewhere — the eaves lining is the classic hiding spot.
The final import of raw asbestos into Australia was in 1987, and the last locally manufactured ACM products came off the line in the late 1980s. That gives you the rough rule: anything built or renovated before 1990 should be assumed to contain ACM until proven otherwise.
Two Types You Need to Know: Bonded vs Friable
Bonded (Non-Friable) — Class B
The fibres are locked into a cement matrix. Bonded ACM is the fibro sheets, corrugated roof sheets, cement pipes and tile backing that make up 99% of what we find in Sydney residential demolitions. It can be removed by a Class B licensed removalist (that's us).
Friable — Class A
The fibres are loose or can be crumbled by hand pressure. Sprayed limpet insulation, loose fill roof insulation, some pipe lagging. Requires a Class A licensed removalist, negative-pressure enclosure, air monitoring, the works. Much more expensive per square metre. Uncommon in Sydney houses but occasionally shows up in older industrial buildings.
Where to Look — the Six Common Hiding Spots
- Eaves lining — under the roof overhang, easily 90% of pre-1990 homes.
- External wall sheeting — the classic fibro house.
- Bathroom & laundry wet-area lining — behind tiles.
- Floor tile backing / vinyl sheet backing — "the pattern is fine, it's the black glue underneath".
- Corrugated roof sheets & roof insulation — heavy corrugated grey sheets are almost always ACM.
- Fences & garden edging — old grey ridged fence sheets, cement pipes, planter boxes.
Also worth checking: hot water system flue lagging, meter box backings, garage sheets, and the tar-based mastic used around old windows.
The Legal Bit — What You Must Do Before Demolition
Under the NSW Work Health & Safety Regulation 2017 and the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice for the Safe Removal of Asbestos:
- An asbestos survey is mandatory before demolition of any building constructed before 31 December 2003 (commercial) or any residential dwelling with likely ACM presence.
- Bonded asbestos over 10m² must be removed by a Class B (or Class A) licensed removalist.
- The removal must be notified to SafeWork NSW a minimum of 5 working days before work begins.
- Neighbour notification is required where the work is likely to affect adjoining properties (which for a Sydney fibro house — it is).
- Disposal must go to a SafeWork-approved landfill. Tip dockets must be kept for at least 5 years.
- A clearance certificate from a licensed asbestos assessor is required in most commercial and many residential contexts.
If you're the property owner and you engage the demolition contractor, you are the "Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking" (PCBU) under WHS law and you carry direct legal liability. Don't get talked into unlicensed removal by whoever offered the cheap quote.
How Much Does Asbestos Removal Cost in Sydney?
Honest 2026 ranges — see our full asbestos removal cost guide:
- Small bonded removal (single room / eaves only): $2,500–$5,000
- Standard single-storey fibro exterior: $5,000–$12,000
- Full roof sheet removal: $6,000–$15,000
- Whole-of-house pre-demo strip: usually rolled into the demolition quote
Variables: quantity, access, height, whether the material is friable, and how much dust suppression is required. Every job is different.
Order of Operations — How We Sequence It
- Free site inspection and asbestos identification (often within 1–2 business days of your call).
- Fixed written quote covering removal + disposal + demolition + clearance.
- SafeWork NSW notification lodged (5+ working days lead time).
- Neighbour notification letters where required.
- Service disconnections (power, gas, water) — safety-critical before asbestos removal begins.
- Site setup — hoarding, temporary fencing, exclusion zones, warning signs.
- Asbestos removal — first, before the demo. This is the crucial step: you don't smash a fibro house with the excavator and then "remove" the asbestos, because you've just aerosolised every fibre in the structure.
- Wet-down, sealed wrapping, transport to licensed landfill, tip dockets kept.
- Structural demolition of the now-ACM-free structure.
- Slab removal (if scoped), site cleanup, demolition certificate.
Red Flags — Watch Out For These
- "Cash job, mate — we'll just knock it down and sort the fibro out with the demo waste" — Illegal. Massive fine and criminal exposure. Walk away.
- "You can do up to 10m² yourself" — Legally true, practically stupid. Bonded ACM breaks into airborne fibres the moment you drop it. Your neighbours breathe it.
- Quote much lower than everyone else — The cheap quote is either not licensed, not going to an approved landfill, or planning to leave you the paperwork and the risk.
- No SafeWork licence number on the paperwork — Check the licence number is real. Search "SafeWork NSW licence check" — it's a public register.
What About the Neighbours?
Legally you have to notify. Practically it's just good manners: an unexpected exclusion zone and workers in P2 respirators next door will unsettle anyone. A short letter a week ahead — "we're demolishing 42 Smith St, the licensed asbestos removal is scheduled for Tuesday-Wednesday, all work is compliant with SafeWork NSW, contact XYZ if you have concerns" — solves 90% of the friction.
DIY? Please Don't
NSW law lets a homeowner remove up to 10m² of bonded ACM without a licence. This provision exists to cover things like replacing a broken fibro fence panel. It is not a licence to demolish your bathroom yourself. The safety margin between "handled correctly" and "everyone in the street has been exposed" is thinner than YouTube suggests. Get a Class B licensed removalist. It costs a few thousand dollars. Cheaper than mesothelioma.
How to Get an Asbestos + Demolition Quote
Call us on 0451 117 275 or send the address via our contact form. We'll do a free site visit inside 1–2 business days, identify the ACM, quote a fixed price for the full scope (removal + demo + slab + certificate), and answer every question straight. NSW Demolition Licence AD214611, Asbestos Class B AD214613, $20M PL.
Direct Demolition is a Sydney family-owned demolition contractor — licensed (NSW AD214611), insured ($20M PL), own equipment. Free quotes across Greater Sydney: 0451 117 275.