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Five Tips to Consider When Arranging Demolition for a Mobile Home

30 September 2016 by Benjamin Rice

If your mobile home has lived out its lifespan, it may be time to demolish it. However, through that process there are several issues you should consider. As you talk to demolition experts and gather quotes, here are some ideas to keep in mind.

1. Don't forget the permit

In most cases, especially if your mobile home is in a caravan park or a municipality, you will need a permit to demolish it. If you hire a professional demolition team, they can often take care of arranging the permit for you, but if you hire an amateur, you may need to take care of that yourself. Keep in mind that permitting may take a while so leave adequate time for the process.

2. Remove asbestos separately

If your mobile home has any products with asbestos in them, make special arrangements with an asbestos mitigation specialist to remove those items. In many cases, you need to have permission to throw asbestos-filled items in the landfill, and you also want to ensure that you don't release a bunch of asbestos fibres during the demolition process. In many cases, if your mobile home was built in the 1980s or before, it may have asbestos in it. However, even newer homes may have some asbestos as there was asbestos in various products in Australia until 2003.

3. Disconnect utilities

Before the demolition starts, make sure that you disconnect all of the utilities. Call the relevant companies and stop service. Also, hire a plumber or electrician as needed to disconnect your mobile home from the water and power supplies.

4. Look into selling scrap metal

When you demolish a home, it can often be helpful to sell or salvage as much as possible. With a mobile home, you may be able to salvage some scrap metal. In particular, if your mobile home has a metal exterior or metal roofing, that may be salvageable.

5. Talk with the demolition professional about extra costs

When you demolish a mobile home, the demolition person may quote your price in dollars per square metres, or they may base your price on other factors. Remember to ask if there are any additional costs, and talk with the demolition expert about any unusual features your mobile home may have. For example, if you have a shingled roof instead of the standard factory-issue mobile home roof, there may be extra fees for removing shingles. Similarly, if the demolition crew has to remove the contents of the house, they may charge you more than if it were empty.

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