Estimating Software for Demolition Contractors
Estimating software for demolition contractors is a tool that measures the floor areas and volumes of what needs to come down from your PDF plans, applies your own rates for plant, labour and waste disposal, and turns the numbers into a structured tender or quote — instead of you scaling drawings and rebuilding a spreadsheet for every job. My Trade Hub (MTH) is built around this workflow: upload the plans, get quantities in square and cubic metres, apply an editable demolition rates library, and generate a Bill of Quantities and tender documents from the same measured data. It will not tell you whether a building contains asbestos or manage your licensing — that stays with a licensed assessor and your own site knowledge. What it does do is take the manual measuring and re-typing out of pricing demolition work, which is where most tender-prep time gets lost.
Key takeaways
- Demolition quotes are built from the floor areas and volumes of what is being removed, not what is being built — MTH’s quantity takeoff measures both straight from your uploaded PDF plans.
- Waste disposal is usually the biggest swing factor in a demolition price — it is costed by tonnage and waste stream, and tip fees vary by facility and council.
- Asbestos and hazmat allowances belong in the estimate as provisional sums, but licensing, assessment and removal are handled by qualified subcontractors — MTH is estimating software, not a compliance tool.
- An editable rates library lets you set your own plant hire, labour and disposal rates once, then apply them automatically across every demolition takeoff.
- Moving demolition tender prep onto My Trade Hub typically gets a priced tender out 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing it manually — the estimating itself runs on the paid Starter, Scale or Professional plans.
Why demolition tendering needs its own approach
Demolition tendering starts from a building that already exists, so the quantities that drive price are what needs to be removed, not what needs to be built. That means floor areas and volumes of structure to be demolished, tonnes of waste to be classified and carted away, and allowances for hazards that are often only fully confirmed once the site strip begins.
Formal tenders for demolition work — for councils, principal contractors or larger commercial jobs — usually demand a structured Bill of Quantities and supporting documentation, not just a one-line quote. Getting from a set of PDF plans to a priced, submittable tender is where most demolition contractors lose the most time.
- Floor areas and volumes of the structure being demolished (m2 and m3)
- Waste classification and disposal by tonnage, including EPA-regulated streams
- Asbestos and hazmat allowances, usually priced as provisional sums
- Machinery and plant hire — excavators, skid steers, crushers, trucks
- Labour crews and supervision
- Salvage value of reclaimed materials, where relevant
- Site protection, hoarding and traffic management
Measuring floor areas and volumes from the plans
A demolition quantity takeoff starts with the same PDF plans or drawings you would use for a build — floor plans, elevations and site plans — but the measurements answer a different question: how much structure is coming down, in square metres of floor area and cubic metres of volume, storey by storey.
My Trade Hub’s quantity takeoff measures these areas and volumes directly from the uploaded plans, so you are not scaling drawings by hand or re-entering the same footprint into a spreadsheet for every quote. The quantities flow straight into your rates, so a revised plan set updates the price rather than forcing a re-measure from scratch.
- Floor area (m2) by storey, including verandahs, garages and outbuildings
- Volume (m3) for structures where wall and roof mass affects the price
- Site area for hoarding, protection and access
- Separation from adjoining structures that need to stay standing
Classifying and costing waste disposal
Waste disposal is usually the single biggest swing factor in a demolition price, and it is priced by tonnage against a waste stream — general demolition waste, concrete and masonry, timber, metal, and separately, any asbestos-containing material. Each stream carries a different tip fee, and EPA levies vary by state and by facility, so the same tonnage can cost noticeably different amounts depending on where it is carted.
Because disposal is such a large line item, it is worth building your own disposal rates into a rates library rather than re-quoting them from memory on every job — and revisiting those rates regularly, since tip fees and levies change.
Check current tip fees before you submit
EPA levies and facility gate fees change and vary by council area. Treat any disposal rate in your library as a starting point and confirm it against your local facility before a price goes out the door.
Pricing asbestos and other hazmat allowances
Many buildings old enough to be worth demolishing were built with materials that need special handling — asbestos cement sheeting, bonded asbestos in flooring or eaves, and occasionally other hazardous materials. These need to be priced in the tender, usually as a provisional sum, because the actual scope is often only confirmed once a licensed assessor has inspected the site or removal has started.
It is worth being direct about what estimating software can and cannot do here. My Trade Hub helps you measure the job and price your allowances — it does not identify asbestos, assess a site, or replace a licensed asbestos removalist. Hazmat identification, licensing and safe removal stay with qualified subcontractors and your state work health and safety regulator; the estimating side is simply about making sure a sensible allowance is in the number before it goes to the client.
How My Trade Hub speeds up demolition tender prep
My Trade Hub brings the demolition takeoff, your rates and the tender document into one workflow instead of three separate tools. Upload the PDF plans, and quantity takeoff measures the floor areas and volumes of what is being demolished — then those quantities are priced against your own editable rates library covering plant hire, labour and disposal, and pulled straight into a structured Bill of Quantities and tender document.
Every rate in the library stays yours to edit — plant hire rates, labour rates, disposal rates per tonne — so the software applies your pricing, not a generic benchmark. Builders using My Trade Hub for tender prep typically get a priced tender out 60 to 75 per cent faster than doing the same job manually with plans, a calculator and a spreadsheet.
- Quantity takeoff measures floor areas and volumes straight from uploaded PDF plans
- An editable rates library for plant, labour and disposal, applied automatically to your quantities
- Structured Bill of Quantities generation from the same measured data
- Tender document templates and quote generation to get the priced job out the door
- Every rate stays editable — nothing is locked to a fixed benchmark price
Worked example: a small demolition takeoff and quote
The table below shows how a small residential demolition might be priced once the quantities are measured. It is illustrative only, using example rates, not a quote to rely on for a real job.
| Item | Quantity | Example rate | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demolition of brick veneer dwelling (floor area) | 180 m2 | $45 per m2 | $8,100 |
| Machinery and plant hire (excavator with operator) | 3 days | $1,450 per day | $4,350 |
| General demolition waste disposal | 42 tonnes | $95 per tonne | $3,990 |
| Asbestos-containing material removal (licensed subcontractor allowance) | 1 provisional sum | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Site protection and hoarding | 1 item | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Traffic management | 2 days | $650 per day | $1,300 |
| Estimated subtotal (excl. GST) | — | — | $21,440 |
Plant, labour and site logistics
Beyond the structure itself, a demolition price needs to carry the machinery, the crew and the site conditions around the job. Plant hire — excavators, skid steers, concrete crushers, trucks — is usually priced by the day or by the hour, and the right machine for a job depends on access, structure type and how much material needs moving.
Labour crews, supervision, salvage value where materials can be reclaimed and resold, site protection and hoarding, and traffic management on tighter urban sites all sit alongside the takeoff and waste figures in the same rate build-up, so they belong in the same rates library rather than being re-estimated from scratch each time.
- Plant and machinery hire, priced by day or hour
- Labour crews and site supervision
- Salvage value of reclaimed materials, where applicable
- Site protection, hoarding and public safety measures
- Traffic management on constrained or urban sites
Getting your next demolition tender out faster
Demolition tenders are won on turnaround as much as price — the contractor who gets a properly documented, correctly priced tender in on time has an advantage over one still scaling drawings the night before it is due. Bringing the takeoff, the rates and the tender document into one place is what closes that gap.
It is free to create a My Trade Hub account, and that gets you into the contractor marketplace to browse tenders and receive quotes at no cost. Quantity takeoff, the rates library and tender preparation are part of the paid Starter, Scale and Professional plans, priced in AUD with no lock-in contracts — see the pricing page for current plan details.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best estimating software for demolition contractors in Australia?
Look for software built around measuring what is being removed rather than what is being built — floor areas and volumes from PDF plans, an editable rates library covering plant, labour and disposal, and a path to a structured Bill of Quantities and tender document. My Trade Hub is built specifically around this workflow for Australian demolition and construction contractors.
How do you measure a demolition job for a quote?
A demolition takeoff measures the floor area and volume of the structure being removed, storey by storey, along with site area for hoarding and access. My Trade Hub’s quantity takeoff does this directly from your uploaded PDF plans, so the quantities feed straight into your rates instead of being scaled and re-entered by hand.
How do you price asbestos removal in a demolition quote?
Asbestos and other hazmat work is usually priced as a provisional sum in the tender, because the confirmed scope depends on a licensed assessor’s inspection. My Trade Hub lets you build that allowance into your estimate and rates library, but identification, licensing and removal stay with a qualified asbestos assessor and removalist — it is estimating software, not a compliance tool.
What waste disposal costs should a demolition quote include?
A demolition quote should cost disposal by tonnage against each waste stream — general demolition waste, concrete and masonry, timber, metal, and asbestos-containing material where present — since tip fees and EPA levies differ by facility and by state. Keeping these rates in an editable library, and checking them regularly, avoids under-pricing the largest line item in the job.
Does My Trade Hub have a free trial for demolition estimating?
No — My Trade Hub does not run a time-limited free trial. It is free to create an account and use the contractor marketplace to browse tenders and receive quotes. Quantity takeoff, the rates library and tender preparation are part of the paid Starter, Scale and Professional plans.
Can I set my own rates for plant hire and disposal in My Trade Hub?
Yes — every rate in My Trade Hub’s rates library, including plant hire, labour and disposal per tonne, is yours to edit. The software applies your rates to the measured quantities; it does not impose a fixed benchmark price.
What should a demolition Bill of Quantities include?
A demolition Bill of Quantities should itemise the measured floor areas and volumes being demolished, waste disposal by tonnage and stream, plant and labour, provisional sums for asbestos or hazmat allowances, and site items like hoarding and traffic management — structured so it can be priced line by line and submitted as part of a formal tender.
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