Concrete Removal & Site Clearing in Brisbane

Slabs and footings

Concrete slabs from old homes, garages, sheds and granny flats are broken with an excavator hammer or ripped up in sections, and the reinforcing mesh is separated. Edge beams and pad footings go deeper than the slab itself, so they are dug out rather than left behind.

Driveways and paths

Old driveways are one of the most common concrete jobs. Cracks, tree roots and settlement make them unsightly, and a new house design often calls for a different layout. Removal is usually straightforward, but the section crossing the footpath to the kerb — the crossover — sits on council land. Brisbane City Council has its own requirements for driveway crossovers, so check before the old one is removed or replaced.

Sheds, carports and outbuildings

Many older Brisbane properties have a collection of sheds, carports, laundries and workshops built up over decades. Some include fibro sheeting that may contain asbestos, so these are checked first. Steel frames and sheeting go for scrap metal recycling, while timber and general waste are sorted separately.

Clearing overgrown blocks

Subtropical growth moves fast. Vacant blocks and neglected backyards can disappear under lantana, vines and self-seeded trees in a few seasons. Clearing them involves removing vegetation, rubbish and old structures, and sometimes regrading. Before clearing, check whether any trees are protected — Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay and the Redlands each have their own vegetation protection rules, and penalties for removing protected trees can be steep.

Recycling concrete

Clean concrete is valuable as recycled aggregate. Kept free of soil, timber and plastic, it can be crushed and reused in road base and fill. That is better for landfill and usually reduces disposal costs, so concrete is kept separate wherever practical.

Things to check before work starts

• Where underground services run — lodge an enquiry with Before You Dig Australia
• Whether a slab or shed contains asbestos materials, such as old fibro
• Council rules for crossovers, footpaths and protected vegetation
• Whether the area needs compaction or a level finish for what comes next

Underground surprises

Old Brisbane blocks hide things. Disused septic tanks, buried rubbish from earlier renovations, old clay sewer lines and forgotten stormwater pits turn up regularly once concrete is lifted. Anything unexpected is assessed before work continues, and live services are located first so nothing is struck by accident.

Partial jobs and tight sites

Not every concrete job is a full clear-out. A section of slab can be saw-cut and removed for an extension, a path lifted for new drainage, or a single shed taken out while the rest of the yard stays untouched. On tight inner-city sites, smaller machines and hand tools keep the work contained.

For whole houses, see our house demolition service, and for pools see our pool removal service.