Service
Residential Demolition in Oakville
Residential demolition means taking a house down to its foundation, or removing the foundation too, so a new home can go up. This page is for Oakville homeowners, custom builders and architects planning a teardown and rebuild. We work across Oakville, Burlington, Milton, south Mississauga and the rest of Halton Region.
How we do it
Most of the houses we take down in Oakville are older bungalows and two-storey homes on lots where the owner is building new. The photo on this page shows how that ends: an excavator working through the brick and framing of a house that has already come down to grade, with the rubble sorted as it goes. Getting there takes more planning than machine time.
Before any equipment arrives, the Town of Oakville needs signed clearances from Oakville Hydro, Halton Region and Enbridge Gas confirming each service has been disconnected or capped. For a residential teardown, the town issues the demolition permit only when the permit for the replacement house is also ready to be issued, so we line our schedule up with your builder's permit drawings rather than working ahead of them.
Older Oakville homes often contain asbestos in pipe wrap, plaster, flooring or vermiculite. Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act, section 30, requires the owner to identify designated substances before a project is tendered. We work from that survey, and any asbestos abatement is completed under O. Reg. 278/05 before the structure comes down.
On demolition day, trees marked for protection stay behind hoarding, the driveway apron and boulevard are protected where the machine tracks in, and the neighbours' fences are kept clear. We separate metal, clean concrete and wood where the site allows so less goes to landfill. The job finishes when the lot is backfilled or left open to your builder's specification, and the site is ready for excavation of the new foundation.
Throughout the job, one person on our side is your contact for scheduling, neighbour questions and anything the builder needs to know.
Every teardown is different. Lot width, tree protection, heritage status and access from the street all shape how we approach it, and we walk through each of those with you at the site visit.
What to expect
Site visit
We walk the lot with you, look at access, trees, neighbouring structures and services, and review your builder's timeline.
Written scope
You receive a written scope listing what comes down, what stays, and what is handled by whom.
Clearances and permit
Utility disconnections are confirmed and the demolition permit is in hand before we mobilise.
Controlled teardown
The house is taken down in sequence, with materials separated for recycling where possible.
Foundation and backfill
The foundation is removed or left in place as your builder specifies, and the excavation is backfilled or left open.
Handover
The site is cleared, the street is swept and the lot is handed to your builder.
Photos from our jobs
Residential demolition
Questions we hear
- Can I get a demolition permit in Oakville before my new house is approved?
- For residential demolition, the Town of Oakville issues the demolition permit only once the building permit for the replacement house is also ready to be issued. You can apply earlier, but the teardown date depends on your new-build permit.
- Who arranges the utility disconnections?
- The owner requests disconnection from Oakville Hydro, Halton Region and Enbridge Gas, and each signs the town's clearance form. Enbridge asks owners to call well ahead, so it is worth starting early. We can explain the sequence at the site visit.
- Do I need an asbestos survey for a house teardown?
- Yes. Under OHSA section 30 the owner must determine which designated substances are present before the work is tendered. Most homes built before the 1990s have some asbestos-containing material that needs to be removed first.
- What if my house is in a heritage conservation district?
- Properties in one of Oakville's heritage conservation districts, or designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, need heritage approval before demolition. That review happens before the demolition permit and can add significant time.
Talk to us about your project
Tell us what needs to come down and where. We'll arrange a site visit and send you a written scope. Calls are answered 24/7.
WSIB clearance on record. $5M commercial general liability coverage. Established 2006.