It’s been a little while since my last post, thanks to the Christmas slowdown, but we’re back at it now in the first week of January.
As you can see, demolition has officially begun. This is essentially day one on site after all the machinery was delivered.
So far, we’ve taken delivery of the water truck, a green waste bin, and a 25-ton excavator.
We also just had the site toilet dropped off—a very exciting moment. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a pink toilet before, but that’s what we went with. The theory is simple: a pink toilet is very easy to spot. I’m also quietly confident that none of the younger tradespeople will spend too much time in there on TikTok precisely *because* it’s pink. So, there’s the logic behind our colourful choice.
We opted for a sewer-connected unit instead of a traditional chemical toilet because we’ll be able to hook it directly into the sewer system. This makes it much easier to manage, eliminates the need for regular servicing, and will be more cost-effective over the duration of the project.
Site Setup and Salvage
Right now, a 5-tonne machine is clearing a space next to the tree. We had a container arrive earlier this morning, which we’ll use for temporary storage. We’re keeping the existing side boundary fencing up for two key reasons: firstly, to maintain good relations with the neighbor, and secondly, because we need a fence in place.
If we took it down, we’d expose an un-reinforced (non-core-filled) block wall from this 35-year-old house to potential damage from equipment like a rock breaker. We’ll establish some temporary fencing inside the boundary later.
We also had the salvage team from Red Ned’s in yesterday. They’ve been busy pulling reusable materials from the house. They’re currently stacking aluminum for separation and recycling. They cut out and took the large doors for resale, we’ve sold the kitchen (pickup is this weekend), and someone has also purchased the auto garage unit.
Over in the salvage pile, we’ve carefully packaged up a crystal chandelier destined for the new build—maybe for a room with high ceilings, perhaps even a bathroom as a joke.
The running gag is that we’ll also find a way to incorporate a massive 2.4m x 2.4m mirror into a toilet in the new place. Because, naturally, everyone wants a toilet with a huge mirror.
Strategic Demolition and Temporary Services
Out the back, the generator is ready to be turned on. We’re trying to give the neighbors a bit of a break before we start making more noise. The pool is almost fully drained.
The demolition contractors plan to use it as a strategic dumping ground. Once the main house demolition starts, a lot of the material will go directly into the pool. This method prevents the demolition waste from mixing with the sand and soil on the ground, which would bulk out the weight and significantly increase disposal costs.
Our 15 KVA generator, with standard 15-amp outlets, is on standby as a backup power source. We also smashed out the heavy glass windows yesterday, which was a relief—they were a pain to move.
Meanwhile, the electricians are on site establishing our temporary power. They’ve de-energized the house and pulled the main fuse. We’re setting up a temporary meter box using the existing infrastructure. This approach is much faster than applying for a completely new connection, especially given the complexities with this property.
The "Green Boy" Power Dilemma
Here’s an interesting quirk: this is an old house where the main power supply from the street—we call them the "Green Boy"—is actually located on the neighboring property. Historically, a few houses were fed from the same street location.
For our permanent build, we’ll need to submit a form to Energex (the local distributor) to have them perform civil works and establish a new Green Boy on our boundary.
The final meter box will then be mounted on the front fence. For now, we’re installing the temporary setup on the side fence with enough slack in the cables so it can be easily moved to its final position later. This gives us the essential site power we need to proceed.
The whole house will start coming down on Monday. I’ll be back on site then to show you just how quickly a house can be demolished.
Thanks for following along!
