The house next door is part of the job

On an open block in Lara or the growth areas, a demolition has room to breathe. In Newtown, Geelong West, Belmont or central Geelong it often doesn't. Older weatherboards and post-war homes sit close to the boundary, side paths are narrow, and the neighbour's house, fence and garden can be within a metre or two of the wall coming down. Protecting them isn't a courtesy added at the end — it is planned from the first site visit.

This guide covers what that planning involves and what you can do as the owner to keep the neighbours on side. It is general guidance; your building surveyor and the council decide what applies to your address.

Start with a conversation

The single most useful thing an owner can do is talk to the neighbours before the fencing goes up. Let them know roughly when the demolition is happening, how long the noisy days are likely to last, and who to call if something worries them. A short letter or a knock on the door a couple of weeks ahead heads off most complaints before they start.

It also helps to tell them practical things: keep windows closed on demolition days, bring washing in, and keep pets and children away from the shared boundary. People cope far better with a few loud days when they know they are coming.

Dilapidation reports

A dilapidation report is a dated record — photos and notes — of the condition of a neighbouring property before work starts. It typically covers existing cracks in walls and paths, the state of the fence, and anything else that could later be questioned.

It protects everyone. If a neighbour later believes the demolition caused a crack, there's a clear record of what was already there. If the demolition genuinely did cause damage, it is equally clear. On close-boundary jobs, on older brick homes next door, or wherever the neighbour seems concerned, a report is cheap insurance. Your building surveyor may require one on some jobs; on others it's simply good practice.

Protection work

Where demolition is close to an adjoining property, Victoria's building system includes a formal protection work process. In broad terms, the building surveyor decides whether the adjoining property needs protecting, and if so the owner carrying out the work notifies the neighbour and the agreed protection measures are put in place before work starts.

Whether it applies depends on how close the work is and what's next door, so it's a question for your building surveyor early in the permit stage — not something to discover the week before demolition. We work in with the surveyor so the timing of any protection work lines up with the rest of the program. Our guide "Do You Need a Permit to Demolish a House in Geelong?" covers the wider approvals picture.

Dust and asbestos

Dust is the neighbours' biggest worry, and on older Geelong homes the real concern is asbestos. That's why it's identified and removed under the correct licensed process before the structure comes down, and why the house isn't demolished with asbestos still in place. Our Asbestos-Aware Demolition & Disposal service explains how that removal and disposal are handled.

During the demolition itself, dust is controlled by:

Damping down the structure and debris as it comes down.
Taking the building down in a controlled order, away from the neighbour where possible.
Loading trucks so material isn't dropped from height.
Keeping the street and footpath swept at the end of each day.

Noise and working hours

Demolition is noisy, and there's no way around that. What can be managed is when it happens. Construction work in residential areas is limited to set hours, and the council and EPA Victoria guidance set the framework — check with the City of Greater Geelong or Surf Coast Shire for what applies to your street. We keep the loudest stages, like slab breaking, to normal working hours and avoid starting machines early.

Fences, trees and the side path

Boundary fences are often the first casualty of a careless demolition. The fence is usually shared, so agree with the neighbour beforehand whether it is staying, being protected, or being replaced. Where it stays, the structure is pulled away from it rather than pushed toward it.

The same goes for trees near the boundary and roots that cross it, as well as neighbours' downpipes, garden beds and sheds built close to the line. They're noted at the site visit and protected or worked around.

The street matters too

On narrow streets, trucks, bins and floats affect everyone. Councils commonly require a permit to protect their footpath, kerb and nature strip during building and demolition work, so ask the council what applies before we start. We plan truck movements to avoid blocking driveways, keep the crossover clean, and leave the nature strip as we found it.

Partial demolitions need even more care

When only part of the house is coming down — a rear section for an extension, or an interior strip-out — the neighbours are still close, and now the part of your own home that is staying needs protecting too. Our Partial & Interior Strip-Out service covers how that boundary is handled.

Planning it properly

A demolition that respects the neighbours is mostly a matter of planning: talk to them early, record the condition of their property, sort out protection work with your surveyor, deal with asbestos first, and control dust, noise and trucks on the day. If you're also wondering about timing, our guide to how long house demolition takes in Geelong walks through each stage.

Send us the address and we'll look at the boundaries, the neighbours and the access as part of a free site quote anywhere across Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast.

Demolition Next Door: Protecting Your Neighbours in Geelong