The information we need to quote your demolition

Why does the information you send decide the quote?

A demolition quote is only as good as the facts behind it. When details are missing, a contractor either adds margins to cover the unknowns or leaves items out and adds them later; neither helps you plan.

With good information we can price what is really there: the right machine for the access, the real volume of waste, the protection your neighbours need and any asbestos phase. That is also what makes the quote comparable with others, because it describes a specific job instead of a generic one.

The list below is ordered by importance. If you can only send part of it, start at the top; we will ask for the rest.

1. Where is the property and what is around it?

The address and municipality come first, because they tell us the distance, the type of street and which ayuntamiento's rules apply. A pin on a map is often as useful as the postal address in an urbanización.

Tell us also what surrounds the building:

• whether it is detached, semi-detached or terraced, and whether any wall is shared with a neighbour;
• how close it is to the road, other houses, a pool or trees you want to keep;
• whether it is in a historic centre or you suspect it may be protected, which changes the procedure;
• whether it is in an apartment building or a community with shared areas.

Within the provincia de Málaga we work from Marbella across the whole province, including the Costa del Sol and inland towns.

2. What exactly should be demolished, and what stays?

Describe the job in your own words, then list the elements one by one. The most common source of misunderstandings is an element that the owner considered obvious and never mentioned.

• Buildings: main house, garage, guest house, sheds, porches, pergolas.
• Outdoor elements: pool, terraces, slabs, paths, garden walls, fences, gates.
• Below ground: ground slab, foundations, basement, cistern, septic tank.
• Interior work, if it is not a full demolition: partitions, kitchens, bathrooms, floors, ceilings. The page interior demolition cost shows what matters for strip-outs.
• What stays: boundary walls, a neighbour's shared wall, trees, services, any part of the building you keep.

Finally, describe the end point you want: bare slab, cleared plot, plot roughly levelled after demolition. The guide what's included in a demolition quote and what isn't lists the grey areas worth deciding now.

3. Measurements and plans: what is enough?

We need quantities, not perfect drawings. The built floor area of everything to be demolished, the number of floors and the size of outdoor elements let us estimate volume and waste.

• Plans from the original project or a later renovation are the best source, even if old.
• The catastro record gives a built area, but check it against reality: extensions and outbuildings are often missing.
• Your own measurements are fine. The outside length and width of each building, the number of floors and approximate heights are enough for a first quote.
• Pools: length, width and the shallow and deep ends.
• Walls and slabs: length, height or width, and thickness if you know it.

If you already ran the calculator, send the figures you entered and the range you obtained; it tells us what you expect and saves a step.

4. Which photos help most?

Photos replace a first site visit when they show the building from every side and the way in. Ten well-chosen photos are worth more than fifty of the same façade.

1. Each façade of each building, from far enough away to see the whole wall.
2. The roof, from the ground or a terrace above, showing the covering material.
3. The access route from the street to the building, including the gate and any slope or steps.
4. The street in front of the property in both directions, to judge where a lorry or skip can stand.
5. Shared walls and the closest neighbouring buildings.
6. The interior of each room if there is a strip-out or if contents remain.
7. Outdoor elements: pool, terraces, walls, outbuildings.
8. Anything that looks like corrugated or flat fibre cement sheets, old pipes or water tanks.

A short video walking around the property is equally useful. Send photos by WhatsApp to 613 656 443 or by e-mail to oficina@presupuestodemolicion.eu.

5. Access, asbestos and other site conditions

Some conditions change the method and the price so much that it is worth flagging them explicitly, even if you are not sure.

• Access: width of the street and gate, height limits, overhead cables, parking restrictions, a steep drive.
• Suspected asbestos: a uralita roof, corrugated sheets on sheds, old water tanks or pipes. Asbestos removal is carried out by a RERA-registered company working as our subcontractor, and knowing about it early lets us plan it as its own phase. Our sister site shows how to spot it in how to recognise uralita.
• Condition of the building: cracks, partial collapse, a roof that has fallen in, or a building declared unsafe.
• Contents: furniture, appliances, rubbish or old building materials still on site.
• Utilities: whether electricity, water and gas have been disconnected or still need to be.

6. Documents, permits and timing

Tell us where you are with the paperwork, because it affects when the job can start. We do not draft projects, file declaraciones responsables or obtain licences: we work with the documentation of your técnico competente and coordinate dates with them.

• Do you already have a técnico, and has the proyecto or memoria técnica been prepared?
• Has the declaración responsable or licence been filed with the ayuntamiento, or is it pending?
• In a community of owners, is the owners' meeting agreement in place for works on common elements?
• When would you like the work done, and are there dates to avoid, such as tenants, neighbours' events or your own travel?
• Who is your contact in Spain, if anyone, and which language do you prefer? You can write to us in English.

Municipal fees and taxes are outside our quote; the guide licence fees and ICIO tax for demolition explains what to check.

What happens after you send the information?

Once we have your details, we reply with one of three things: a few precise questions, a proposal to see the site if something cannot be judged from photos, or the written quote itself. The quote is itemised by scope, technique, waste and final condition, lists the exclusions and states the VAT separately, without obligation.

From there you can compare it with other offers using how to compare demolition quotes, or move straight to dates and stage payments. To send your information, use the demolition quote request or the quote page; if you want a first range before that, the demolition calculator page explains each field. For owners who need the whole process coordinated, our sister site describes managing a demolition from abroad.

Common gaps in demolition quote requests

Most follow-up questions we send after a quote request concern the same few gaps. Checking them before you send saves a round of messages and often a site visit.

• Outbuildings left out. The garage, the guest house or the shed at the bottom of the garden are mentioned only once the quote has been prepared.
• No photo of the access. Owners photograph the house but not the lane, the gate or the street, which decide which machine can be used.
• Roof material unknown. Without a clear photo of the roof, we cannot rule asbestos in or out.
• End point not described. "Demolish the house" does not say whether the slab, the foundations and the pool should go.
• Contents still inside. Furniture and household items change the sorting and transport, so tell us if they will still be there.
• Timing missing. A start date tied to a sale, a new build or a rental season changes how the job is planned.

If you are unsure about any of these points, mention the doubt rather than leaving it out. A known uncertainty can be priced as an option; a hidden one becomes a variation.

It also helps to say what you plan to do with the plot afterwards. A site that will be sold as it stands, one that will receive a new villa and one that will become a garden need different end points, and knowing which applies lets us describe the final condition correctly from the first version of the quote.