STANDARD
INTEGRITY
INSTITUTE

SII / DEMOLITION SCOPE

Demolition is quoted.Is waste removal included?

The word “demolition” does not answer that. Check bagging, carrying through the property, moving waste downstairs, transport and disposal fees separately. Then check protection and making good. Unstated does not mean excluded—but it does not mean included, either.

Prepare a follow-up message See the eight scope checks

Use this guide to clarify the document, not to judge market prices or approve a contractor.

SII / SCOPE RECORD

Illustrative scope record

One quote. Four parts to clarify.

01 / Removal
Listed
Remove the living-room timber ceiling; retain the floor.
02 / Protection
Partly unstated
Indoor floor protection listed; lift protection not yet confirmed.
03 / Waste
Needs detail
Bagging and carrying listed; downstairs handling, trips and disposal fees unstated.
04 / Handover
Separate cost
Wall repairs charged separately; no pricing breakdown supplied yet.

Fictional example for reading a quote. Not a work specification, actual quotation or allocation of liability.

Keep the quote open. Check these eight points.

Start with locations, quantities and what is included. Then check how changes will be handled. Open a point for the detail; the message below includes all eight questions.

01What comes out—and what stays?

Identify walls, ceilings, floors, cabinets and equipment by room, drawing or photograph. Mark retained items separately. Specify the extent and end condition of removal rather than interpreting “whole-property demolition” yourself.

02Where does protection begin and end?

Check retained items, door frames, floors and the carrying route. Ask about protection materials, installation and removal dates, and cleaning afterwards. Protection need not have a separate price line, but its inclusion should be identifiable in the quote or an attachment.

03Is the whole waste journey covered?

Check sorting, bagging, indoor carrying, moving downstairs, loading, transport and disposal separately. “Waste removal included” still needs an estimated quantity, vehicle type or capacity, disposal fees and a basis for any excess charges.

04Who checks utilities before removal?

Ask who will check service routes, arrange any necessary isolation and deal with old pipe openings. Include the response to concealed services or accidental damage. Appropriate on-site professionals must determine the technical methods.

05Who covers lifts, stairs and building fees?

Separate common-area protection from indoor protection. Check permitted carrying hours, access restrictions, management or cleaning fees, and the arrangements for reporting and repairing scratches, contamination or impact damage.

06Who handles effects on neighbours?

Dust, noise, vibration, leaks or carrying damage can affect areas outside the property. Identify pre-work condition records, a contact person and the notification process. Ask how damage will be investigated, discussed and repaired rather than accepting a vague responsibility statement.

07What condition will be handed over?

Specify the expected condition of holes, walls, floors, pipe openings, junctions and waste clearance. Identify included or separately priced patching, plastering, levelling and edge finishing, along with the handover to the next trade.

08More work, less work, another trip—how is it priced?

Agree how changes will be explained, quoted and confirmed. Include extra labour, trips and disposal costs, as well as deductions for removed scope. Link verbal changes to a dated record of scope, amount and timing.

Prepare a follow-up message

SII / SCOPE QUESTIONS

Different unit. Different question.

Choose the pricing unit on your quote. The message keeps all eight scope questions and adds the quantity or calculation question for that unit. If the quote uses several units, copy and combine the relevant follow-ups.

Pricing unit on the quote

Unpack the scope before the price.

A lump sum can have a clear scope. Ask for included, excluded, separately priced and unconfirmed items before deciding what the total covers.

Complete follow-up message

Hello, I would like to clarify what this demolition quote covers. Please provide the following details:

1. Please list each removal location, quantity, unit, scope and end condition, and mark retained items on the relevant drawing or photographs.

2. Does the price include protection for retained items and the carrying route? Please specify coverage, materials, installation/removal timing and cleaning afterwards.

3. Are sorting, bagging, indoor carrying, moving downstairs, loading, transport and disposal fees included? Please state estimated quantities, vehicle type/capacity, trips and excess unit rates.

4. Who arranges pre-work service checks, any necessary utility isolation and treatment of old pipe openings? If concealed services or damage are found, what are the notification, work-pause review and repair arrangements?

5. Is protection for lifts, stairs, corridors and entrances included? Please identify building hours/access restrictions, management or cleaning fees and the arrangements for common-area damage.

6. Who prepares relevant neighbour or third-party condition records? If damage is reported, who receives the report, notifies others, investigates, coordinates and arranges repairs?

7. What is the agreed end condition for holes, walls, floors, pipe openings, edges and cleaning? Which repairs are included or separate, and who takes over for the next stage?

8. If removal scope, labour, trips or disposal costs increase or decrease, how are quantities, rates, deductions and timing adjusted? Who confirms the change, by what method, before it is scheduled?

9. Which work, quantities, labour, protection, waste handling and repairs does this lump sum cover? Please distinguish included, excluded, separate-cost and unconfirmed items, with the conditions for extras.

Please update the quote or confirmation record with the agreed scope, costs, timing and attachment versions so we can check the same document. Mark unresolved items as unconfirmed rather than assuming they are included or excluded. Thank you.

This page prepares text only. It does not send a message or save your selection; refreshing returns to lump sum / package.

When the reply arrives, do three things.

Put the scope on the same drawing

Use matching location names for removal, retention and protection. Date the drawing or photographs and identify the version.

Give separate costs a calculation

Do not leave them as “extra”. Ask for quantities, units, rates, disposal fees and the process for confirming an increase.

Bring verbal explanations into the record

Check the reply against the updated quote, then confirm which version both sides are keeping.

Structural concerns, concealed services, unidentified materials and other safety questions need assessment and handling by appropriate on-site professionals. This page is not an instruction or clearance to proceed with demolition.

A few questions that still come up.

Should I reject a quote just because it is a lump sum?

Not on that wording alone. Check whether the total can be matched to defined locations, work, quantities and coverage, including exclusions, separate costs and change arrangements. This checklist helps you ask questions; it does not decide whether you should sign.

Does “waste removal included” rule out extra charges?

The phrase alone cannot establish that. Check sorting, bagging, carrying, moving downstairs, transport and disposal, along with estimated quantities and excess rates. If charges are disputed, review the full quotation, contract and related records.

Can an unexpected finding automatically become an extra?

Ask for the finding, photographs, the difference from the original scope, quantities, pricing and timing effects. Then use the agreed confirmation process. On-site professionals must assess urgent safety measures. “We only found it on site” does not by itself determine payment obligations; disputes depend on the circumstances and applicable rules.

Can SII decide the right demolition price or who is liable?

SII examines documents through Transparency, Consistency, Reasonableness and Executability, helping identify scope, quantities, terms and records that need clarification. It does not rate contractors, assess market prices, determine construction safety or decide legal liability. Those questions require appropriate professional advice.

Still cannot tell what the quote covers?

Keep the full quote and available attachments together. Identify the missing explanations before deciding what to do next. SII assesses the document, not the contractor.

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General document-reading information, not a cost appraisal, site assessment, construction instruction or legal advice.

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This report and the website content are intended solely as strategic reference for pricing and contract negotiations, and do not constitute formal legal endorsement.