The Asbestos They Didn't Expect

Every Building Has Two Stories

The first is the one you can see.

The second is hidden behind the walls.

We were initially engaged to remove the known asbestos from a commercial building in Gladesville that was being converted into a Plus Fitness gym as part of a major refurbishment.

On paper, it was a straightforward asbestos removal project. But older commercial buildings rarely follow the paper.

Reading the Building

Commercial buildings constructed throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s frequently contain asbestos-containing materials in locations that only become apparent once demolition begins.

A hazardous materials survey identifies accessible materials. It cannot always identify what sits behind wall linings, beneath floor finishes, inside service penetrations or concealed within decades of alterations and renovations.

Walking this site, we weren’t simply comparing the building to the asbestos register. We were reading the building itself.

How had it originally been constructed? What had been modified over the years? Where were hidden materials most likely to exist once demolition opened the structure?

Years spent in construction, building inspections and demolition teach you to see these patterns.

The more we assessed the building, the more confident we became that additional bonded asbestos-containing materials were likely to be encountered during the strip-out.

The Hidden Cost of Splitting the Scope

This is one of the most common situations we encounter on commercial projects.

A client appoints one contractor to remove the known asbestos. A separate contractor is engaged to complete the demolition. The asbestos removal is completed. The demolition crew begins opening walls and ceilings. Additional asbestos-containing materials are discovered.

Everything stops.

Work cannot legally continue until the newly identified asbestos is managed under licence. That means a new SafeWork NSW Form 65 notification — and a minimum of five calendar days before works can legally restart. Meanwhile the builder waits, trades are delayed, and programme costs continue to grow.

The asbestos isn’t usually the expensive part. The delay is.

A minimum five-day stoppage is the best case. If the licensed removalist has other jobs booked, or if additional assessment is required, it runs longer.

None of this is unusual. It is one of the most common and preventable causes of delay on commercial strip-out projects in Sydney.

A Different Approach

Rather than treating asbestos removal and demolition as two separate contracts, we recommended integrating both scopes under one contractor.

This wasn’t about increasing the value of the project. It was about removing programme risk before demolition began.

Managing both licensed asbestos removal and demolition together meant one compliance pathway covering notifications, waste tracking, hygienist clearances and documentation — and one crew that could assess and manage any additional ACM discovered during demolition on the spot, without stopping the clock to re-engage a second contractor.

After discussing the risks, the client elected to proceed with the integrated approach.

How the Project Was Delivered

The known asbestos-containing materials were removed under our SafeWork NSW Class B Asbestos Removal Licence (AD214755). Required notifications were completed. Waste was transported and tracked to licensed disposal facilities. Independent hygienist clearances were obtained.

Once asbestos removal was complete, the commercial strip-out continued under the same project team.

As anticipated, additional bonded asbestos-containing materials were identified during demolition.

Because demolition and asbestos removal were already being managed by the same licensed contractor, those materials were assessed and managed without the disruption that occurs when a separate contractor must be re-engaged.

The programme kept moving.

When the builder took possession, the site was clean, compliant and ready for the next stage of construction. Before handover, our team pressure washed the exterior of the building, leaving the property cleaner than the client expected.

What the Client Said

“The standard of work blew me away. As the demolition crew, they handed the site back not just clear but genuinely immaculate — and then went a step further and pressure washed the entire exterior until it was spotless. You expect a demo crew to leave a mess; these guys left it cleaner than they found it.”

— Daniel, Plus Fitness, Gladesville

Lessons From This Project

1. An asbestos survey is the beginning, not the complete picture. Surveys identify accessible asbestos-containing materials. They cannot always identify materials concealed behind finishes or within previous alterations.

2. Construction knowledge matters. Understanding how buildings were originally constructed often allows risks to be identified before demolition begins, rather than after walls and ceilings have already been opened.

3. Programme delays are often preventable. Many delays occur not because asbestos exists, but because demolition and asbestos removal have been planned as completely separate scopes — requiring a full legal restart every time something is found.

4. Integrated delivery reduces risk. Managing licensed asbestos removal and demolition under one contractor simplifies communication, eliminates the gap between trades and creates a single point of accountability throughout the project.

Planning a Commercial Strip-Out?

If your building was constructed before 1990, asbestos behind the walls is a probability, not a possibility.

Don’t book a separate demolition crew and find out the hard way. Call us before the project starts — one conversation at planning stage costs nothing. A programme stoppage costs weeks.