What does demolishing a house in Montréal cost
It is the first question everyone asks, and the only honest answer starts with an observation. Two houses of identical size, a few streets apart, can be quoted at prices that differ threefold. Here is why, and how to read a quote to know whether it is serious.
The ranges seen on the market
Contractors and quoting platforms that publish orders of magnitude for Quebec generally place single family house demolition between eight and twenty five thousand dollars, with rates often expressed around ninety to two hundred dollars per linear foot. Those figures are useful for framing a starting budget, not for signing.
The reason is simple. Those ranges assume an average case, an accessible lot, no asbestos, no party wall and foundations left in place. As soon as one of those changes, the figure leaves the range. A serious quote only comes after a site visit, because the estimator has to see the lot, the access and the materials.
The six items that really weigh
Volume to be hauled away is the first item. Transport and disposal are paid by the tonne, and a two storey house generates far more than a bungalow with the same footprint. It is often the heaviest line on the quote.
Site access comes right after. A wide driveway where the excavator gets in without manoeuvring costs much less than an alley house needing a small machine and more working days. On the island of Montréal, that point alone explains a good share of the gap between two quotes.
Asbestos is the item that surprises most. Any house built or renovated before 1990 must be tested. A positive result adds a contained removal phase before demolition, and that phase is priced separately. It is also why you should never accept a firm price given over the phone without testing.
What happens to the foundation is your call. Full removal with compacted backfill costs more than crushing it on site and leaving it under the fill. If you are rebuilding, your structural contractor will tell you which of the two your project requires.
A party wall changes the method completely. A shared wall means shoring, careful cutting and often hand work rather than machine work. You go from three days to a week, with a larger crew.
Permits and lead times, finally, do not increase the cost of the work but they stretch the schedule. In some boroughs a demolition review committee has to rule, which can add several weeks before the first bucket.
What a serious quote must contain
A demolition quote that holds up details at least six things. The method and machinery planned. What happens to the foundation, removed or crushed. How hazardous materials are handled, with or without a contained removal phase. The haulage route and estimated number of trips. The schedule with a start date and a handover date. And the condition the lot will be returned in.
If a quote fits on three lines and states a lump sum with no breakdown, it is not a firm price, it is an estimate that will be revised. The difference gets paid during the job.
The costs owners forget
Service disconnection by Hydro-Québec, Énergir and the city is not always included in the contractor's quote, and it has to be triggered early enough not to delay the job. Laboratory analysis for asbestos is billed per sample. The public right of way permit, when the bin has to stay on the street, is a municipal cost. And if you are rebuilding, regrading the lot is not the same thing as a simple clean up.
Frequently asked questions
We can give you an order of magnitude, but not a firm price. We need to see the lot, the access and the condition of the building, and know whether there is asbestos. A price quoted over the phone without that information is an estimate that will move, and that is precisely what we want to avoid.
Yes, always, with no obligation. The estimator comes out, assesses the site in person and gives you a detailed quote within 24 to 48 hours.
Our quote is firm on the scope described. It only moves if an unknown condition appears, for example an asbestos containing material that sampling did not detect. In that case we stop, document it and submit a variation for your approval before resuming.
