Costs & fixed price
What does a demolition cost in Berlin?
What does it cost to demolish a house? The honest answer: it depends. Below you'll find realistic demolition costs for houses, garages and commercial buildings, the key cost drivers and our calculator for an initial estimate. You get the exact price after a free inspection – as a binding fixed price with no hidden costs.
Price examples (guide values)
Non-binding guide values incl. disposal. The actual fixed price results from the inspection.
What determines the price
- 1Size and construction of the building
- 2Hazardous materials such as asbestos, KMF or PCB
- 3Accessibility and location of the site
- 4Basement, floor slab and foundations
- 5Disposal and recycling effort
What Demolition Costs – the Short Answer
Demolishing a single-family house costs €12,000 to €40,000 including disposal, depending on whether there is a basement and whether hazardous materials are found. A garage runs €2,000–5,000, an apartment building from €40,000. These are experience values for Berlin and Brandenburg; a reliable figure needs a site visit, because the two most expensive unknowns – what is in the ground and what is in the fabric – cannot be settled remotely.
How It Is Calculated
The industry prices by enclosed volume in cubic metres, not by living space: footprint times overall height including roof and basement.
| Basis | Range |
|---|---|
| Demolition without hazardous materials | €30 – 60 per m³ |
| Demolition with remediation | €60 – 120 per m³ |
| Basement and slab removal | €40 – 80 per m² |
| Disposal of rubble only | €15 – 40 per m³ |
| Backfilling and compaction | €15 – 30 per m³ of pit |
A house with an 8 × 10 m footprint and 6 m height comes to roughly 480 m³ – about €24,000 at €50/m³. Try the cost calculator for a closer figure.
What Is and Is Not in the Quote
Included: site set-up, demolition and loading, sorting and haulage, landfill fees and disposal records, and – where commissioned – basement removal, backfilling and remediation. Not included: the hazardous-material survey and structural verification, which have to come from independent parties, and disconnecting the utility connections, which the utilities bill directly.
Budget €1,000 to €4,000 for the permit stage on top. See demolition permit Berlin.
Why Quotes for the Same House Differ by 40 Percent
Almost always because of disposal, which accounts for around 35 percent of the total. If the tonnage is estimated rather than calculated, the difference arrives later as a variation. The second reason is an unresolved hazardous-material position: without a survey every bidder prices a different risk.
Regional Differences
Inner-city Berlin runs about 15 percent above average – narrow access, noise restrictions and limited space for containers. Brandenburg runs about 10 percent below. See the full breakdown under house demolition costs.
Common questions about costs
What does it cost to demolish a house?
As a rough guide: a single-family house without a basement costs €12,000 to €25,000, with a basement €18,000 to €40,000, an apartment building from €40,000. Key factors are size in cubic metres of enclosed space, basement, hazardous materials and disposal. Only a fixed price after inspection is reliable.
What does demolishing a house with a basement cost?
A full basement adds around 25 percent, or €5,000 to €15,000, compared with the same house without one. The extra cost is not in the demolition but in the earthworks afterwards: walls, slab and foundations have to be removed and the pit backfilled and compacted.
Is disposal included in the price?
Yes. Our fixed price covers demolition, sorting and proper disposal including documentation. Both blocks are itemised separately so you can compare them – disposal accounts for around 35 percent of the total.
What costs come on top of the demolition quote?
Permit and surveys run separately: administrative fee €100–500, structural verification €500–2,000, hazardous-material survey €400–1,500. Disconnecting the utility connections adds €500–2,500 and is billed by the utilities, not the demolition contractor.
What drives demolition costs up?
Above all hazardous materials such as asbestos, which add 10 to 35 percent depending on the findings, plus difficult access, deep basements and large foundations. Inner-city Berlin runs about 15 percent above average, Brandenburg about 10 percent below.
Why do quotes differ so widely?
Because they often do not cover the same scope. The most common difference is disposal: if the tonnage is estimated rather than calculated, the difference arrives later as a variation. Ask for the assumed quantity per fraction and check whether remediation, basement removal and backfilling are included.
Your Project
Do you have a demolition project?
Contact us for a free consultation and a non-binding fixed-price quote. We will get back to you within 24 hours.