Keyhouse is a licensed demolition company holding a Minor Works Registration Licence, and we guarantee confidence in demolition and reinstatement works. Our company provides high-quality demolition and reinstatement services to small and medium-sized enterprises in Hong Kong, including the removal of built-in furniture, old appliances, and old clutter. Upon completion of the demolition and reinstatement works, we directly dispose of construction waste at government-designated recycling stations, providing a truly comprehensive one-stop demolition and reinstatement service. Our service scope is extensive, including demolition of various renovations and large furniture, cleaning and clearance, relocation and furniture moving, offering a one-stop solution for offices, restaurants, and shops requiring rapid vacant possession and reinstatement.
Our demolition company's team is committed to providing each client with the best and safest demolition works service. From initial communication and planning of demolition and reinstatement with clients, through to construction and follow-up, the team strives to deliver excellence. They have extensive experience in demolition and reinstatement works, specializing in various demolition, reinstatement, and unauthorized building structure removal projects. From demolition works to renovation, inspection, defect rectification, and maintenance, we strive for excellence in all aspects, achieving a truly one-stop service.
Apply to the Management Office
Clients who wish to conduct demolition works need to apply to their management office in advance. Generally, the application period takes approximately 3 to 7 working days. Once the relevant procedures are completed and approval is obtained from the management office, the demolition and reinstatement works can commence.
Protect Items That Need to Be Retained
Before demolishing furniture and fixtures, it is necessary to protect important items, otherwise they may be damaged during the works, resulting in unnecessary losses. For example, electrical appliances such as televisions, documents, and other fragile items must be properly protected. Our team can first help clients wrap and relocate these items before commencing the demolition of large furniture.
The first step of renovation is to remove the existing fittings. Some clients may consider demolition and reinstatement to be relatively simple work, but in fact, demolition and reinstatement works involve considerable professional knowledge. Without understanding the property's setup, demolition can easily damage the unit's water and electrical systems, gas pipes, windows, etc., which may lead to serious accidents. An even more serious issue is that if load-bearing walls are accidentally demolished, it could cause structural collapse. Therefore, it is essential to engage a professional demolition company for demolition and reinstatement works.
We have a professionally trained demolition works team with extensive experience in demolition and reinstatement work, capable of providing demolition services for residential and commercial units. The main areas for demolition within units include walls, false ceilings, floor platforms and tiles, as well as security gates, bathtubs, stoves, wardrobes, and beds. Before demolition, our master craftsmen will conduct an on-site assessment, calculate the cost for complete demolition, and provide professional demolition and reinstatement recommendations and solutions to property owners.
Our demolition company possesses professional expertise, extensive experience, and industry certifications, which can avoid many problems encountered during demolition and eliminate clients' unnecessary concerns.
Our demolition company prioritizes clients, protecting their interests during demolition and reinstatement works, reducing the risk of incidents, and providing construction insurance services for greater peace of mind.
Every member joining our demolition and reinstatement company team undergoes multiple rigorous assessments, has in-depth understanding of various types of projects, and possesses extensive hands-on experience, providing clients with confidence.
We understand that when clients face renovation and relocation, they have many details to handle, and suddenly having to prepare for demolition and reinstatement works can be overwhelming. If arrangements during demolition and reinstatement works are mishandled, accidentally demolishing load-bearing walls or breaking water pipes would cause major complications! However, rest assured, clients can first contact our demolition company. Our demolition and reinstatement company members possess excellent communication skills and relevant professional knowledge, value each client, and listen attentively to their different needs, providing the most suitable recommendations. Whatever type of demolition or reinstatement works required, we can handle them all. Combined with fair pricing, we are definitely a confident choice for demolition and reinstatement projects.
Of course, pricing is a concern for clients. With Hong Kong's economic fluctuations in recent years, business operators need to be cautious with budgets when relocating or renovating offices and shop premises to avoid excessive spending that might affect future operations, and will consider demolition costs carefully. For residential properties, families that have already spent considerably on unit renovation or relocation do not want to spend too much on demolition costs. Our demolition and reinstatement company's project pricing can satisfy clients. For demolition and reinstatement projects, whether for shops, offices, or residences, pricing is calculated based on the unit's area (square footage), with different property types having different demolition costs. As for ceilings, floors, and walls, demolition and reinstatement pricing is calculated separately, which we will explain to clients during quotation to reach consensus. Additionally, if the unit has wooden flooring with tiles underneath that need to be removed, this is also considered an additional demolition and reinstatement cost. After completing demolition work, our demolition company also provides basic cleaning services, but if large amounts of waste are involved, we consider additional charges necessary and will explain the details to clients first, allowing them to decide whether to use our demolition and reinstatement company's services. Everything is to ensure client satisfaction.
Our demolition and reinstatement company handles everything meticulously before commencing each project to ensure everything is foolproof. For works to proceed smoothly, clients must also make thorough preparations before our demolition company begins demolition work, to avoid supplementary requirements that could invisibly increase demolition costs. Aspects that clients need to prepare or confirm before works commence are roughly as follows:
If the client is a tenant, without authorization from the property owner, they cannot arbitrarily engage a demolition company to conduct demolition on the unit, otherwise disputes are highly likely to arise subsequently, and the client may even face litigation.
In addition to applying to the property management company of the building where the unit is located, according to the Buildings Ordinance, if clients are conducting alteration and addition works to the unit, they must first submit a formal application to the Building Authority and obtain approval and consent. However, there is one special circumstance: if the demolition alteration and addition works are only for minor works projects, they only need to follow the simplified provisions of the Minor Works Control System without prior approval from the Buildings Department, but must still apply to the building's residents' committee and property management office.
Before the demolition and reinstatement company prepares to commence works, clients should first shut off water and electricity, meaning completely close water, electricity, and gas switches, and seal all drainage outlets to avoid water and electrical leaks if demolition locations are mistaken, or small debris flowing into pipes during demolition causing blockages. Having to reprocess and pay additional demolition costs for this is truly not worthwhile. For accuracy, if clients have water and electrical layout diagrams of the unit, they can first show them to our demolition and reinstatement company's master craftsmen, enabling them to better avoid accidentally demolishing water and electrical pipelines during works.
As mentioned above, items requiring protection during demolition should be wrapped beforehand to prevent damage. If the client's unit is not undergoing complete demolition and reinstatement, but only partial treatment, they can inform our renovation master craftsmen in advance, who will provide adequate protection for different non-demolition areas of the client's unit, including wooden boards, dust covers, etc. To be safe, clients can also remind the master craftsmen before works commence to pay attention to areas requiring protection, allowing them to be prepared. If items in these areas requiring protection are movable, it is best to move them to a safe location for temporary storage before works begin, avoiding possible damage and not hindering the master craftsmen's demolition and reinstatement work.
Some property owners do not know whether certain parts of their unit are unauthorized structures, or already know they are unauthorized but have not been discovered and take no action, or even fail to remove them after receiving notice from relevant departments. All of the above are incorrect approaches. Unauthorized building structures themselves affect the safety of the entire building, and if collapse or fire occurs, it is extremely dangerous, and property value will decrease due to unauthorized structures. Therefore, demolition costs cannot be economized. Once a unit is known to have unauthorized structures, property owners must engage a qualified demolition company to remove them. However, for unauthorized structures in the building's common areas, joint owners of the building or the owners' corporation must work together to resolve it by engaging a qualified demolition company to conduct demolition.
Keyhouse has extensive experience in various types of demolition and reinstatement services, with fair pricing. Enquiries are welcome.
1. What project scope does Keyhouse's demolition works cover?
Our demolition and reinstatement company provides a wide range of demolition works and comprehensive one-stop demolition and reinstatement services. Over many years, we have followed up on and handled numerous projects, such as unauthorized structure demolition, office demolition, restaurant and shop demolition and reinstatement, platform removal, from residential to shopping centers, factory buildings, restaurants, removing wooden floors, removing plasterboard, removing ceilings, removing old signage, as well as unauthorized structure reinstatement, shop reinstatement, various metal fixtures, hardware appliances, and rooftop structures, etc. The scope of demolition and reinstatement projects is very extensive.
2. What is your demolition works service process?
If clients wish to use our demolition and reinstatement works, they can first contact us by phone, tell us your type of demolition works service, and can also send us photos of the site, then our company will reply via WhatsApp with a quotation regarding demolition and reinstatement pricing. When both parties have confirmed the work arrangements and agreed on the demolition quotation, our company will dispatch demolition master craftsmen to the site to handle and follow up.
3. Are your demolition works compliant with legal requirements?
First, everyone needs to understand the legal issues related to demolition works. According to Hong Kong's Buildings Ordinance and subsidiary regulations, the law stipulates that before demolishing illegal unauthorized structures on rooftops, a registered contractor must be engaged to conduct the relevant construction works. Our demolition company possesses qualified licenses, our team has many years of experience, demolition works techniques are top-tier, and we continuously improve construction quality and demolition technology, seeking breakthroughs to achieve the highest service quality and efficiency, which can arrange cost-effective and reassuring works for clients.
4. When planning demolition works, if the unit has old false ceilings, can we engage your demolition company to demolish the false ceilings without affecting built-in cabinets?
Such demolition projects can be given to our demolition company for survey first, then inform clients whether the demolition works can proceed. If confirmed possible, we will also provide a demolition price quotation.
5. During demolition works for demolishing old buildings, is it possible not to use heavy hammers?
Our demolition works team will arrange demolition based on the actual conditions of the estate and the master craftsmen's observations. We will also choose not to use heavy hammers (demolition tools) for demolition, but instead use lighter-duty breakers. However, if choosing gentler demolition and reinstatement services, demolition pricing may be relatively higher, but can reduce disturbance to neighbors.
6. How to distinguish which installations are unauthorized structures that require engaging a demolition company to handle?
If private buildings, including Private Sector Participation Scheme Home Ownership Scheme properties, as well as properties sold by the Housing Society, undergo addition, alteration, or demolition projects without submission to the Building Authority for approval and without obtaining Buildings Department approval, and are not exempted works under the Buildings Ordinance, these construction and demolition projects are considered unauthorized building works. Common unauthorized structures, alterations, or demolition projects include the following:
‧ Subdividing the unit into several smaller units.
‧ Removing partition walls to merge two or even more units.
‧ Adding staircases in the unit to access two or more floors.
‧ Adding additional floors or lofts to the entire building.
‧ Constructing additional structures in the building's light well, rooftop, or podium.
‧ Adding water tanks or swimming pools to the building.
‧ Adding additional water tanks, or structural brackets to fix air conditioners or air conditioning system heat dissipation systems.
On the building's external walls, these alteration projects are also not advisable:
‧ Installing signage, setting up floor-to-ceiling glass, or installing large televisions on external walls.
‧ Adding canopies, metal cages, and other unauthorized structures to external walls.
Property owners have the responsibility to ensure their units do not have unauthorized structures. When owners do not know whether certain parts of their unit are unauthorized structures and subsequently receive orders from the Buildings Department to remove designated unauthorized or additional structures, owners must also engage a demolition company to handle it. However, if unauthorized or additional structures are located in the common areas of the entire building, the building's owners' corporation or joint owners of the entire property must engage a suitable demolition company to conduct demolition and reinstatement.
In fact, for owners to understand whether the installations on their unit's external walls are unauthorized structures, before purchasing the relevant unit, they should first consult building professionals to understand whether there are unauthorized structures inside the unit and on external walls. To further confirm the existence of unauthorized structures, owners can apply to the Buildings Department to inspect approved building plans and occupation permit records.
7. When Keyhouse conducts office demolition and reinstatement work, what areas are you responsible for?
For office demolition and reinstatement, parts are actually similar to residential unit demolition and reinstatement. Office demolition projects include removing furniture, removing cabinets, removing asbestos tiles, clearing debris, removing air conditioners, removing flooring, removing ceilings, as well as demolishing renovations and unauthorized structures (if any).
Reinstatement works details will include ceilings and raised platforms, as well as fire protection systems, electrical systems, and air conditioning systems, which will also be reinstated.
Additionally, targeting office demolition projects, there are also data components, partitions, false ceiling boards, as well as all additional masonry works, all additional doors, windows, curtains and blinds, as well as all additional plumbing components, additional fire protection components and furniture. For smaller partitions and workstations within the office, as well as all walls and ceilings, they will be painted in the original color before demolition.
8. If the entire demolition and reinstatement works involve brick wall demolition projects, from application to actual demolition, what is the process?
As mentioned above, to conduct demolition and reinstatement works, of course an advance application must be made to the property management company, submitting replanned construction drawings to them for approval to proceed, and ensuring the works time period will not cause disturbance to nearby tenants. And of course, before demolishing brick walls, attention must be paid to whether what needs to be demolished is a load-bearing wall. In fact, everyone has seen from past news reports that accidentally demolishing load-bearing walls will seriously affect the entire building's structure, and in severe cases cause collapse accidents, so during demolition and reinstatement works, load-bearing walls must absolutely not be removed. So which walls in the unit are load-bearing walls? Actually, owners can first check the unit's floor plan, where load-bearing walls' thickness will be drawn thicker than non-load-bearing walls, so these thick walls absolutely cannot be demolished. Usually all external walls of the unit are load-bearing walls with bearing capacity, including walls shared with adjacent units, and usually walls surrounding bathrooms and kitchens are non-load-bearing walls. However, for safety, owners should first have a demolition and reinstatement construction structural design diagram. If necessary, they can inquire more with the property management company to know which walls in the unit are load-bearing walls.
Once everything is confirmed, our demolition company will begin wall demolition works, with the following steps:
‧ First erect perimeter barriers
‧ Then erect scaffolding
‧ Remove pipelines and outlet boxes
‧ Manually demolish the upper brick wall structure
‧ Remove scaffolding
‧ Erect vertical protective scaffolding adjacent to equipment
‧ Use breaker hammer to break lower walls
‧ Clean the unit
If clients indeed need to remove load-bearing walls, as stipulated by the Buildings Ordinance, this is an act of changing the building structure, so clients must first engage a registered engineer to help. They will conduct an in-depth inspection of the unit's structural condition to see if there are other reinforcement methods if load-bearing walls are removed. If the registered engineer judges it is possible, then an application must be submitted to the Buildings Department, and only after approval can the relevant demolition and reinstatement work proceed. Clients cannot arbitrarily engage a demolition and reinstatement company to demolish load-bearing walls without making an application, otherwise if discovered, the Buildings Department has the authority to require the client to reinstate the load-bearing wall, causing the client to spend additional demolition and reinstatement costs and time. If clients cannot complete the load-bearing wall reinstatement works within the deadline, they may even be prosecuted.
9. How is your demolition and reinstatement company's demolition pricing calculated? If demolition and reinstatement pricing is calculated based on unit area, what is the calculation method for unit area? I want to budget for demolition and reinstatement pricing.
Regarding demolition and reinstatement pricing calculation, fees are charged based on the unit's square footage. However, it should be noted that removing ceilings, removing floors, and removing walls are calculated separately. Usually when our demolition and reinstatement company receives clients' demolition and reinstatement works requirements, we will make an initial price quotation based on the unit area and locations requiring demolition and reinstatement works information provided by clients. When clients confirm the demolition price quotation is acceptable, our demolition company will arrange for master craftsmen to conduct an on-site assessment at the relevant unit to understand the actual area of the unit requiring demolition and reinstatement works, the projects to be handled, etc., and make a definite quotation regarding demolition and reinstatement pricing. If clients confirm it is acceptable, our demolition company will formally commence the relevant demolition and reinstatement works.
Additionally, it should be noted that regarding demolition price calculation, besides calculating by unit area as mentioned above, other matters are also involved that may further increase demolition and reinstatement pricing. For example, as mentioned in the above questions, using heavy hammer demolition to conduct demolition and reinstatement works, especially for older buildings, lighter-duty breakers will be used instead of heavy hammers for demolition, which can greatly reduce noise and not cause serious disturbance to neighbors, but conducting demolition and reinstatement works with breakers will have relatively higher demolition pricing. Additionally, some units may already have tiles laid under the wooden flooring. If these tiles need to be separately removed, the overall demolition price will need to be slightly increased. Also, if large amounts of bulky waste need to be completely cleared by our demolition company, the demolition and reinstatement pricing may possibly increase, especially clearing wood, styrofoam, etc., which is more expensive than brick walls, stones, etc. So everything will be determined by the final definite demolition price.
10. From the day your demolition company formally conducts demolition and reinstatement works on the unit, generally how many days are needed to complete the entire demolition and reinstatement work?
Units requiring demolition and reinstatement will determine the number of demolition and reinstatement days based on their size and complexity of item handling. Usually, units with an area of 500 square feet or below will take approximately 1 week to 10 days to complete the entire demolition and reinstatement works; for units with an area of 1,000 square feet, it will take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to complete the entire demolition and reinstatement works. And of course, if the unit involves moving large amounts of bulky items and conducting reinstatement works, it will also take slightly more time for the entire demolition and reinstatement work.
If you have any questions about our services, we can help! We offer free consultation services, so please feel free to contact us, and we will do our best to assist you.
