Why two quotes differ by thousands
When two demolition prices are far apart, the usual assumption is that one contractor is cheaper. Far more often they are pricing two different jobs, and nothing on either piece of paper says so.
There are three questions that explain most of the gap. Has the building been surveyed for asbestos, or is the price assuming it is clean? Who keeps the recovered steel? And which of them has read the lease or the local filing requirements? A quote that has answered all three will look more expensive than one that has answered none, right up until the second one starts issuing variations.
The rest of this is what each line should actually say, so you can put two quotes side by side and see whether you are comparing like with like.
The survey line, and why it comes before the price
Hazardous material is the single biggest variable in demolition pricing. Published cost guides put ordinary house demolition at roughly five to ten dollars per square foot; a building with significant asbestos in the siding, roofing, flooring or insulation runs two to three times that, in the region of ten to thirty.
That is a bigger swing than doubling the floor area, which means a quote produced without a survey is not really a quote. If one contractor has surveyed and the other has not, the cheaper number is cheaper because nobody looked.
What to look for: a named survey line with a cost attached, or an explicit statement that the price assumes no hazardous material and what happens if any is found. "Asbestos removal if required" with no figure is not either of those.
Permits, notification and the utility clock
Most people expect the permit to be the slow part. It rarely is. The long item is the utility disconnections, and they are requested by the property owner rather than the contractor, so nothing starts until you make the calls.
Closing the electricity account, having the meter removed and the service line disconnected commonly takes seven to fourteen business days. Removing a gas meter and capping the supply at the main runs considerably longer, in the region of twenty one to sixty business days. Where the gas source sits within about five feet of demolition activity, the riser has to come out as well.
Commercial work adds a notification period to the regulator, which runs in calendar days regardless of how ready anyone is. A quote showing machines on site next week has almost certainly filed nothing. What you want to see is who files what, and the disconnections listed as your action with a realistic lead time beside them.
Waste tonnage, and who keeps the steel
Demolition waste is priced by weight, and on a steel-heavy building the recovered tonnage is worth enough to move the total. Some contractors price the demolition and keep the steel. Others weigh it off and credit it back. Both are legitimate and only one of them is visible on the quote.
It is a fair question to ask before you choose, and asking it of both contractors often closes most of the gap between them on its own.
The same applies to concrete. Crushed on site it becomes granular fill for whatever is built next; hauled away it is paid for twice, once as waste going out and again as imported stone coming back. Whether that is worth doing depends on volume and space, but the quote should say which it assumes.
What the site looks like at handover
A cleared lot is not automatically a buildable one. Foundations can be taken to a depth that suits a garden or a depth that suits a new foundation, and the void can be backfilled with imported stone or with the old concrete crushed on site.
Those choices change what your builder inherits, and they are far cheaper to make before the machine arrives than to correct afterwards. The quote should state the finished level, what the backfill is and whether the ground is left graded or simply cleared.
You should also expect the waste paperwork. Waste from your property stays your legal responsibility after it leaves, so weighbridge tickets and transfer notes belong with you rather than with the contractor.
Five questions to ask before you sign
Has the building been surveyed for hazardous material, and is the survey cost in this price? Who keeps the recovered steel and other salvage? Which filings are you making, and which calls do I need to make myself? What depth are the foundations taken to, and what is the ground left like? And will I get the weighbridge tickets and transfer notes?
A contractor who answers all five without hesitating is quoting a job they have actually looked at. One who is vague on two or three is quoting a number they hope will win the work, and the difference shows up later as variations rather than at the point you choose.