DEMOLITION
Demolition is the first step of the build
A renovation is never better than the demolition that comes before it. The point is to remove the right things in the right order without damaging what is staying: pipes and cables in the wall, the floor structure under the vinyl, the neighbour’s ceiling beneath your bathroom. That is why we find out what the walls and floors contain before the crowbar comes out.
Relut does interior demolition and stripping out in detached houses, terraced houses, housing cooperative flats and holiday homes throughout Stockholm County: kitchens, bathroom finishes, non-load-bearing walls, floors and ceilings. Asbestos is only removed by companies with a permit from Arbetsmiljöverket (the Swedish Work Environment Authority), and sealants containing PCB go to a specialist removal company. We arrange both through partners. Work on load-bearing parts requires a structural engineer and often a notification to the municipality. The home visit and the quote are free of charge.
What we take out
Interior demolition and stripping out before a renovation, with the waste sorted from the start.
Kitchens and fittings
Cabinets, worktops and tiles are taken out. The electricity is disconnected by an electrical installation company and the water pipes are capped by a plumbing company before the sink and appliances are removed. Intact cabinets can be saved for reuse.
Bathroom finishes
Wall and floor tiles, vinyl flooring, boards and the old waterproofing membrane are stripped back to the frame or a sound base, and the sanitaryware is removed. Older vinyl, tile adhesive and grout are checked for asbestos before demolition starts.
Non-load-bearing walls
Partition walls of studs with plasterboard or chipboard are taken down once we have checked that the wall is not load-bearing and what runs inside it. Cables and pipes are dealt with by an authorised partner.
Floors and subfloors
Parquet, laminate, vinyl flooring, floor tiles and chipboard are lifted down to the joists or the concrete. The base is exposed so that joists, moisture and unevenness can be assessed before the new floor is planned.
Ceilings and suspended ceilings
Plasterboard, timber panelling, ceiling tiles and suspended ceilings are taken down. Fixed lighting is disconnected by an electrical installation company, and insulation and vapour barrier above are left intact if they are staying.
Sorting and removal
Wood, mineral waste, metal, glass, plastic and plasterboard are sorted separately right on site, and hazardous waste is kept apart. A skip or bulk bag is chosen according to volume, and the waste is taken to an approved facility.
GOOD TO KNOW
Rules that govern demolition
Demolition looks simple, but four things decide whether it is safe and follows the rules.
Asbestos in buildings from before 1982
Asbestos was banned in Sweden in 1982, and Arbetsmiljöverket (the Swedish Work Environment Authority) assumes that all buildings put up until then may contain asbestos. In homes it can be found in tile adhesive and grout, vinyl flooring, floor tiles and flooring adhesive, pipe insulation, ventilation ducts, window sills and fibre cement sheets (eternit). If there is the slightest doubt, a sample of the material is sent to a laboratory before demolition starts. If suspect material is found during the work, demolition stops until the test result has come back.
Asbestos removal requires a permit
Demolition and removal of material containing asbestos may only be carried out by companies with a permit from Arbetsmiljöverket and with specially trained staff. The rules are in chapter 3 of AFS 2023:13, which was tightened on 19 December 2025 with, among other things, a lower limit value. The asbestos must be removed first, in a cordoned-off area, before other demolition is done. We therefore never remove material containing asbestos ourselves but use a specialist removal company with a permit.
Six types of waste are sorted on site
Under chapter 3, section 19 of the Waste Ordinance (avfallsförordningen), whoever produces construction and demolition waste must sort out wood, mineral waste, metal, glass, plastic and plasterboard at the place where the waste arises and store them separately. Mineral waste means concrete, brick, tiles, ceramics and stone. Hazardous waste, such as electrical waste, asbestos, joint sealants containing PCB and pressure-treated timber, must be kept apart from other waste. Naturvårdsverket (the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency) states that a materials inventory should always be made before demolition.
Load-bearing parts require notification
According to Boverket, removing non-load-bearing parts indoors does not count as demolition as long as the frame remains. If load-bearing parts are substantially affected, for example a load-bearing internal wall, a floor structure or a roof truss, a notification (anmälan) to the building committee (byggnadsnämnden) and a start clearance (startbesked) are required before work begins. Ask a structural engineer what is load-bearing. In a housing cooperative flat you also need the board’s permission for work on a load-bearing structure.
How it works
How a demolition job works
Three steps from first contact to a quote with a clearly defined scope.
Describe what is to go
Get in touch and tell us which rooms and surfaces are involved, the year the building was built and what will be built afterwards. Photos and a simple floor plan sketch let us prepare the right questions for the visit.
Free home visit
We go through how the walls, floors and ceilings are built up, look for materials that may contain asbestos, see where electricity and water run and how the waste can be carried out. The visit is free of charge throughout Stockholm County.
Written quote
The quote states what is removed and what is left in place, dust protection and covering, sorting, skip and removal of waste, any sampling and asbestos removal through a partner, and the price with the ROT deduction (ROT-avdrag) shown.
What affects the price?
The price depends on how much is to be removed, what the materials consist of, how far the waste has to be carried and whether there is a lift and room for a skip. Concrete, tiles and plasterboard are heavy and cost more to dispose of than wood. Sampling and asbestos removal are added if suspect material is found. The ROT deduction (ROT-avdrag) is 30 per cent of the labour cost, up to SEK 50,000 per person per year. The price is given in a written quote.
Book a free home visitWould you rather talk to us directly? Call or email us
Free demolition home visit in Stockholm County
Tell us what you want done and we will get back to you. Call, email or fill in the form. The home visit and the quote cost nothing, wherever you live in Stockholm County.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about Demolition before you decide.
The price is set in a written quote after a home visit, because quantity, materials and carrying distance differ a great deal between two jobs. A kitchen with freestanding cabinets goes quickly, while a bathroom with floor tiles set in mortar on concrete takes longer and produces heavy waste. Skip, waste charges and any asbestos sampling are shown as separate items, so you can see what is labour and what is waste cost.
It can rarely be seen with certainty by eye, so a sample of the material needs to be analysed in a laboratory. If the building was built before 1982, Arbetsmiljöverket (the Swedish Work Environment Authority) says you should assume that asbestos may be present. Common places in homes are tile adhesive and grout, vinyl flooring, flooring adhesive, pipe insulation, ventilation ducts and fibre cement sheets (eternit). Bound asbestos that is left untouched does not normally release dust to any appreciable extent. It is when the material is worked on or demolished that the fibres are released.
No, we do not do that ourselves. Demolition and removal of material containing asbestos require a permit from Arbetsmiljöverket (the Swedish Work Environment Authority) and staff with special training. We use a specialist removal company with a permit, which removes the asbestos first in a cordoned-off area. When that is done, we continue with the rest of the demolition. The cost of sampling and asbestos removal is shown as separate items in the quote.
Yes, if the wall is not load-bearing. According to Boverket, removing non-load-bearing parts indoors does not count as demolition and needs no notification (anmälan). If the building’s load-bearing parts are substantially affected, a notification to the building committee (byggnadsnämnden) is required, and you must have a start clearance (startbesked) before work begins. A structural engineer can determine what is load-bearing and calculate a replacement beam. We do not cut into a wall until that has been established.
You need the board’s permission for certain work. Under the Housing Cooperatives Act (bostadsrättslagen) this applies to work on a load-bearing structure, alterations to pipes for drainage, heating, gas or water, changes to ventilation and other substantial alterations to the flat. Also find out the housing cooperative’s rules on working hours, the lift and where a skip may stand. We write a description of the demolition that you can attach to your application to the board.
Yes, when the demolition is part of a conversion or renovation of a home that you own. Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency) states that taking down walls and changing the layout qualify for the ROT deduction (ROT-avdrag), in a housing cooperative flat for work inside the flat. The deduction is 30 per cent of the labour cost, up to SEK 50,000 per person per year. Materials, machinery, travel time and removal of waste do not count as labour cost. Demolishing an entire house gives no deduction.
We screen off the demolition area with plastic sheeting walls and taped doorways, cover the floors along the carrying route and cover the ventilation vents in the room being stripped. Machines are connected to a construction dust extractor, and we clean up after every working day. Furniture in adjoining rooms is covered or moved. Before we start, the water is turned off and the fuses for the rooms concerned are switched off. Fixed electrical installations are disconnected by a registered electrical installation company we work with.
We look at what is to be removed, how the walls and floors are built up, the year the building was built and which materials may need sampling. We check where electricity, water and drainage run, whether any wall may be load-bearing and how the waste can be carried out and sorted. The visit and the quote cost nothing anywhere in Stockholm County. Afterwards you receive a written quote with a clearly defined scope.