In short
- Free survey before we quote anything — we do not price a job from a photograph.
- Two figures, shown separately: the cost of the work and the value of the material recovered.
- Our own insured crew, equipment and vehicles. Nothing subcontracted to a team you have not met.
- Full documentation: method statement, insurance, weighment records, gate passes and GST invoice.
Lift removal is one of the few scrap jobs where an untrained crew can genuinely get someone killed. The counterweight is suspended, the traction machine is heavy and awkward, the shaft is a fall hazard from every landing, and none of that is obvious from the lobby.
We remove passenger and goods lifts complete — traction machine or hydraulic power pack, cabin, guide rails, counterweights, ropes, landing doors and controller — working from the top down with the shaft barricaded at every floor and the supply isolated and locked off.
What the scope covers
- Traction machines
- Geared and gearless machines, motors and brake assemblies — copper-rich and the highest-value single item.
- Cabin & doors
- Car frame, cabin panelling, landing doors, frames and sills.
- Guide rails & brackets
- Machined steel guide rails, fishplates and shaft bracketry.
- Counterweights
- Cast iron or steel filler weights and the counterweight frame.
- Ropes & governor
- Steel wire ropes, governor, tension weights and safety gear.
- Controller & wiring
- Control panel, drive, travelling cable and shaft wiring.
How the job runs
Survey
Shaft dimensions, machine room location, lift capacity, access route and how material will come out of the building.
Isolation & barricading
Supply isolated and locked off with your electrician present. Every landing opening barricaded and signed before work starts.
Top-down removal
Ropes released under control, counterweight lowered and broken down, car removed, then rails from the top landing downward.
Clearance
Machine room cleared, shaft left empty and swept, material weighed and payment settled.
How it is priced
We quote two numbers and keep them separate: what the removal costs, and what the recovered material is worth. Blending them into one figure hides which side of the trade you are on. Where the material value exceeds the removal cost you receive a net payment; where it does not, you pay the difference and nothing more.
Nothing is added afterwards for labour, transport or disposal. If the survey missed something genuinely unforeseen we come back to you before doing the work, not after.
Questions we get asked
What is an old lift worth?
More than most building owners expect. The traction machine alone carries substantial copper, and rails, counterweights and the car frame add several tonnes of steel. A typical passenger lift from a mid-rise building runs to a meaningful five-figure sum. We quote after a survey because capacity and travel vary so widely.
Do you remove hydraulic lifts too?
Yes. Hydraulic units have a power pack, a jack and an oil reservoir instead of a traction machine. The oil is drained and contained by us and routed to authorised disposal rather than tipped.
How long does removal take?
A standard passenger lift in a mid-rise building is typically two to four days depending on travel height and how material can be moved out. Goods lifts and high-rise installations take longer. The survey gives you a firm duration.
Is the building disturbed during removal?
There is noise, and the shaft area is out of use throughout. We barricade every landing, keep the corridor clear and can work outside office or residential quiet hours where the building prefers. For occupied buildings we agree the working window with the RWA or facility manager before starting.
