Almost every renovation begins with clearing out. Strip-out companies gut rooms, remove floor coverings, tiles, kitchens and non-load-bearing walls, and send the material into the correct waste stream. The work looks simple, but it affects the entire construction process: anything overlooked here shows up later as an additional charge.
Strip-out companies remove fitted elements, break up coverings and screeds, remove non-load-bearing walls and separate the material by waste fraction. They provide skips, protect escape routes and adjacent rooms with dust protection, and hand over a swept-clean area to the next trade. Load-bearing elements are not part of their scope; for that you need a builder and a structural assessment.
For buildings dating from before the 1990 asbestos ban, a hazardous materials assessment is mandatory before demolition. Asbestos is found not only in Eternit, but also in tile adhesives, floor coverings, window putty and pipe insulation. If it is released during removal, a strip-out turns into a remediation project requiring a specialist firm, an airlock and clearance testing. Following this sequence is the most cost-effective measure of all.
Waste disposal is the item that makes quotations hard to compare. Ask for a breakdown showing how many skips have been allowed for, which waste fractions will be separated, and whether landfill charges are included or charged according to actual cost. Dust protection, protection for the stairwell and lift, and final cleaning should also be included in the quotation; otherwise they reappear later as time-and-materials work.
A purely internal strip-out is usually exempt from a permit, but as soon as load-bearing elements, the façade or the roof are affected, the project requires approval. The rules vary by canton and municipality; clarify this with your municipality before work begins. In condominiums, you also need the consent of the owners' association if common building elements are affected.
After the strip-out, the builder usually takes over for knock-throughs and rebuilding work, followed by the first-fix electrical and plumbing installations. Plan the strip-out so that the follow-on trades can start immediately. Downtime between trades is the most common reason renovations take longer than planned.
Strip-out is the noisiest and dustiest trade in the entire renovation. Municipalities regulate quiet hours differently; in residential zones, evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sundays are usually off limits. Before work starts, inform your neighbours and, in apartment buildings, the property management in writing about the duration and time windows. It costs nothing, but prevents complaints that in the worst case can lead to a stop-work order. At the same time, clarify where the skip may be placed: if it needs to stand on public land, a permit from the municipality is required, and this usually needs a few days' lead time.