Thain's demolition: Contractors, engineers, building owners to meet to discuss last step

A meeting next week will determine the best way Central Demolition can remove the final Thain's building wall without compromising neighbouring buildings. Photo / Bevan Conley

Central demolition workers will meet with engineers and building owners next week to determine the best course of action for removing the last of Thain's building.

Demolition began in early August after the building was ravaged by fire on July 20, resulting in extensive damage to the floors and roof.

At the start of September, contractors stopped demolition with one wall remaining, the one closest to the Thai Villa restaurant.

Central Demolition managing director Ian Butcher said the meeting would determine the best way they can remove the wall without compromising neighbouring buildings.

"The biggest issue we have with it is just how connected the two walls are and if they share a foundation and, if they do, what we do about that," Butcher said.

"It may even be that we just have to do it manually, put some scaffold up and do it piece by piece. Hopefully that's not the case."

If the job could be carried out using Central Demolition machinery, it would take about one week, but doing it manually would take longer.

Central Demolition will move an excavator and a truck back on-site on Monday.

Butcher said there are issues they need to avoid.

"There are two things - inadvertently poking a hole through the neighbour's wall is one of them and there's weathertightness issues too," he said.

"If we take that wall away then there's no guarantee that there'd be waterproof membrane between the two walls.

"That means that in a serious rain event, all their paint and furniture would get damaged."

In the meantime, Central Demolition has been selling salvaged materials from the building from its Feilding yard.

Butcher said selling it was a fantastic idea.

"We've had students working through the school holidays making pocket money and we've been putting bricks into pallets of 400, selling them for $1.50.

"A huge amount of timber flooring has been sold, so that's been really worthwhile doing."

Butcher said he would have an update next week on when demolition would resume.