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Rock, slopes and clay: what a Sydney site adds

Much of Sydney’s north and east sits on sandstone, and plenty of blocks on the north shore, the northern beaches and around the harbour fall away steeply. Digging a garage, a lower level or even deeper footings into rock means machinery, rock breaking and truckloads of spoil, and that work is priced before a single frame goes up. Out west, heavier clay soils swell and shrink with the seasons, so the slab and footings have to be designed around the soil test, not a standard detail.

Bushland edges add another layer. If your block is mapped as bushfire prone land, which takes in parts of the Hills, Hornsby and the Sutherland Shire, the design needs a bushfire attack level (BAL) assessment, and a higher rating means tougher windows, cladding and roofing. If a Sydney Water sewer main runs through the backyard, plans for an extension near it usually need a check through Sydney Water’s Tap in service.

DA, CDC or exempt: Sydney approvals in plain English

Most Sydney building projects go one of two ways. A development application (DA) goes to council and can take months. A complying development certificate (CDC) can be issued by council or a registered certifier when the project fits the state’s set planning codes, and it’s often quicker. Plenty of new homes, alterations, additions and knockdown rebuilds go the CDC route.

Heritage-listed homes, many houses in heritage conservation areas and some flood or bushfire-affected lots end up needing a DA instead. On a big enough block, a granny flat of up to 60 m² can often be approved as complying development. A good builder will tell you early which path suits your block and who’s handling the drawings and engineering.

Licences, contracts and HBC insurance in NSW

Building Commission NSW licenses builders. For residential building work worth more than $5,000, counting labour and materials and including GST, the builder needs a contractor licence in general building work, and you should have a written contract. Search the builder on the Verify NSW licence check and make sure the licence name matches the contract.

Once the job tops $20,000, the builder has to give you a home building compensation (HBC) insurance certificate before taking a deposit. You can confirm the policy with the HBC Check on Service NSW. NSW also caps the deposit at 10% of the contract price. Our page on licence checks in NSW walks through each lookup.

Sydney building prices, roughly

Sydney sits near the top of the national range for building costs, so budget toward the upper end of these figures. As a guide, building a new home runs about $1,800–$4,000 per m², a ground-floor extension $2,500–$4,500 per m² and going up a storey $3,500–$6,000 per m². Budget $15,000–$35,000 for a mid-range bathroom. Small jobs and variations are often charged at around $85–$150 an hour.

Site costs are where Sydney quotes drift apart. Ask each builder to price excavation, rock, retaining and demolition as separate lines so you’re comparing like with like. Our builder price guide has the full list.

One Sydney builder, matched to your project

Tell us what you’re planning and which part of Sydney the block is in, and we’ll match you with one licensed local builder we’ve checked for licence, insurance, ABN and reviews. You talk it through with them and decide in your own time.

If the project is outside Sydney, start from our builders page. For the separate trades a reno can need, see tradies across Sydney. Then get a free quote and tell us about the block.