Knock Down Rebuild : Site survey - own or via builder?

We in initial phase of KDR process where we are visiting project and custom builder to get some ideas on possible options wrt to our budget and requirements. We have landsize is ~615sqm / 15.4m frontage / 40m length and land is sloping toward front side and garage is down, we have 13 steps (~2.5m) before we come inside home.

A I understand we will firstly need to do site survey, soil tests to finalize the site assessment.
When we goto these builders like Metricon, Masterton, King etc they say they can order a details site survey from their end for some $$$.

My questions are :
1) If we get such survey completed from lets say Metricon and later we decide to go with other builder, do we get the survey report or it stays with builder or is it specific to that builder? I presume we get it but want to double check.
2) If we have to do such survey by our self (without builder engagement) how to find right surveyor? Any resource? Recommendation for finding?
3) How much we have to pay for such survey report? Does the cost vary if we do on own or via any builder?
4) Generally what do people do? do you get it through builder or do it on own?
5) How long it takes to get the survey done?

Is it better idea to have such survey ready/done and carry it everywhere when we visit the builders to discuss their floor plans and options?

Thanks guys!

 

Hi @rooster123

1) - project builders generally have already negotiated a rock bottom price from a Surveyor that will do bulk jobs for them. The survey will contain the bare minimum details and if they did release the plan, the next builder may not want to use the plan and prefer to engage their own trusted Surveyor. The same Surveyor will probably also peg-out the new house and issue the final compliance report once the house is finished. Most surveys are also copyrighted, so only the person that paid and engaged the surveyor gets to use it. (not that anyone complies with that)

2) - If you go this path maybe look local on Google. It's unlikely you will get a Surveyor driving from Newcastle to do a small job in Sydney. Look for a company that has Registered Surveyors. Most councils now want the boundaries accurately shown on your survey plan. The only Surveyor that can legally do this is a Registered Surveyor. Some councils (i.e. Mosman, Northern Beaches, etc) are getting wise and will verify if the Surveyor is registered. Also for DA surveys, councils will have a list of minimum requirements or they might reject it.

3) - depends on a few things like slope of the lot, heavily vegetated, rock ledges, drainage investigation, area of land etc etc. But a vanilla DA survey could be anything up to $1500 (rough guess) Of course if you're in Point Piper next door to Malcom it will cost more, and less for a brand new vacant lot. We can usually use Google or Nearmaps to have a look and estimate.

you might get it a bit cheaper if you want a very basic detail (only basic spot levels), just so you can show it to different builders for concept evaluation. But then you will pay more for a surveyor to go back and do a complete job.

4) - consider allowing the project builder to organise it all. It's unlikely you will get it done any cheaper or anymore efficiently. They will use their trusted professionals and know what they want.

5) - if we're not busy you can expect a 14 day turnaround or better. Note: most Surveyors in Sydney are busy.

6) see point 4.

good luck

 

Hi @rooster123 I was in the same situation as you and I found it easier to engage with an independent surveyor as opposed to one from a builder. Generally if you go to the council website and check the documentation checklist (DA or CDC) you will be able to tell your surveyor what needs to be included in the survey report based on the councils requirement, which the surveyor would know. Make sure the requirements from the council are included in the quote as you don't want to go back to the surveyor to add, which may potentially cost you extra. It will cost you around $900 - $1500 (maybe more expensive for your lot) to get a survey done in Sydney with a turn around of 5-8 business days. Hope this helps.

 

All good advice above, I find that if the registered surveyor goes on site (and not just signs at the end after others collect the data) then costs are around $1,500 -$1,700. There are some unregistered surveyors out there who are defining boundaries which I undersand they technically can not and can be fined for doing so. In newly developed areas the price of a survey can come down a bit since there are more new survey marks available which makes the job easier.

 

Paying for it via a builder is a little cheaper (just clarify you own the report) builders have no claim to your survey or soil test results - only the plans they draft.

However, most builders will insist you sign a "prelim works" agreement. Whilst this is non-binding agreement it's their way of trying to get you into their system and design your plans (which they own) to lock you into using them to build.