Why your designer asks for one
An extension has to fit the house you already have and the block it sits on. Your designer needs to know how the ground falls, how high the existing floors are, and what is in the way: trees, retaining walls, fences, sheds and services. Guessing risks a redesign, or a surprise once the slab goes in.
The survey also records the ground as it is today. WA's planning rules (the R-Codes and your local planning scheme) measure building height from natural ground level. Whether to survey before any demolition or earthworks depends on your local government, so check with them first.
What's on the plan
- Ground levels across the block, with contours and spot levels
- The existing house and other structures, with floor levels
- Trees, fences, retaining walls and other features
- Visible services, such as sewer inspection openings, meters and pits
- The kerb, verge and crossover at the front of the block
We deliver the plan to you and to your builder, architect or designer in the format they work in: PDF, DWG, DXF and others.
Do you also need an internal survey?
If the extension joins onto the existing house, or you are renovating inside as well, you will usually need an internal survey too. It is a measured floor plan of the inside of the house: walls, doors, windows, columns, partitions and wet areas, delivered as a 2D DWG file. On request we add window, door, eave, ridge and ceiling heights relative to floor level, which helps your designer line new rooflines and openings up with the old.
As a rule of thumb:
- Building outwards or adding a separate structure: a contour and feature survey.
- Renovating inside: an internal survey.
- Both: both surveys, and we can do them in one visit.
What a contour survey doesn't cover
A contour and feature survey shows where fences and walls are, but it does not confirm where your boundaries are. Re-establishing your title corners is a separate cadastral survey, a re-peg, carried out by a Licensed Surveyor and usually done just before construction. If your extension is close to a side or rear boundary, plan on a re-peg and a building setout before the builder starts.
On a large acreage lot
We don't survey the whole of a large lot, because that would cost far more than you need. We survey the building envelope set by the developer or shire, or a 50 m × 50 m area around the work if there isn't one.
What we need to quote
- The property address (and lot number, if you know it)
- Your contact details
- What the site will be: built behind or added to the existing house, house demolished, or vacant
- Whether you need an internal survey as well, and whether you need heights
We send a written quote within 48 hours, and most surveys are done within about two weeks of booking. We do not quote over the phone, so the online quote form or an email is the quickest way.
Your checklist
- Talk to your designer about what they need: contour survey, internal survey, or both
- Ask your local government whether to book the survey before any demolition, clearing or earthworks
- Find your lot number and plan on your certificate of title, if you have it
- Tell us whether the house is staying and how the extension joins it
- Plan a re-peg and setout for just before construction if you are building near a boundary
Get in touch
Email quotes@cottage.com.au with the address and what you are planning, or call 08 9446 7361. General enquiries: reception@cottage.com.au.