Sutherland Shire Council

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Sutherland Shire

The Shire is our home ground. Most of it sits on Hawkesbury Sandstone, with shale caps on the higher ridges and sandy soils towards the coast, which is good news for footings on many blocks and less so where fill has been placed over the old gullies. Knock-down rebuilds, duplexes and granny flats are the typical jobs.

Get a quote for a Sutherland Shire site Pricing guide

In the ground

What we typically find in Sutherland Shire

Sandstone at shallow depth on the plateau, commonly Class A or S with rock in the footing zone
Shale-derived clays on ridge tops around Menai and Illawong that can classify M or higher
Filled gullies and levelled blocks in the older suburbs, which is where Class P turns up
Sand and estuarine soils near the coast and the Port Hacking foreshore

These are the patterns a field engineer expects before the rig arrives, not a finding for any particular block. Two sites a street apart can classify differently, which is why every report starts with boreholes on your site, not the neighbour's.

Suburbs in this area include

Illawong
Menai
Sutherland
Engadine
Miranda
Cronulla
Caringbah
Sylvania
Gymea
Helensburgh

We cover the whole area, not just the suburbs listed. Standard sites here are the Zone 1 fee.

How it works

Three steps for Sutherland Shire owners and builders

Tell us the address
Send the site address and what you are building. Standard sites get the fixed fee straight away; anything else gets a scoped quote before we book.
A field engineer drills the block
We come out with a rig or hand equipment, drill the boreholes, log the soil as it comes out of the ground and take samples for the laboratory where the report needs them.
A signed report lands in your inbox
A geotechnical engineer checks and signs the report. It goes to you as a PDF, ready for your builder, slab designer or certifier.

Sydney site classifications: 5 business days or free

Five business days, or the report is free

A site classification in Sydney is finished within five business days of you accepting the quote, or you don't pay for it. All we ask is that we can get onto the block.

Need it sooner? Three business days or less for $300 + GST.

What the guarantee assumes

It covers a standard site classification. Geotechnical reports, investigations and retaining-wall work are scoped site by site and get a timeframe with the quote instead.
The site is in the Sydney metropolitan area — the Sydney Metro zone on the pricing page. Other zones get a timeframe with the quote too.
The five business days run from when you accept the quote. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding NSW public holidays.
We can get onto the site. If access is not available on the day we book, or we are turned away, the clock pauses until we can drill.
The invoice is paid before the site visit, as it is on every job. Days an invoice is outstanding are not counted.
The scope is the one you accepted. If the ground turns out to need more holes, deeper holes or extra laboratory testing, we quote that first and the clock restarts when you accept it.
If we miss it, the report is free: we do not invoice it, and where it has already been paid we refund it.

The full wording is in the service terms.

Services

Reports available in Sutherland Shire

from $690 + GST

Site classification report (AS 2870)

The soil report for small structures on simple ground: a house, extension, granny flat or garage. Two boreholes, lab testing where needed, a signed AS 2870 classification.

Fixed fee for a standard residential site

What's included

from $690 + GST

Soil testing for building

Boreholes, in-situ tests and laboratory classification on your block, reported by an engineer so the numbers can actually be used in a design.

Fixed fee when the test is a standard classification; scoped tests are quoted

What's included

Quoted

Geotechnical report for a CDC or DA

For everything a classification does not cover: council conditions, steep sites, basements, retaining walls, complex ground. A CDC-suitable job is a fixed fee — double the site classification fee. A DA is a custom quote, because a council condition can ask for almost anything.

Fixed fee for a CDC job (double the site classification fee) — custom quote for a DA

What's included

Quoted

Small-site geotechnical investigation

For duplexes, townhouses, small commercial and difficult blocks: enough boreholes, testing and analysis to design the footings and excavation without surprises.

Custom quote from your address — not the fixed fee, not an instant quote

What's included

Quoted

Retaining wall geotechnical report

Soil parameters, founding conditions, surcharge and drainage advice so a retaining wall can be designed properly, and certified.

Custom quote from your address — not the fixed fee, not an instant quote

What's included

Quoted

Pool soil test and geotechnical report

Ground and groundwater conditions where the pool is going, so the shell and the excavation can be designed without surprises.

Custom quote from your address — not the fixed fee, not an instant quote

What's included

from $690 + GST

Granny flat site classification

The AS 2870 classification a secondary dwelling needs before the slab can be designed, priced the same as a house.

Fixed fee for a standard residential site

What's included

Nearby

Neighbouring areas we also cover

All areas we cover →

Building in Sutherland Shire?

Send us the site address and what you are building. Standard sites get the fixed fee straight away; anything else gets a scoped quote before we book.

Get a quote Request a Custom Quote

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Sutherland Shire

Five business days, or the report is free

A site classification in Sydney is finished within five business days of you accepting the quote, or you don't pay for it. All we ask is that we can get onto the block.

Need it sooner? Three business days or less for $300 + GST.

What the guarantee assumes

It covers a standard site classification. Geotechnical reports, investigations and retaining-wall work are scoped site by site and get a timeframe with the quote instead.
The site is in the Sydney metropolitan area — the Sydney Metro zone on the pricing page. Other zones get a timeframe with the quote too.
The five business days run from when you accept the quote. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding NSW public holidays.
We can get onto the site. If access is not available on the day we book, or we are turned away, the clock pauses until we can drill.
The invoice is paid before the site visit, as it is on every job. Days an invoice is outstanding are not counted.
The scope is the one you accepted. If the ground turns out to need more holes, deeper holes or extra laboratory testing, we quote that first and the clock restarts when you accept it.
If we miss it, the report is free: we do not invoice it, and where it has already been paid we refund it.

The full wording is in the service terms.

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Sutherland Shire

What we typically find in Sutherland Shire

Suburbs in this area include

Three steps for Sutherland Shire owners and builders

Tell us the address

A field engineer drills the block

A signed report lands in your inbox

Five business days, or the report is free

Reports available in Sutherland Shire

Neighbouring areas we also cover

Building in Sutherland Shire?

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Sutherland Shire

What we typically find in Sutherland Shire

Suburbs in this area include

Three steps for Sutherland Shire owners and builders

Tell us the address

A field engineer drills the block

A signed report lands in your inbox

Five business days, or the report is free

Reports available in Sutherland Shire

Neighbouring areas we also cover

Building in Sutherland Shire?