Site classification
Site classification reports to AS 2870, from $690 + GST
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.
Before a slab or strip footing can be designed, someone has to say how reactive the ground is. That is a site classification: boreholes on the block, the soil profile logged and classified, and a site class under AS 2870 (A, S, M, H1, H2, E or P) with the reasoning behind it.
Ours are done by a field engineer, not a sample courier. The person who drills your block logs the profile as it comes out of the ground, decides what the laboratory needs to test, and drafts the report. A geotechnical engineer checks and signs it.
For a standard residential site the fee is fixed. Sites that need more come with a scoped quote before anything is booked.
What you get
What the report includes
- Site walkover and two boreholes to 2.5 m
- Soil profile logged and described to AS 1726
- Laboratory testing where the classification depends on it
- AS 2870 site class with the reasoning, in plain English
- Signed PDF report your builder, slab designer and certifier can use
Who it is for
Typical jobs
- New homes and knock-down rebuilds
- Extensions, second storeys and garages
- Granny flats, studios and secondary dwellings
Further reading
Before you order
How it works
Three steps from your address to a signed report
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.
Questions
Questions about site classifications
- Which class will my site be?
- It depends on the soil, which is why the boreholes exist. Much of Sydney's sandstone country classifies A or S; the shale and clay country to the south-west and west is commonly M to H2; filled, soft or sloping sites can be P. The report tells you which, and why.
- Do you need me to be there?
- No. We need to get onto the block, know roughly where the building is going, and be told about anything underground, such as a septic tank or services. We confirm the visit time with you beforehand.
- What if the ground turns out to be Class P?
- It is not a fail, and it is common. Class P means the footing is designed for the specific ground rather than picked off a table, usually because of fill, soft ground, trees close to the footings, or a slope. Most of the time that is accommodated comfortably with a slightly different footing; the report says what we found and what the designer needs to allow for. Occasionally the design needs more than a classification, and if so we quote a geotechnical investigation to follow.
- Is the report accepted by my certifier?
- Reports are written to AS 2870 and AS 1726, the standards slab designers, structural engineers and certifiers work to, and every report is checked and signed by a geotechnical engineer.
Need a site classification?
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.