Property education · 22 guides
Services and drainage
Understand stormwater, utility connections, levels and servicing constraints. Each guide explains its scope; check local requirements and current official sources for your site.
Acid Sulfate Soils NSW: The Excavation And Dewatering Site Test
On coastal NSW floodplains the soil under your site can turn from harmless clay into acid when you excavate or lower the watertable. Test the mapping, the depth and the disposal route before you commit to a price.
Before You Dig Australia: Utility Checks Before A Development Offer
Learn why utility plans, overhead powerline checks and service-risk allowances belong in Australian property development due diligence before you make an offer.
Before You Pay More for a Corner Site: Test the Access Advantage
A second frontage can create options, but only when access, safety, services and layout are tested before the premium is paid.
Before You Trust a Services Diagram: Test Capacity, Connection and Cost
Use a staged services pathway to distinguish nearby infrastructure from a practical, approvable and costed connection.
Brisbane Stormwater Easements: The Subdivision Check Before You Price the Deal
A Brisbane subdivision can look simple until the drainage path, easement burden or lawful point of discharge changes the lot layout and cost plan.
Building Next To A Sewer Main: The NSW Water Asset Test Before You Design
On most NSW sites the sewer main runs through the part of the block you wanted to build on. Sydney Water must approve the building plans before your DA is consented, so test the asset position before you pay for a design.
Detention Or Dead Space? What Stormwater Really Costs A Small Site
On-site detention is a cost you can budget and a land take you cannot. Before you make an offer, find out how many square metres of your site the water needs.
Due Diligence Checklist Vacant Land Australia: What To Check Before You Buy
A practical due diligence checklist for buying vacant land in Australia, covering zoning, access, services and more.
Easements And Covenants Australia: The Hidden Title Restrictions That Can Kill A Deal
How easements and covenants on an Australian property title can restrict development, and what investors should check before buying.
Erosion And Sediment Control Australia: The Site Test Before You Lodge
Erosion and sediment control is a condition of consent that changes site works and cost. Learn the drainage and soil test to run on a development site before you lodge.
Melbourne’s 60 Activity Centres: How To Spot A Site Before The Market Fully Reprices It
How property developers can assess Melbourne activity-centre opportunities using controls, walkability, lot assembly, services and feasibility.
Minimum Lot Size Australia: Why Land Size Alone Does Not Mean You Can Subdivide
Learn why minimum lot size, frontage, access, services and planning controls all need to be checked before assuming an Australian block can be subdivided.
Party Wall Sound Insulation: The Check That Decides Your Attached Dwelling Layout
A separating wall between Class 1 dwellings needs an airborne rating of at least Rw + Ctr 50, and discontinuous construction in specific room pairings. Decide the wall before the floor plan hardens.
Retaining Walls And Drainage In Property Development Australia: Hidden Costs That Blow Budgets
Learn why retaining walls and drainage often change development budgets in Australia and how investors can spot the risk early.
Shared Driveway Agreements Australia: What Investors Should Check Before Buying
What Australian property investors need to know about shared driveway agreements, easements and common access risks before buying.
Site Levels Before You Sign: How Cut And Fill Decides A Subdivision
The levels on a site decide where each dwelling can sit, how water leaves the block and how much earth you move to make both work. Read them before you make an offer, not after.
Stormwater, Easements and Services: Three Site Constraints That Can Destroy Yield
Learn how stormwater, easements and underground services can reduce development yield and increase costs before an Australian property project begins.
The Unsewered Block That Cannot Actually Be Subdivided
On land without reticulated sewer, every new lot needs its own effluent disposal area and buffer distances. Test the soil and the boundaries before you commit.
Victoria’s 60 Train and Tram Zones: Test the Uplift and Buy with Discipline
Turn Victoria’s train and tram zone strategy into a disciplined acquisition test covering parcel controls, services, design yield, market depth and conservative feasibility.
Water and Sewer Contributions: The Charge Nobody Budgets For
Water and sewer developer charges are calculated from equivalent tenements, density and daily flow. On a subdivision or a dual occupancy they can be five figures before a pipe is laid.
When The Work Crosses The Boundary: NSW Access Orders Explained
Scaffolding, crane loads, underpinning and drainage can all need temporary access over a neighbour's land. In NSW, the Access to Neighbouring Land Act 2000 provides a court process, not a right to help yourself.
Where The Dirt Goes: Classifying Excavated Soil Before You Price Your Basement
A basement or deep services trench produces hundreds of tonnes of soil, and how it is classified decides whether it leaves site cheaply or costs more than the concrete you are pouring. Test it before you price the dig.