Civil cost estimates for developers

Developers usually come to us at one of three points: testing a site before buying it, putting a civil budget together for finance at DA stage, or wanting an independent number to judge the contractor tenders against. We also price redesigns and new authority conditions when they come up.

An estimate from a concept layout can't be as tight as one from construction drawings. So every estimate says what it's based on and what we've assumed, and where the honest answer is a range, you get a range. As the design firms up, so does the number.

How accurate is it?

As a guide: from a concept layout, expect a range of roughly plus or minus 25 to 30%. At DA stage, with engineering drawings, about plus or minus 15 to 20%. From construction drawings, within about 10%. Each estimate states which stage it was priced at.

What you get

• A cost per lot and a split by stage, to test against the land price and the sales.
• The main cost drivers for your site, such as rock, retaining, imported fill and road length, so you can see where the number could move.
• The assumptions and exclusions written down, delivered in Excel and PDF.
• A delivery date agreed with the fee, before we start.

Testing a site before you have a layout? Our subdivision cost calculator gives an indicative range per lot in a minute, and our guide explains what drives subdivision civil costs.

This is a civil cost estimate for feasibility, budgeting and checking tenders. If your lender needs a registered quantity surveyor's report, that is a different service.

Authority contributions, statutory fees, design fees and land sit outside the civil works. We list them as exclusions so nothing gets counted twice or forgotten in your feasibility.

Water mains, sewer and pump stations on the same job are priced by our specialist practice, Water Sewer Estimating Sydney, with the same lead estimator.

Common questions