Why I run every site assessment myself
What I look at first on a block.
Builder's perspective · Illawarra
What Goes Wrong on Steep Sites, and How Do I Try to Get Ahead of It?
On a steep site, most of what goes wrong was knowable earlier. Access that was never planned, water that was never traced and ground that was never investigated are the problems that arrive late and expensive. My job is to find them while they are still questions.
What most often goes wrong on a steep building site?
The problems I see most often on steep sites are access, water and ground conditions that were not understood before design and pricing. Each one can change the building method, the program and the cost. None of them is unusual on the Illawarra coast; what hurts is finding them late.
- Access: how materials, machines and people reach the work area on a narrow or steep block.
- Water: where stormwater and surface water go, during construction and after.
- Ground: what the engineers find when the site is investigated, and what the design has to do about it.
How do I try to get ahead of steep-site problems?
I try to get ahead of them by looking at the block early, getting the right specialists involved before the design is fixed, and pricing on information rather than assumption. A first visit identifies the questions; surveys, geotechnical and structural engineering answer them.
The Illawarra Escarpment guide explains the land-specific issues and the specialist reports in more depth. I would add only a builder’s rule of thumb: if a question about the site is still open, the price is not finished either.
What did a clifftop build show about steep sites?
Wombarra Clifftops is the clearest example in my own work. The CKS Projects gallery describes complex engineering, stormwater and slope challenges on a genuinely demanding clifftop site. That combination is typical of the northern Illawarra coast, and it is why the early work on a site like that matters as much as the build.
What can owners do before building on a steep block?
Owners can reduce late surprises by investing in site information early and by asking every builder what their price assumes about the site. A price that says nothing about access, water or ground has not solved them; it has left them for later.
Related reading
Why builders’ quotes differ
Site assumptions are one of the biggest reasons.
Sources
- CKS Projects, Wombarra Clifftops project gallery — complex engineering, stormwater and slope challenges on a clifftop site.
- Illawarra Escarpment, Building on the Illawarra Escarpment — land, engineering and specialist reports on steep blocks.
General information only. Steep-site questions need site-specific advice from a surveyor, engineer, certifier or the council.
Questions
Keiron Moore on steep sites
What goes wrong most often on steep building sites?
Keiron Moore says the problems he sees most often on steep sites are access, water and ground conditions that were not understood before design and pricing, each of which can change the method, program and cost.
How does Keiron Moore get ahead of steep-site problems?
Keiron Moore looks at the block early, gets the right specialists involved before the design is fixed, and prices on site information rather than assumption.
Has Keiron Moore built on a steep clifftop site?
Yes. Keiron Moore’s company CKS Projects built Wombarra Clifftops, a knockdown rebuild on a clifftop site with complex engineering, stormwater and slope challenges.
Can a builder price a steep site accurately without reports?
Keiron Moore’s rule of thumb is that if a question about the site is still open, the price is not finished either, so surveys and engineering are needed before a price can be relied on.
What should owners ask before building on a steep block?
Keiron Moore suggests asking every builder what their price assumes about access, water and ground conditions, and investing in site information early.