What Knocking Down and Rebuilding Wombarra Clifftops Taught Me About Building on a Clifftop

What was Wombarra Clifftops?

Wombarra Clifftops was a full, multi-level knockdown rebuild by CKS Projects on a clifftop site in Wombarra. The existing house was demolished to create a blank canvas, and the replacement home was designed as a split-level response to the steep coastal setting rather than as a standard plan placed on top of it.

The project took 15 months to build and later won the Contract Homes $1.9 million to $2 million category at the 2026 Master Builders Association of NSW Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards. Those are facts about this job; they do not predict the programme or price for the next one.

Why did the ground come before the view?

On a clifftop block, the outlook is obvious; the work the ground demands is not. At Wombarra, slope, engineering and stormwater were central challenges. The site information also records water beneath the building area, which is a reminder that what matters most is not always visible in a photograph.

My view is simple: the land has to be understood before the design can make a responsible response to it. That does not mean every difficult site needs the same solution. It means the design conversation should start with the actual conditions, not with an assumed building type or a view that has already decided the plan.

This is the distinction between looking at a block and understanding it. A builder's first impression can identify questions; engineering, survey and specialist investigation establish the answers. The Illawarra Escarpment guide covers the land-specific issues more broadly, while Wombarra is one built example.

Why use a split-level design?

The project description calls Wombarra Clifftops a split-level design responding to a demanding clifftop site. In practical terms, that means the building's levels were part of the response to the land rather than an attempt to pretend the slope was not there.

I would not turn that into a universal recipe. Another block may have different access, ground, water, planning or owner requirements. The lesson is not “use a split-level plan”; it is “make the design answer the site you have”.

A knockdown rebuild adds its own sequence of decisions: the existing home must be removed, the replacement design developed, and the site challenges addressed as part of the new build. Wombarra shows why those decisions belong together rather than being treated as separate projects.

What does the 2026 MBA NSW award recognise?

Wombarra Clifftops won the Contract Homes $1.9 million to $2 million category at the 2026 MBA NSW Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards. For me, the award recognises the finished project and the work of the people who brought it together; it is not a substitute for explaining what the site required.

The build was also covered by the Illawarra Mercury. The MBA NSW winners list records the category result. The CKS Projects project gallery shows the completed home and the project account.

What do I take from Wombarra into the next site?

I take the questions forward, not a template. Wombarra reinforces that a difficult block deserves a builder's attention before a design is treated as settled. I want to understand what the owner hopes to build, what the site appears to be asking of the project, and which unknowns need proper investigation.

• Start with the land. Slope and water are design inputs, not details to solve after the plan is fixed.
• Keep the evidence specific. One project can show what was done there, but it cannot prove what another lot will need.
• Bring specialists in at the right time. A builder's observation is not a geotechnical or structural conclusion.
• Keep the owner's brief in view. A technically possible design still has to make sense for the people who will live in it.

Wombarra is one of the homes CKS Projects has built on the Illawarra escarpment. It is a useful case study because its challenges and design response are documented, not because it offers a shortcut for the next owner.

Related reading

Sources

Project and award details are linked to the published records below. This retrospective is a project account, not a general engineering guide.

• CKS Projects, Wombarra Clifftops project gallery — project description, knockdown rebuild, split-level design and build duration.
• Master Builders Association of NSW, 2026 Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards winners — Contract Homes $1.9 million to $2 million category.
• Illawarra Mercury, Wombarra: Luxury clifftop home conquers challenging escarpment site, 27 August 2026.

General information only. Every site has its own conditions. This account does not determine what a particular block can support; obtain project-specific advice from appropriately qualified professionals and the relevant authority.