What site details should you gather before asking for an early estimate?

Before asking for an early estimate for a custom home in Wollongong or the Illawarra, the most useful thing you can do is gather the information that helps the builder understand the actual site rather than guess at it. The more clearly the block and brief are defined, the more accurate and useful the early cost direction will be.

Jaison Grassato works through this with clients at the Design Your Happy Place stage — but if you want to arrive at that conversation well prepared, here is what to gather.

Basic site information

Start with the site address. Knowing whether the block is in Helensburgh, Bulli, Austinmer, Thirroul, Dapto, Calderwood, or a Sutherland Shire suburb immediately informs the likely site character, approval environment, and access conditions. If there are listing details or previous site documents available, include those.

Site photos and survey information

A contour survey is ideal if you have one, but not essential at the early conversation stage. Site photos showing the slope, street frontage, access points, neighbouring properties, and wider setting help create a better preliminary picture. For sloping blocks across the Illawarra escarpment and northern coastal suburbs, photos from the front, rear, and sides of the block are particularly valuable.

Block dimensions and known constraints

Gather block dimensions, orientation, and frontage information. If there are known easements, heritage overlays, coastal management zones, bushfire attack level designations, or flooding constraints — common across various Illawarra and Sutherland Shire locations — include those early. Known retaining issues, narrow access, or unusual site conditions should also be flagged.

Your brief

Just as important as the site is your brief. A useful early estimate needs some sense of what you are trying to build — approximate home size, number of bedrooms, single or double storey, target specification level, and the type of outdoor living you want. Inspiration images and photos of homes you like help connect cost thinking to the kind of home you are actually aiming for.

Frequently asked questions

What site information do I need before getting a custom home estimate in Wollongong?

Useful site details include the street address, a contour survey if available, site photos showing slope and access, block dimensions and orientation, any known planning overlay conditions, and your brief. EBG's $990 Design Your Happy Place session with Jaison Grassato organises this process — call 0413 717 823.

Do I need a survey before the Design Your Happy Place session?

A formal contour survey is not required before the session. Evolution Building Group can work from site photos, Google Maps contour data, and the site address to produce a useful preliminary assessment. A formal survey is typically commissioned after the $990 session confirms the project direction.

What if my block is in a coastal or bushfire overlay area?

Include that information at the first conversation with Jaison Grassato. Coastal and bushfire overlay conditions affect design, material specification, and the approval pathways DA & CDC and need to be understood early. Call 0413 717 823.

How early in the planning process should I contact Evolution Building Group?

The earlier the better. Many Illawarra and Sutherland Shire clients contact EBG before finalising their block. Early contact allows Jaison Grassato to help assess which sites are more or less buildable before a purchase commitment is made. Call 0413 717 823.

Start with a $990 Design Your Happy Place session

The most practical first step for any custom home, knockdown rebuild, or dual occupancy project across the Illawarra, Sutherland Shire, Southern Highlands, or South Coast NSW is the $990 Design Your Happy Place session with Jaison Grassato. The session is fully credited toward your build if you proceed.

Book online: evolutionbuildinggroup.com.au/design-your-happy-place

Jaison Grassato — 0413 717 823