Detail and Contour Surveys

  • Sydney
  • Byron Bay
  • Tweed Heads

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Detail and Contour Surveys

There are many different types of Detail Surveys and the one you need will depend on what you are proposing to have designed and built. These are outlined in more detail below.

The most common Detail Survey (also often referred to as a Contour Survey, Site Survey, Land Survey or Survey Plan) involves the location of structures and features within and adjacent to your property. It is usually the first step in the design process and is required by your Architect, Designer, Draftsperson, Engineer, etc as the basis for your design. This type of survey will also be required by Council or your Certifier as part of the Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) approval process for a new building or development.

Why choose SurveyPlus?

We’ve successfully completed thousands of Detail Surveys throughout Sydney, the Northern Rivers, Gold Coast and beyond.
We guarantee our plan will be suitable for your Council and we’re familiar with the subtle differences between each Council’s requirements.
We’re happy to tailor your survey to any other specific needs of your Architect, Designer, Engineer or Builder. Our final plans are easy to read and our well structured CAD models ensure ease of use by all subsequent consultants on your project.

All our survey plans are quality assured by a Registered Surveyor. Make sure you choose a Registered Surveyor or you risk having your DA or CDC application rejected by Council. Further, a poor-quality survey will lead to additional time taken by your Architect, Engineer, Builder and other consultants that will likely require them to charge you additional fees.

Different types of Detail and Contour Surveys

A Detail Survey typically shows the structures and features within and adjacent to your property. You’ll need this survey if you’re lodging a Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) with Council for a new building or development.

The amount of information shown can vary depending on the exact purpose and requirements of your specific Council, but generally includes the location of buildings, structures, services, vegetation and natural surface features within your site and road frontage. The plan also shows surface levels, contours and the neighbouring building features adjacent to your site. Property boundaries are shown for design purposes and Council requires the survey to be prepared (and often signed) by a Registered Surveyor.

Councils, Architects, Engineers and Builders often refer to a Detail Survey by these names but essentially they are all the same. They typically show the structures and features within and adjacent to your property. You’ll need this survey if you’re lodging a Development Application (DA) or Complying Development Certificate (CDC) with Council for a new building or development.

The amount of information shown can vary depending on the exact purpose and requirements of your specific Council, but generally includes the location of buildings, structures, services, vegetation and natural surface features within your site and road frontage. The plan also shows surface levels, contours and the neighbouring building features adjacent to your site. Property boundaries are shown for design purposes and Council requires the survey to be prepared (and often signed) by a Registered Surveyor.

A Topographic Survey shows the ground levels and natural surface features throughout a specified survey area. The contours of the land are then calculated and displayed on the survey plan. Additional features such as buildings, structures, services and vegetation may also be shown depending on the purpose of the survey.

A UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) or Drone Survey is a type of aerial survey that captures data using sensors and cameras over large distances and areas that are difficult, unsafe or simply inefficient to physically access. Though not generally as accurate as traditional ground surveys, they are extremely useful to prepare certain topographic surveys, confirm as built compliance over large construction areas such as roads, or determine volumes of material either imported or removed from a specific area over time.

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a type of aerial survey that captures huge volumes of spatial information quickly over large distances and areas that are difficult, unsafe or simply inefficient to physically access. Though not as accurate as a traditional ground survey, it is extremely useful to inform general topography of the land and inform design and planning. We use LiDAR where practical to supplement more detailed survey information and provide cost benefits to our clients.

An Internal Floorplan Survey shows the accurate location of internal structural (and sometimes non-structural) elements of a building presented as a floorplan. This may include walls, columns, beams, windows, doors, floor levels and ceiling levels. It is often used to inform design for renovation or refurbishment of an existing building.

Having this survey completed by a Registered Surveyor is more accurate than having your Architect, Designer, Engineer or Builder complete a standard measure-up and ensures there are no surprises during construction.

A Building Elevation Survey shows the accurate location of façade elements of a building presented as elevation diagrams. This may include roof ridges, parapets, gutters, fascia, walls, windows, doors, floor levels and ground levels. It is often used to inform design for heritage buildings or building extensions and additions.

Environmental Surveys are used to inform planning and development decisions with regard to the preservation of and integration with our natural environment. Examples include supporting soil and groundwater monitoring to identify potential sub-surface contaminants, defining various bio-diversity zones, supporting arborist studies relating to significant trees and vegetation and calculating Digital Terrain Models (DTM) or Digital Elevation Models (DEM) to enable flood modelling.

Field and Asset Data Capture Surveys are commissioned by the NSW Government to manage the assets within their public schools. The data is used to forecast future maintenance and budget requirements and must be obtained by a Registered Surveyor. SurveyPlus is an approved supplier of Field and Asset Data Capture Surveys throughout NSW.

I’m not sure what type of survey I need?

Still not sure what type of survey you need? Click here and let us help you find the right type of survey for your project.

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Examples of what we’ve done

View all projects

Glenhaven Aged Care

93 Glenhaven Road, Glenhaven
Arcare
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St Joseph’s Primary School, Schofields

78 Alex Avenue, Schofields
Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Parramatta
Learn more

Campbelltown Stadium

Old Leumeah Road, Leumeah
Green Horticultural Group
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UNSW Gate 9 Project

University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington
UNSW
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8-14 Lyons Road, Strathfield

8-14 Lyons Road, Strathfield
ARM Holdings
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Collaroy Seawall

Collaroy Sea Wall, Pittwater Road, Collaroy
Soil Conservation Services
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Tallawong Road, Rouse Hill

136 Tallawong Road, Rouse Hill
Clearstate & DSA Contracting
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Warriewood Aged Care

23-27 Warriewood Road, Warriewood
Knowles Group & DSA Contracting
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Coke Sign, Kings Cross

Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross
Claude Neon
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Taronga Zoo Sydney

Bradleys Head Road, Mosman
Taronga Conservation Society Australia / Crossgrove
Learn more

FAQs

Got questions? We’ve got answers. Explore our FAQs for quick and clear information on
everything you need to know about our services and processes.

Yes. We’re familiar with the unique and specific requirements of every local Council within Sydney, Northern Rivers and the Gold Coast.

Click here to get a free quote or click here to find out more about our services

Not all Surveyors and survey companies are the same. Unfortunately, there are ‘cowboys’ within our industry with poor standards relating to quality and service.

Always make sure you use a Registered Surveyor. Nearly every type of survey requires the work to be undertaken or supervised by a Registered Surveyor. Every survey that shows a property boundary (including Detail and Contour Surveys and Construction Surveys) must be undertaken or supervised by a Registered Surveyor.

Make sure your Surveyor provides you with a clear scope of inclusions and exclusions to avoid any variations and hidden fees. Ask them to confirm their fees up front.

Make sure their survey will satisfy the unique and specific requirements of your local Council.

Ask your Surveyor about their Quality Assurance policies and procedures. Your project is too important to risk using a Surveyor that provides poor quality information or advice.

Ask your Surveyor about their service and communication procedures. Make sure they will keep you informed through each step of the process.

We make it easy. We make it happen. Work with a partner you can trust. Choose SurveyPlus.

If you need a survey, click here to get a free quote or click here to find out more about our services

If you meet the requirements outlined in your Councils Development Control Plan (DCP) and Local Environment Plan (LEP), a duplex building will be permitted on your site.

Depending on the Council, it may be an option to subdivide the land after construction is complete, resulting in separate titles for each dwelling.

SurveyPlus can assess the feasibility of your site before you commit large amounts of money into a potential duplex building development.

If you need a survey to build a duplex building, click here to get a free quote or click here to find out more about our services

Request a quote

Completing your survey is as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1. We give you a free quote

Complete and submit this simple form and we’ll email you a free quote.
Alternatively, feel free to call or email our friendly team.

2. We complete the site survey

Once our quote is accepted, we’ll reach out to schedule a convenient time for the site survey.

3. We deliver your survey plans

We’ll complete the calculations, plan drafting and quality assurance to deliver what we promised, on time and on budget.