Parramatta, Penrith, Blacktown, Fairfield and Cumberland councils

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Western Sydney

From Parramatta out to the Nepean, western Sydney sits mostly on the Wianamatta shales and, further out, the Londonderry Clay and the river terraces. Reactive clay is the rule, which is why the classification matters, and the volume of new housing means we are out here most weeks.

Get a quote for a Western Sydney site Pricing guide

In the ground

What we typically find in Western Sydney

Bringelly and Ashfield shale clays that commonly classify M to H2
Londonderry Clay around Penrith and Richmond, often highly reactive
Hawkesbury-Nepean alluvial terraces with variable sands, silts and gravels
Large new-release estates with engineered fill that should still be confirmed on site

These are the patterns a field engineer expects before the rig arrives, not a finding for any particular block. Two sites a street apart can classify differently, which is why every report starts with boreholes on your site, not the neighbour's.

Suburbs in this area include

Parramatta
Penrith
Blacktown
Fairfield
Mount Druitt
Marsden Park
Riverstone
Schofields
St Marys

We cover the whole area, not just the suburbs listed. Standard sites here are the Zone 1 fee.

How it works

Three steps for Western Sydney owners and builders

Tell us the address
Send the site address and what you are building. Standard sites get the fixed fee straight away; anything else gets a scoped quote before we book.
A field engineer drills the block
We come out with a rig or hand equipment, drill the boreholes, log the soil as it comes out of the ground and take samples for the laboratory where the report needs them.
A signed report lands in your inbox
A geotechnical engineer checks and signs the report. It goes to you as a PDF, ready for your builder, slab designer or certifier.

Sydney site classifications: 5 business days or free

Five business days, or the report is free

A site classification in Sydney is finished within five business days of you accepting the quote, or you don't pay for it. All we ask is that we can get onto the block.

Need it sooner? Three business days or less for $300 + GST.

What the guarantee assumes

It covers a standard site classification. Geotechnical reports, investigations and retaining-wall work are scoped site by site and get a timeframe with the quote instead.
The site is in the Sydney metropolitan area — the Sydney Metro zone on the pricing page. Other zones get a timeframe with the quote too.
The five business days run from when you accept the quote. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding NSW public holidays.
We can get onto the site. If access is not available on the day we book, or we are turned away, the clock pauses until we can drill.
The invoice is paid before the site visit, as it is on every job. Days an invoice is outstanding are not counted.
The scope is the one you accepted. If the ground turns out to need more holes, deeper holes or extra laboratory testing, we quote that first and the clock restarts when you accept it.
If we miss it, the report is free: we do not invoice it, and where it has already been paid we refund it.

The full wording is in the service terms.

Services

Reports available in Western Sydney

from $690 + GST

Site classification report (AS 2870)

The soil report for small structures on simple ground: a house, extension, granny flat or garage. Two boreholes, lab testing where needed, a signed AS 2870 classification.

Fixed fee for a standard residential site

What's included

from $690 + GST

Soil testing for building

Boreholes, in-situ tests and laboratory classification on your block, reported by an engineer so the numbers can actually be used in a design.

Fixed fee when the test is a standard classification; scoped tests are quoted

What's included

Quoted

Geotechnical report for a CDC or DA

For everything a classification does not cover: council conditions, steep sites, basements, retaining walls, complex ground. A CDC-suitable job is a fixed fee — double the site classification fee. A DA is a custom quote, because a council condition can ask for almost anything.

Fixed fee for a CDC job (double the site classification fee) — custom quote for a DA

What's included

Quoted

Small-site geotechnical investigation

For duplexes, townhouses, small commercial and difficult blocks: enough boreholes, testing and analysis to design the footings and excavation without surprises.

Custom quote from your address — not the fixed fee, not an instant quote

What's included

Quoted

Retaining wall geotechnical report

Soil parameters, founding conditions, surcharge and drainage advice so a retaining wall can be designed properly, and certified.

Custom quote from your address — not the fixed fee, not an instant quote

What's included

Quoted

Pool soil test and geotechnical report

Ground and groundwater conditions where the pool is going, so the shell and the excavation can be designed without surprises.

Custom quote from your address — not the fixed fee, not an instant quote

What's included

from $690 + GST

Granny flat site classification

The AS 2870 classification a secondary dwelling needs before the slab can be designed, priced the same as a house.

Fixed fee for a standard residential site

What's included

Nearby

Neighbouring areas we also cover

All areas we cover →

Building in Western Sydney?

Send us the site address and what you are building. Standard sites get the fixed fee straight away; anything else gets a scoped quote before we book.

Get a quote Request a Custom Quote

Five business days, or the report is free

A site classification in Sydney is finished within five business days of you accepting the quote, or you don't pay for it. All we ask is that we can get onto the block.

Need it sooner? Three business days or less for $300 + GST.

What the guarantee assumes

It covers a standard site classification. Geotechnical reports, investigations and retaining-wall work are scoped site by site and get a timeframe with the quote instead.
The site is in the Sydney metropolitan area — the Sydney Metro zone on the pricing page. Other zones get a timeframe with the quote too.
The five business days run from when you accept the quote. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding NSW public holidays.
We can get onto the site. If access is not available on the day we book, or we are turned away, the clock pauses until we can drill.
The invoice is paid before the site visit, as it is on every job. Days an invoice is outstanding are not counted.
The scope is the one you accepted. If the ground turns out to need more holes, deeper holes or extra laboratory testing, we quote that first and the clock restarts when you accept it.
If we miss it, the report is free: we do not invoice it, and where it has already been paid we refund it.

The full wording is in the service terms.

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Western Sydney

What we typically find in Western Sydney

Suburbs in this area include

Three steps for Western Sydney owners and builders

Tell us the address

A field engineer drills the block

A signed report lands in your inbox

Five business days, or the report is free

Reports available in Western Sydney

Neighbouring areas we also cover

Building in Western Sydney?

Soil tests and geotechnical reports in Western Sydney

What we typically find in Western Sydney

Suburbs in this area include

Three steps for Western Sydney owners and builders

Tell us the address

A field engineer drills the block

A signed report lands in your inbox

Five business days, or the report is free

Reports available in Western Sydney

Neighbouring areas we also cover

Building in Western Sydney?