Entire Subdivision Flowchart & Costings - Melbourne - Free Downloads!

Hi Everyone,

I thought I'd share this with everyone. I recently got in touch with a local council (Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne) asking for a complete costing of the subdivision process. As I only know the exact survey costs, I thought it would be interesting to see all the fees involved etc.

Anyway long story short I was sent the following information on the process, which I have put as a .pdf file. I've uploaded it to the following link for public download. It's for a standard 2-Lot project on a ~800-850sq.m block.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a6cdd9e8657knz9

Please note I'm only relaying information here, so don't quote me on it! :)

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Below you will find a complete subdivision flowchart, showing every step of development.

Edit (06/12/2012). I've also updated the flowchart to include explanatory notes.

Please see the following link: http://www.mediafire.com/?vhvissrkk2baqa9

Hope you're all having a fantastic break.

Cheers,
Ashley Stacey

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days

Also I forgot to add yes it is forwarded from Logan City Council in QLD to Maroondah Council in VIC, however I was told that the principals are somewhat similar.

Cheers,
Ashley Stacey

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days

Hi Stacey,

That's an excellent stencil to refer to when considering sub-division especially those of us who don't have a lot of experience in developing and would like to start or at least look at purchasing something now for future development.

A couple of questions Stacey if you don't mind.

Once you've found a suitable site, how do you calculate whether the development would be worthwhile or not? It just appears there is a heck of a lot of things to consider it's confusing. How do you know the end product will give you the desired result ie. profit?

I may have located a suitable site on a large block but there is a sewer running east to west along the block...is this a normal occurrence? Or should you be looking for a site without a sewer pipe running down the guts?

Jack

Hi Jack,

First name's Ashley by the way (common mistake) :)

For a typical project a customer would send their property details and desired goal for the development.

Next the zoning of the site is searched here: http://services.land.vic.gov.au/landchannel/jsp/map/PlanningMapsIntro.jsp This is a free service for anyone to use and is definitely worth looking at (for Victorian residents). You can click on the property information tab to see a summary of the zoning requirements. If you do a google search of Clause 54 and 55 you should be able to find the complete documents (for those with a bit of spare time). A quick look at nearby subdivisions will give you a good idea of the potential.

In terms of looking at potential profit, you're best off contacting a local real estate agent. Surveyors are rarely told how much the property was bought or sold for.

Anyone can take some quick measurements off Nearmap / Google Earth to get a rough idea of the square meterage available. For example, in my projects I'll just about always call up council, or a town planner (for example Breece on here is fantastic) and get additional opinions. If it's looking like a tight fit for a new dwelling then we will consult my Building Designer to come up with a solution. As with most surveying/development companies the initial research and consultations are at no cost (not to advertise here!).

In all developments and property alike it is vital to surround yourself with a wide range of experts. I have other professionals consult me about the surveying aspect and I'm always happy to call around and confirm things I may not be 100% on. There are many variables in developments so it would be unwise to have an individual take control.

Anyway in regards to your easement query, it depends on the type, location and your budget. There are ways to tackle easements if it is getting in the way, but ideally yes you would like it at the back of the block. I would suggest giving your local council and water authority a call and see what actually is in the easement.

I hope this sheds some light on your query :)

Cheers,
Ashley

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days

Hi Ashley,

That's a big help mate.

Seems so complicated starting out. My idea was looking to buy something with sub-division potential with an older style property on it just to pay the way until sometime in the future (10 years) and I return, knock down and develop the property.

I'll keep reading there's some great information in here.

Thanks again for tackling my questions it's much appreciated.

Jack

Hi Jack,

Forgot to add I've got a subdivision flowchart also uploaded for free download. It's useful for typical projects in VIC.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ad2pbd2cerbk6l7

Cheers,
Ashley

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days

fanastic tools ashley, very much appreciated :)

Emma
www.mypropertyjourney.com

No worries at all, I'm always happy to help out with queries regarding development etc. There's just about zero information on the internet about these processes (I suspect because most surveyors are terrible with technology!) :P

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days

Thanks Ashley!

Great tools mate.

Jack

Thx Ashley for the uploads

Geez just shocked by the subdivison cost estimated almost 70000!!!! is that common for like a typical 2 lot subdivion on a 700sqm site? as I was thinking of subdividing and selling the new lot but dont think I can come up with 70000 cash or equity....

Hi Dragon,

These costs are definitely on the higher end of the scale, and I know that there are multiple items here which could have the costs reduced from researching / using good contractors (The survey costs should be 60-70% of what I've been quoted!). There are multiple items which wouldn't really apply in the subdivision itself, for example:

- Driveway construction isn't really relevant in subdividing itself, more of a building item.
- Drainage typically undertaken in building, along with connecting utilities to the building footprint.
- Field Survey in Stage 1 would be 1.5-1.8k, not 3k.
- Field Survey in Stage 3 would be around $2k, not 5k.

As a general consensus from clients a 2 lot subdivision if you do your research properly would be about half that. I've seen a few people saying on here that they've done it for ~$30k to get to the ready-to-build stage. Obviously with an ideal site for subdivision it would bring costs down as opposed to say a site up in the sticks. I'd use this as more of a gauge to see the stages broken up from the flowchart I posted.

Cheers,
Ashley

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days

Hi Everyone,

Had some great feedback to this information. I've updated the flowchart to include comprehensive explanatory notes.

This is available at the following link: http://www.mediafire.com/?vhvissrkk2baqa9

Cheers,
Ashley

Ashley Stacey - Director / Senior Surveyor
Subdivision Services | m. 0400531138 | e. staceysurveying@gmail.com
www.staceysurveying.com.au | Montrose, Victoria | 7 days