Suburbs we test in
Caloundra · Pelican Waters · Aura · Kawana · Birtinya · Mooloolaba · Maroochydore · Buderim · Sippy Downs · Palmview · Bli Bli · Twin Waters · Marcoola · Coolum Beach · Peregian Beach · Nambour · Woombye · Palmwoods · Yandina · Eumundi · Noosa Heads · Noosaville · Tewantin · Cooroy · Beerwah · Landsborough · Glass House Mountains · Maleny · Montville
Somewhere not on the list? Ring and ask.
What the ground does around here
There's no single Sunshine Coast soil. Coastal suburbs like Marcoola, Twin Waters, Pelican Waters and Kawana are mostly sand with high water tables, and low-lying and canal lots can carry acid sulfate soil risk. The Maroochy and Mooloolah river flats can have soft ground that needs checking for bearing capacity. Buderim, Nambour and Palmwoods have clay soils that swell and shrink with moisture. The hinterland around Maleny and Montville brings slopes, shallow rock and council landslide overlay areas.
Each one changes what the class comes out at, and what the footings have to do about it. It can change from one block to the next, so we assess each site individually and specifically to the location of your proposed construction.
What a soil test costs on the Sunshine Coast
Five things set the price.
A fixed-price package. Commissioned individually, this scope costs considerably more; bundling the fieldwork, laboratory testing and reporting into one mobilisation is what brings it down.
Send the site address, the lot and plan, and any drawings, and we come back with a fixed quote. If the ground turns out more complicated than the plans suggested, we ring you before doing anything that changes the price.
What we test for on the Sunshine Coast
Site classification, AS 2870
The report your building approval needs, on single lots and across new subdivisions.
Site classification, AS 2870
Geotechnical investigations, AS 1726
Retaining walls, steep sites, commercial buildings and civil works, pavement investigations, slope stability assessment, acid sulfate investigation, contaminated land management and proposed developments, where a residential classification will not cover the risk.
Wastewater and percolation testing, AS 1547
Site and soil evaluation and percolation testing for unsewered lots through Maleny, Montville, Eumundi and the rural fringe.
Wastewater and percolation testing
Residential soil testing, single lot to full estate
We handle single lots, duplexes, extensions with new footings, sheds and secondary dwellings, and classification across new subdivisions. On a subdivision the whole stage runs in one mobilisation, which brings the price per lot down and returns every report together.
Based in the region
We are on site within 3 business days, and we have logged the profiles that turn up here: acid sulfate risk on the low lying coastal ground, reactive clay through the Buderim to Nambour corridor, shallow rock in the hinterland.
Luke Whittaker has assessed more than 10,000 sites across Queensland and New South Wales. About Luke
Get a fixed quote
Send the site address, the lot and plan, and any drawings you have.
Common questions
Typically within 3 business days of booking, and often sooner. Report within 2 business days of fieldwork.
Yes. Those lots often bring high water tables, sandy profiles, deep fill and acid sulfate soil risk, and all four change the investigation. Tell us the address when you book so we scope it properly.
A standard site classification is $880 including GST as a fixed-price package. Beyond that it depends on lot size, access, how many test locations the footprint needs and whether laboratory reactivity testing is required. Send the address and any plans and we will come back with a fixed price.
On a subdivision, AS 2870 allows one classification to cover the stage where the materials are consistent and the investigation coverage supports it. Where they aren't, lots are classified individually. Either way the whole stage runs in one mobilisation, which brings the cost per lot down and gets every report back at once.
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