A feature survey, often sold as a contour survey or a level and feature survey, is a measured drawing of the block as it stands: ground levels, trees, fences, buildings and visible services. A builder who prices a house, extension or granny flat without one is pricing slope and access by eye.
Feature survey and contour survey in plain words
The two names usually describe the same job: a surveyor’s drawing of the block, used by designers and builders before a house, extension or subdivision. The contour lines show how the ground rises and falls. The feature part records what is already on the block.
What goes on the drawing depends on what was ordered and what council needs. Ask the surveyor for a written scope before they start. A cheap survey that leaves out the levels you needed is worth nothing to you.
What they show that a site walk misses
A tape, a laser and a phone camera tell you a lot. They do not give you a drawing everyone can price from. A typical feature and level survey records:
- trees and fence locations
- ground levels and the lie of the land
- existing structures and the position of neighbouring buildings
- window, ridge and eaves heights
- services above, on or below ground
- drains and crossovers
Two things to check on any survey you are handed. First, whether the boundaries are marked or only the features near them. A level and feature survey is not always the same as a survey that pegs the boundary, so ask. Second, whether buried services are shown or only what is visible at the surface. If a service line crosses the footprint, you want to know before the contract, not when the excavator finds it.
What slope and levels do to a price
This is where a site walk costs builders money. Queensland’s building regulator tells owners comparing quotes to watch the earthworks and footings line, because some builders charge excessively there. It says the builder must provide a soil test and contour survey, unless the owner already has them, to justify those costs, and tells owners to check who removes the excess soil.
Consumer Affairs Victoria makes the same point from the builder’s side. Its contract checklist says to allow a reasonable cost for the nature and location of the site, with the example that rural or steeply sloping sites need allowances for transport, excavation if needed, and access.
In practice the levels decide questions like these:
- How much cut and fill, and where does the spoil go?
- Does the slab step, or does the house need a different footing system on the low side?
- Is a retaining wall needed, and how long and how high?
- Can a truck, pump or crane reach the build area, or does everything come in by hand?
- Where does stormwater fall, and does it need to be pumped?
Each answer moves the price. None of them can be answered with a number from a photo. Do not guess a figure for any of them in a fixed quote. Price them from the drawing, or carry them as a clearly labelled allowance that the client understands.
Who orders it
Either side can. Often it is the designer or architect, because they cannot draw to the site without it, and councils generally want accurate site information with the application. If the homeowner already has a survey from the design stage, ask for the file and check the date and the scope. Old surveys miss new fences, new trees and neighbours’ extensions.
If nobody has ordered one, the builder is the person with the most to lose from a bad guess. That is a reason to raise it early and say that it is a cost of getting the price right. It is not a cost to absorb.
Where it fits before the contract
Queensland’s regulator describes a preliminary agreement as an agreement made before the building contract so the contractor can be paid for initial work such as designs, soil tests or contour surveys. That is the natural home for a survey: a small paid first stage, then a fixed price once the site is known. The same page warns that charges or penalties for a client who does not proceed after seeing the final price may be illegal, so read your own state’s rules before you write the terms.
Western Australia’s building regulator also says owners should clarify preliminary work costs and confirm who owns the drawings. The same questions apply to a survey: who paid, who owns the file, and can the client take it to another builder.
Pair it with the soil work. A survey tells you what the ground looks like. A geotechnical report tells you what it is made of. Together they remove most of the guesswork from earthworks and footings. For how to charge for that first stage, see charging for preliminary work, and our pre-construction page for how we help builders run it.
This is general information only. It is not legal advice. Terms and rules differ by state, so check with your regulator or a solicitor for your situation.
Common questions
Is a feature survey the same as a contour survey?
Usually, yes. Contours are the lines showing ground levels. A feature survey adds the trees, fences, buildings and services. Many surveyors sell the two together, so ask for the scope in writing.
Does a feature survey mark the boundary?
Not always. A level and feature survey can show features near the boundary without pegging it. If a wall or extension will sit close to a boundary, ask whether you need a separate boundary survey.
Does the builder or the homeowner pay for it?
That is a matter for your agreement. A paid first stage is the usual way to make it clear. The homeowner gets a survey they can keep and the builder is not pricing blind.
How much does a site survey cost?
We have not quoted a figure because we could not verify one from a regulator. Get at least two written quotes from local surveyors, with the scope listed, and compare like for like.