Call
A free discovery call: block, brief, budget. If the project isn't a fit for us, or another route would serve you better, we tell you then.
Duplexes and dual occupancy · Sutherland Shire
Duplex Builders in the Sutherland Shire
Two homes on one Shire lot, starting with whether the lot meets the dual occupancy controls, then design, approval, title and a fixed-price build.
Get a free discovery call
30 seconds to fill in. The builder, Keiron Moore, assesses every site himself.
- 2026 MBA NSW award winner (Wombarra Clifftops, a knockdown rebuild)
- NSW Contractor Licence 258735C (CKS Projects)
- Fixed-price tender before you sign, no provisional sums
Pictured: the Huskisson Duplex in Huskisson, NSW, built by CKS Projects.
Two homes, one lot
Duplexes, the Short Version
A duplex puts two homes on one lot, usually sharing a wall, each with its own entry, living areas and outdoor space. Each home can later sit on its own title if the lot is subdivided.
In the Shire the lot decides the answer: the Sutherland Shire LEP 2015 sets minimum lot sizes for dual occupancies, so feasibility comes before any drawing.
| Builder | CKS Projects, trading as Builders Sutherland Shire. NSW Contractor Licence 258735C |
|---|---|
| First step | Lot check against the Sutherland Shire LEP 2015 |
| We manage | Feasibility, design, CDC or DA, subdivision planning, construction and fit-out |
| Title | Torrens or strata, decided before design |
| Typical timeframe | Around 9–14 months from design to completion |
| Suits | Investors, multi-generational families and first-time developers |
Approvals and title
What a Shire Duplex Needs
NSW and council rules · confirm for your lot
- R2 zone: since 1 July 2024, dual occupancies are permitted in the R2 Low Density Residential zone across NSW.
- Lot size: the Sutherland Shire LEP 2015 has its own minimum lot size clause for dual occupancies.
- Complying development: the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code allows dual occupancies of up to two storeys, in as little as 20 days where every standard is met.
- Development application: otherwise a DA to Sutherland Shire Council.
- BASIX: each home must meet BASIX standards.
Sources: NSW Planning, low and mid-rise housing · NSW Planning, complying development · NSW Planning Portal, BASIX · Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan 2015.
The process
How a Duplex Project Runs
Feasibility first: whether the lot can take two homes, and on what title, shapes everything after it.
Site visit
Keiron Moore inspects the lot: fall, access, soil, orientation, services, and the overlays on the planning certificate that decide whether it goes to Sutherland Shire Council or a certifier.
Design
Plans developed for the site and your household, with 3D renderings and a virtual walk-through to check the layout before anything is built.
Price
Working drawings, engineering and BASIX as one package, then a detailed fixed-price tender before a contract is signed.
Approval
A complying development certificate from a certifier or council where the lot qualifies, or a development application to Sutherland Shire Council, managed to determination.
Build
The CKS Projects team and its trades build it, with regular site meetings and an online client portal showing the schedule and the latest site photos.
A CKS Projects duplex
The Huskisson Duplex
Built by CKS Projects on the South Coast.
Huskisson Duplex
Black Shou Sugi Ban timber cladding, polished concrete floors, a monochrome kitchen with a suspended fireplace, and a pool against native bushland.
See Huskisson Duplex on cksprojects.com.auWhere these homes are. Every project on this site was built by CKS Projects in the Illawarra or on the South Coast, and each photo is labelled with its real location. The nearest to the Shire are Wombarra and Coledale, in northern Wollongong. We don't claim Shire projects we haven't published.
Who builds your duplex
Who Is Behind Builders Sutherland Shire
Builders Sutherland Shire is a business name of CKS Projects, a boutique residential builder based in Unanderra, Wollongong. CKS Projects isn't a volume builder and has no display homes: each house it builds is designed for its own block.
Its Managing Director, Keiron Moore, has more than 25 years in residential building and assesses every site himself. You deal with the builder from the first visit, and one team carries design, approval and construction under one fixed-price contract.
Read more about Builders Sutherland Shire and Keiron Moore, or check the licence on the NSW licence register.
| Business | Builders Sutherland Shire, a registered business name of CKS Projects Aust Pty Ltd |
|---|---|
| Builder | CKS Projects. Managing Director Keiron Moore, 25+ years in residential building. NSW Qualified Supervisor Certificate 69005S |
| NSW Contractor Licence | 258735C (Builder) |
| Award | Winner, Contract Homes $1.9M–$2M, 2026 MBA NSW Southern Regions Excellence in Building Awards (Wombarra Clifftops) |
| Memberships | Master Builders Association of NSW · Association of Professional Builders |
| Office | Unit 45/7 Waynote Place, Unanderra NSW 2526 Mon–Fri 8:00am–4:30pm, by appointment |
| Service area | Sutherland Shire: 34 suburbs from Kurnell and Cronulla to Menai, Engadine and Heathcote |
| Phone | 02 4271 5132 |
Where we build
Duplexes Across the Shire
Builders Sutherland Shire works across the Sutherland Shire local government area, from Kurnell and Cronulla to Menai, Engadine and Heathcote. We are a Wollongong builder with no Shire office: Keiron Moore comes to your block for the site assessment. See how the councils and conditions change from suburb to suburb on the service areas page.
Sutherland Shire Council
- Cronulla
- Woolooware
- Kurnell
- Caringbah
- Taren Point
- Caringbah South
- Burraneer
- Dolans Bay
- Lilli Pilli
- Yowie Bay
- Gymea Bay
- Miranda
- Gymea
- Kirrawee
- Sutherland
- Jannali
- Kareela
- Loftus
- Como
- Oyster Bay
- Bonnet Bay
- Sylvania
- Sylvania Waters
- Illawong
- Menai
- Alfords Point
- Bangor
- Barden Ridge
- Woronora
- Woronora Heights
- Engadine
- Heathcote
- Yarrawarrah
- Grays Point
Common questions
Duplex Questions
Is my Shire lot big enough for a duplex?
That is the first question we answer. Since 1 July 2024, dual occupancies have been permitted in the R2 Low Density Residential zone across NSW, but the Sutherland Shire LEP 2015 has its own clause on minimum lot sizes for dual occupancies. We check the lot area, frontage and zoning before any design.
Duplex, dual occupancy, dual key: what's the difference?
A duplex is two attached homes on one lot. Dual occupancy is the NSW planning term for two dwellings on one lot, attached or detached. A dual key home is one building with two self-contained living areas, usually on one title.
Can it be approved as complying development?
Where every standard is met, yes: the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code allows dual occupancies of up to two storeys to be approved in as little as 20 days. Otherwise a development application goes to Sutherland Shire Council.
Torrens or strata?
Torrens title gives each home its own lot; strata shares common property. It changes the design, costs and resale, so it is decided before design.
How long does a duplex take?
Around 9–14 months from design to completion is typical for a CKS Projects duplex, depending on the approval pathway and the site.
Two homes on one lot?
Start With a Free Discovery Call
Send the address and the idea. We'll talk through feasibility, the approval pathway and title before anything is designed.
Related services