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Waterfront and sloping lots · Sutherland Shire
Waterfront and Sloping Block Builders in the Sutherland Shire
Split-level and stepped homes for the Shire's steep and waterside lots, with footings, retaining, drainage and the foreshore controls resolved and priced before the design is locked in.
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: Wombarra Clifftops in Wombarra, NSW, a split-level home by CKS Projects.
Steep and waterside lots
Waterfront and Sloping Blocks, the Short Version
Much of the Shire falls toward water: Port Hacking to the south, the Georges River to the north and the Woronora River between. Those lots have the best views and the hardest engineering.
Start from the survey, the geotechnical report and the planning certificate, and the slope shapes a better home. Start from a flat-site plan, and the slope becomes variations.
| Builder | CKS Projects, trading as Builders Sutherland Shire. NSW Contractor Licence 258735C |
|---|---|
| Home types | Split-level, stepped, cantilevered and multi-level |
| Site work | Survey, geotechnical report, engineered footings, retaining, stormwater, machinery access |
| Controls | Foreshore, flood and bushfire overlays read from the planning certificate |
| Approvals | CDC where eligible, otherwise a DA to Sutherland Shire Council |
| Contract | Fixed price, with the slope understood and priced first |
Site condition to design
How CKS Projects Has Resolved Hard Sites
Conditions resolved on completed CKS Projects homes.
| Site condition | Design response | Completed example |
|---|---|---|
| Steep fall toward the water | Split-level plan following the contour, reducing excavation | Wombarra Clifftops |
| Slip area and subterranean water | Engineering and stormwater resolved before construction | Wombarra Clifftops |
| Very steep bushland block | Three cantilevered levels, each over the one below | The Barn Woonona |
| Bushfire exposure | Cladding chosen to meet the BAL-40 rating | The Barn Woonona |
The process
How a Sloping or Waterfront Build Runs
Survey, geotechnical report and planning certificate come first, because on these lots they decide the design.
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.
Controls on the lot
Foreshore, Flood and Bushfire Controls
NSW and council rules · confirm for your lot
- Planning certificate: the section 10.7 certificate shows the foreshore, flood and bushfire overlays on the lot.
- Local plan: the Sutherland Shire LEP 2015 and its maps set the local controls.
- Bushfire prone land: development must meet Planning for Bush Fire Protection 2019; the BAL sets the construction standard.
- Pathway: a CDC where the home meets the state standards, otherwise a DA to Sutherland Shire Council.
Sources: Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan 2015 · NSW RFS, building in a bush fire area · NSW Planning, complying development · NSW Planning Portal, BASIX.
Homes on hard sites
Built Into the Slope
Three CKS Projects homes on steep land.
Wombarra Clifftops
A brick and timber clifftop home above the ocean, stepping down a classified slip area.
See Wombarra Clifftops on cksprojects.com.au
The Barn Woonona
Three cantilevered levels on a very steep escarpment block, clad to meet BAL-40.
See The Barn Woonona on cksprojects.com.au
Railway Austinmer
A two-storey home with stairs set into a bushland slope.
See Railway Austinmer 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 home
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
Steep and Waterfront Lots 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
Waterfront and Sloping Block Questions
Can you build on a block that falls steeply to the water?
Yes. A steep fall is what gives a waterfront home its views and light, provided the design follows the land. CKS Projects built Wombarra Clifftops as a split-level home stepping down a clifftop slip area, and The Barn Woonona as three cantilevered levels on a very steep block.
What reports does a waterfront or sloping lot need?
Usually a detail and contour survey and a geotechnical report first, then engineering for footings and retaining and a stormwater design. Bushfire prone lots add a BAL assessment, and flood or foreshore controls on the planning certificate can add more for the DA.
What makes a slope cost more?
Engineered footings, retaining and drainage, the amount of excavation, access for machinery and materials on a steep driveway, and the number of levels. We price the slope before the design is locked in, not after.
Do foreshore controls apply to my lot?
On Port Hacking, the Georges River, the Woronora River and the canal lots of Sylvania Waters, foreshore and flood controls can apply lot by lot. The section 10.7 planning certificate and the Sutherland Shire LEP 2015 maps show what applies, and we read them before design.
My sloping lot is bushfire prone too. What then?
The design must meet the NSW RFS Planning for Bush Fire Protection 2019, and the BAL rating sets the standard for cladding, glazing, decks and roofing. Bushfire prone land often means a DA rather than a CDC.
Steep or waterfront lot?
Start With a Free Discovery Call
Tell us about the block and what you'd like to build. We'll talk through the reports it needs, the controls and how the slope is priced.
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