NSW · Sydney — Eastern Suburbs
Home builders in Double Bay
A builder’s licence is permission to trade. It is not a solvency test. 2,361 construction companies entered external administration last financial year, more than any other industry in the country — and no regulator checks whether the one quoting your Double Bay job can still pay its framer on Friday. We run the Four-Point Builder Check™: licence with NSW Fair Trading, insurance sighted, still trading, and genuinely working in Double Bay. Then one name and the reasoning behind it — or a straight no.
- Costs you nothing, ever
- No obligation to use them
- Details never sold
Why this is harder than it looks in Double Bay
- Double Bay is not a generic block
Mapped here: 2 residential zones, 3 overlay families, 56 heritage records. A builder who prices the house and discovers the site is a builder whose quote moves — and the variations land on you, not on them. The ones who work Double Bay regularly already know which of these reach which streets.
- A current licence tells you nothing about solvency
Every one of the companies behind that figure held a valid licence the day before it failed. The certificate on the wall says they are permitted to build. It does not say they can pay their framer on Friday.
What building in Double Bay actually involves
The most common floor space ratio mapped in Double Bay is 2.5:1 — an apartment-scale density — and it applies to 32 of the 125 parcels where a ratio is mapped. It is simultaneously the suburb's most common figure and a figure that does not describe most of the suburb.
A modal value is not a majority
Where one value covers four parcels in five, "most common" and "typical" mean the same thing. At 32 of 125 they do not. A quarter of the mapped parcels carry 2.5:1 and the rest carry something else, which makes the headline number a true statement about a minority and a misleading one about the place. The practical test is simple and worth applying to any portal figure: ask what share of parcels the value covers, not just what the value is. In Double Bay that share is low enough that the only honest answer about density on a particular block is the one read at its address.
Height behaves the same way
No single height control covers much of the suburb either. The most common is 10.5 m, on 29 of 111 mapped parcels, with controls ranging from 9.5 m up to 18.1 m. Across 0.79 km² — one of the smallest localities on this site — that spread describes a village where a two-storey house and a six-storey building sit within a few streets of each other, set block by block rather than by any zone-wide rule. R3 Medium Density Residential carries the larger share with R2 Low Density Residential over the rest.
Two lot bands, one of them very small
Minimum lot size is mapped in two bands: 700–749 m² on 44 parcels and 350–399 m² on 7. The smaller band is half the larger, and on land of this value the difference between a parcel that can be divided and one that cannot is the single largest number in any feasibility here. Because the minimum governs subdivision rather than what may be built on an existing lot, an undersized parcel is not unbuildable — it is simply not divisible.
Fifty-six heritage records, in three classes
Fifty-three general items, two general conservation areas and one archaeological item are mapped. Against controls this fragmented the two conservation areas carry unusual weight. Where the numbers vary block by block, an area control is the one constraint that applies predictably across a group of properties — and what it governs is the half of the building the street can see, which is also the half a ratio says nothing about.
A creek, three soil features, and two clear registers
Double Bay Creek is the one mapped watercourse. Three acid sulfate soil features are mapped — low, but relevant to a basement on harbourside land, which is exactly what a 2.5:1 ratio invites. No bushfire-prone land is mapped here, and the suburb lies outside every declared mine subsidence district.
Ask what share, not just what number
The ratio and the height at the address, since neither mapped value covers most of the suburb. Then which of the two lot bands applies, because it decides divisibility. Then the conservation areas, which can bind the form more tightly than the height map. Then the soils, if the design goes down.
What you are dealing with in Double Bay
Six things a builder prices differently. This is the suburb-level picture — which of them reaches your block is an address check.
- Bushfire Not mapped BAL assessment; glazing, decking and screening spec.
- Flood Not checked Held in each council's own Flood Planning Map rather than in a statewide layer
- Heritage 56 records Impact statement; limits demolition, form and materials.
- Slope Not checked Published by individual councils rather than as a statewide layer
- Soil Acid sulfate Below trigger depth: management plan, treatment, disposal.
- Density controls 2 zones · 10.5m What may be built, and how much. Set parcel by parcel.
What is mapped in Double Bay
Read from NSW ePlanning Spatial Viewer, not a summary of it.
- Council
- Woollahra Council
- Planning scheme
- Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 2014
- Overlays mapped here
- Heritage — Conservation Area - General · Heritage — Item - Archaeological · Heritage — Item - General
- Residential zones mapped
- R2 Low Density Residential
R3 Medium Density Residential - Bushfire-prone land
- None mapped
- Mine subsidence district
- Not in one
- Heritage items mapped
- 56
- Minimum lot size
- 700-749 m² minimum (most common of 2 minimum-lot-size bands mapped in the suburb)
- Typical height limit
- 10.5m
- Floor space ratio
- varies by block
- Land reserved for acquisition
- Infrastructure
- Acid sulfate soils
- Mapped in this suburb
Planning data from NSW ePlanning Spatial Viewer (CC BY 4.0), read 2026-09-20. Suburb-level, not a report on your block — check your address on the NSW Planning Portal.
Overlay families mapped here
Worth knowing before you budget
- Building height
No single height control covers much of Double Bay: the most common is 10.5m, on 29 of 111 mapped parcels. Height here is set block by block. Other controls that apply to a meaningful number of parcels run up to 18.1m — generally centres and larger sites, not a house block.
- Floor space ratio
Floor space ratio varies across Double Bay: the most common mapped value is 2.5:1, on 32 of 125 parcels. It has to be read at the address.
- Land reserved for acquisition
Parts of Double Bay are reserved for future public acquisition — infrastructure. A reservation is mapped to specific land, so whether it touches your block has to be checked at the address.
The mechanism
The Four-Point Builder Check™
Every one of them is something you could do yourself. What we sell is that it has been done, dated and published — and repeated on a schedule, because a check that happened once is worth nothing.
- 01 · Licence
Looked up on NSW Fair Trading's own public register — number, class and status, with the date we looked recorded.
- 02 · Insurance
Public liability plus whatever warranty or indemnity cover NSW requires. Sighted by us, not self-declared on a form.
- 03 · Still trading
Solvency re-checked on a schedule. A licence stays current right up until the day a company fails.
- 04 · Works in Double Bay
Confirmed with the builder against the suburbs they genuinely service — not a radius drawn on a map.
How this works
- 01Tell us about the build
Six questions, about three minutes.
- 02We match it against Double Bay
Against the 2 residential zones mapped here, 3 overlay families, 56 heritage records — and against which builders hold the right licence class for it, have done it before, and actually work under Woollahra Council.
- 03One recommendation, with the reasoning
Not six quotes to sift. We negotiate on your behalf; you deal with the builder directly. Builders pay us, only once you sign.
What you get, and what it costs you
- One builder, not a list
We read your brief against what is actually mapped in Double Bay — 2 residential zones, 3 overlay families, 56 heritage records — and against which builders hold the right licence class, have built under these constraints before, and genuinely work under Woollahra Council. You get one name and the reasoning in writing.
- Or a straight no
The same business day you get one of two things: our recommendation, with the reasons — or a plain email saying we have not got a builder in Double Bay we would put our name to yet, and what we are doing about it. No drip campaign, no being passed around.
- It costs you nothing, ever
The builder pays us, and only if you sign with them. You are never charged, and you are never under any obligation to use the builder we name. How the fee works.
We are not a builder, we do not manage your build, and we do not hold your money.
Fair questions before you send anything
- You have no builders listed in Double Bay yet. What use is that?
A fair question, and the honest answer is that a list is not what we do. We do not publish a builder until the licence is checked, the insurance is sighted and we have confirmed they are still trading — so an empty list here means we have not finished that work in Double Bay, not that we cannot help. Send the brief and we go and find one for your block. If we cannot, you get told that, the same day, rather than being added to a mailing list.
- Why not just get three quotes myself?
You can, and for a simple job you probably should. The difficulty on a block in Double Bay is that quotes are only comparable when they assume the same things — and with 2 residential zones mapped here, two builders can price the same house against different assumptions about the site and both be quoting honestly. Sorting that out is the part we do.
Builders serving Double Bay
Questions about building in Double Bay
What floor space ratio applies in Double Bay?
The most common mapped value is 2.5:1, an apartment-scale density, and it applies to 32 of the 125 parcels where a ratio is mapped. It is the suburb's most common figure and still does not describe most of the suburb.
How should I read a figure like that?
Ask what share of parcels the value covers, not just what the value is. At 32 of 125 a quarter carry it and the rest carry something else, so the only honest answer about density on a particular block is the one read at its address.
What is the height limit?
No single control covers much of the suburb. The most common is 10.5 m on 29 of 111 mapped parcels, with controls from 9.5 m to 18.1 m — across 0.79 km², a two-storey house and a six-storey building within a few streets.
What are the lot sizes?
Two bands: 700–749 m² on 44 parcels and 350–399 m² on 7. The smaller is half the larger, and because the minimum governs subdivision it decides divisibility rather than buildability — an undersized parcel is not unbuildable, just not divisible.
Is Double Bay heritage-affected?
56 records: 53 general items, two general conservation areas and one archaeological item. Where the numeric controls vary block by block, an area control is the one constraint that applies predictably across a group of properties — and it governs the half of the building the street can see.
Do acid sulfate soils matter here?
Three features are mapped. Low, but relevant to a basement on harbourside land — which is exactly what a 2.5:1 ratio invites.
What to ask a builder about a block in Double Bay
Each one is here because of something mapped in Double Bay. Take them to whoever quotes.
- 01
Which of the 2 residential zones mapped in Double Bay covers this address, and what does that one permit that the others do not?
- 02
Have you had an application through Woollahra Council where a heritage control applied, and how long did the assessment take?
- 03
What height control is mapped at this address? It is set block by block in Double Bay, not suburb-wide.
- 04
What floor space ratio applies at the address, and what floor area does that actually allow on this block?
Local landmarks in Double Bay
- Blackburn Gardens
- Lough Playing Fields
- Epping Reserve
- Double Bay Park
- Foster Park
- Guilfoyle Park
- Double Bay War Memorial
- Site of Public Wharf (Now Occupied By New Wharf)
No catch
What you are agreeing to
- Nothing. There is no contract with us, no account to create, no card, and nothing to cancel.
- No obligation to use whoever we recommend. Take the name and the reasoning and do what you like with it, including nothing.
- No phone number needed to start. Give us one if you want to be called; otherwise we write.
- One builder contacts you, not six. And only after you have seen the brief and said yes.
- Your details go to that builder and nobody else. Never sold, never auctioned, never shared with a panel.
- If we have nobody in Double Bay, we say so. That is a real answer we give, and the empty builder list above is the proof we mean it.
Building in Double Bay?
Licence checked with NSW Fair Trading, insurance sighted, still trading, genuinely working in Double Bay. If we cannot find one worth recommending, we will say so.
Find my builder — free →Free · about 3 minutes · no obligation · your details are never sold
Named watercourses in Double Bay
Double Bay Creek is the one named watercourse mapped in Double Bay. Where a block sits relative to it is a design input rather than a view: it sets the riparian setback and, in a heavy event, the overland flow path.
- Double Bay Creek
Read from the NSW Water Theme, which maps gazetted watercourses only. A constructed channel or a stormwater drain is not in this list and can still carry water across a block.