NSW · Sydney — Lower North Shore
Home builders in Greenwich
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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich. 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 Greenwich
- Greenwich is not a generic block
Mapped here: 2 residential zones, 4 overlay families, 149 heritage records, bushfire-prone land. 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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich actually involves
Greenwich maps 149 heritage records across 1.66 km², and they come in four kinds: 143 general items, three archaeological items, two landscape items and one general conservation area. On a peninsula this size that density changes the odds — here the heritage question is likely to be a live one on your block rather than a background search.
Four kinds of heritage, and they behave differently
The count alone is close to useless because the four categories do different things. A general item constrains that property. A conservation area constrains the streetscape, and inside one the development control plan usually decides more about facade and roof form than the LEP does. A landscape item can attach to trees and setting rather than to a building. An archaeological item is mapped where evidence is expected below ground and is triggered by excavation — not by demolition, and not by the age of the house standing there. Establish which kinds reach your address, not how many records the suburb has.
Three archaeological items, on a peninsula with history under it
Three of the 149 are archaeological. Where one reaches a block, the consequence attaches to earthworks: footings, a pool, a basement, service trenching. It is a programme item as much as a cost item, because investigation takes time that has to sit in the build schedule rather than be discovered inside it.
The residential numbers are dominant
A maximum building height of 9.5 m covers 76 of 96 mapped parcels and a floor space ratio of 0.6:1 covers 117 of 237. Both are majorities, so unlike several neighbouring suburbs the suburb-level figures here are a fair starting point. On an 800 m² block, 0.6:1 is roughly 480 m² of floor area with every level counted. Height controls elsewhere in the suburb reach 25 m, which is the R4 land rather than the house blocks.
Two zones, and they are far apart
Only R2 Low Density and R4 High Density Residential are mapped — with no R3 between them. That is an unusual pairing, and it matters for outlook: there is no medium-density step softening the transition, so the question of what sits behind or beside a block is more consequential here than in a suburb with a graded ladder of zones.
One minimum-lot band
A single band is mapped — 550–574 m² across 96 parcels. One band means subdivision potential resolves the same way across the mapped land, and it is the one question here that does not need an address-level answer.
Three parcels reserved for environmental conservation
Three parcels are reserved for future public acquisition for environmental conservation. Three is a low probability on a suburb of this size, but a reservation hands the timing to an authority's acquisition program, and confirming it against an address takes minutes.
Bush fire and acid sulfate on the slopes
Nine bush fire features are mapped — vegetation buffer and vegetation category 2 — following the bushland on the slopes down to Gore Creek and Berrys Creek. Five acid sulfate soil features are mapped as well. On a peninsula with steep ground running to the water, the two often turn up on the same blocks: the ones with the outlook. A BAL assessment sets the construction standard; the acid sulfate class and trigger depth decide whether excavation needs testing and treatment.
What to establish on a Greenwich block
Which heritage categories touch the address — that is the first search here and it is four searches, not one. Then the archaeological layer specifically, if anything is being dug. Then confirm the 9.5 m and 0.6:1, which usually hold. Then the bush fire and acid sulfate position together, because on the slopes they tend to arrive as a pair. Flood sits with Lane Cove Council.
What you are dealing with in Greenwich
Six things a builder prices differently. This is the suburb-level picture — which of them reaches your block is an address check.
- Bushfire 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 149 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 · 9.5m · 0.6:1 What may be built, and how much. Set parcel by parcel.
What is mapped in Greenwich
Read from NSW ePlanning Spatial Viewer, not a summary of it.
- Council
- Lane Cove Council
- Planning scheme
- Lane Cove Local Environmental Plan 2009
- Overlays mapped here
- Heritage — Item - General · Heritage — Item - Archaeological · Heritage — Conservation Area - General · Heritage — Item - Landscape
- Residential zones mapped
- R2 Low Density Residential
R4 High Density Residential - Bushfire-prone land
- Mapped in this suburb
- Mine subsidence district
- Not in one
- Heritage items mapped
- 149
- Minimum lot size
- 550-574 m² minimum (most common of 1 minimum-lot-size bands mapped in the suburb)
- Typical height limit
- 9.5m
- Floor space ratio
- 0.6:1
- Land reserved for acquisition
- Environmental Conservation
- 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.
Bushfire categories mapped here
Worth knowing before you budget
- Building height
The most common maximum building height mapped here is 9.5m (76 of 96 mapped parcels). Other controls that apply to a meaningful number of parcels run up to 25m — generally centres and larger sites, not a house block.
- Floor space ratio
A floor space ratio of 0.6:1 applies to most of the mapped parcels here (117 of 237). On an 800 m² block that is about 480 m² of floor area, every level counted.
- Land reserved for acquisition
Parts of Greenwich are reserved for future public acquisition — environmental conservation. 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 Greenwich
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
Seven questions, about three minutes.
- 02We match it against Greenwich
Against the 2 residential zones mapped here, 4 overlay families, bushfire-prone land, 149 heritage records — and against which builders hold the right licence class for it, have done it before, and actually work under Lane Cove 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 Greenwich — 2 residential zones, 4 overlay families, 149 heritage records — and against which builders hold the right licence class, have built under these constraints before, and genuinely work under Lane Cove 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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich, 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 Greenwich 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 Greenwich
Questions about building in Greenwich
Why does Greenwich have so many heritage records?
149 are mapped across 1.66 km² under the Lane Cove LEP 2009 — 143 general items, three archaeological, two landscape and one conservation area. On a peninsula that size the density means heritage is likely to be a live question on your block rather than a background check.
Does the heritage count tell me what I can build?
No, and the count is the least useful part. The four categories do different things: a general item constrains the property, a conservation area constrains the streetscape, a landscape item can attach to trees and setting, and an archaeological item is triggered by excavation. Establish which kinds reach your address.
What can I build on a Greenwich house block?
A 9.5 m height covers 76 of 96 mapped parcels and a floor space ratio of 0.6:1 covers 117 of 237 — both majorities. On an 800 m² block that is about 480 m² of floor area with every level counted. The 25 m controls in the suburb are on R4 land, not house blocks.
Why does Greenwich have no medium density zone?
Only R2 Low Density and R4 High Density Residential are mapped, with no R3 between them. There is no medium-density step softening the transition, so what sits behind or beside a block matters more here than in a suburb with a graded ladder of zones.
Do bush fire and acid sulfate both apply here?
Often on the same blocks. Nine bush fire features — vegetation buffer and category 2 — follow the bushland on the slopes down to Gore and Berrys Creeks, and five acid sulfate features are mapped. The steep waterfront ground tends to carry both.
Is Greenwich in a mine subsidence district?
No. Greenwich is not inside any declared mine subsidence district. The districts are a statewide legal register, so that is a read result rather than an absence of data.
What to ask a builder about a block in Greenwich
Each one is here because of something mapped in Greenwich. Take them to whoever quotes.
- 01
Which of the 2 residential zones mapped in Greenwich covers this address, and what does that one permit that the others do not?
- 02
What bushfire attack level have you built to in Greenwich before, and what did it change in the glazing, decking and screening?
- 03
Have you had an application through Lane Cove Council where a heritage control applied, and how long did the assessment take?
- 04
What height control is mapped at this address? It is set block by block in Greenwich, not suburb-wide.
Local landmarks in Greenwich
- Coronation View Point
- Greendale Park
- St Vincents Rd Playground
- Portview Reserve
- Henningham Playground
- Lane Cove Bushland Park
- Gore Creek Reserve
- Brickhill Playground
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 Greenwich, we say so. That is a real answer we give, and the empty builder list above is the proof we mean it.
Building in Greenwich?
Licence checked with NSW Fair Trading, insurance sighted, still trading, genuinely working in Greenwich. 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 Greenwich
2 named watercourses are mapped in Greenwich. On any individual block the question is which of them is nearest, because that is what the setback is offset from and what the flow path follows.
- Berrys Creek
- Gore 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.