Insights & Updates

Articles on structural engineering, building inspections and council approvals across the Central Coast, Newcastle and Sydney.

Beach house with a glass-balustraded timber deck on braced posts at the top of a steep, freshly eroded sand dune with exposed roots, leaning timber posts along the dune base and waves on an overcast day

Coastal hazards

How does coastal erosion affect Central Coast homes, and what can you do?

Coastal erosion strips beach and dune sand in storms and can undermine homes, as at Wamberal. Check the hazard maps before you buy, build or extend.

A timber-clad house with a small glass balcony, raised on stout round timber poles with diagonal timber cross-braces between them, on a steep bushland slope among eucalypts in late afternoon light

Structural design

Pole houses on sloping blocks: how are they built and approved?

A pole house rests on timber poles with few footings, so it disturbs little soil on a steep block. In NSW it is approved by DA or complying development.

Sloping rock revetment of large angular grey and brownish boulders running along the back of a sandy surf beach under an overcast sky, with a grassy, shrub-covered dune above it and small waves breaking on the left

Coastal engineering

How are seawalls designed, approved and repaired in NSW?

A seawall separates land from the sea and shields it from wave erosion. In NSW a private seawall needs development consent and funded upkeep for its life.

A grey concrete slab spanning out over a steep earth slope, supported on concrete block walls with an open space beneath it, and eucalyptus trees behind

Structural design

What is a suspended slab, and when does a sloping block need one?

A suspended slab is a concrete floor that spans between walls or beams instead of resting on the ground. It can suit sloping blocks that need deep fill.