Project Carter
Development Feasibility (DA) Cost Calculator
Work out what it costs to buy a block and take it to development approval. Enter the address and what the site is like, then the land and buying costs, the consultants and site works, the council fees and the holding costs, then set the DA timeframe and any debt. The tool flags which reports are likely at lodgement and gives a state-based demolition range. The numbers update live, and you can take away a one-page PDF. It is an estimate to help you think, not financial or planning advice.
The site
An address is checked once, when you click out of the field, against public map data to confirm the suburb and set the state. Nothing else is sent, and nothing is stored. A plain project name is fine too. This also names the report if you save it to your account.
Enter this yourself, from the rates notice or the council's own site. It is not filled from the address check, because the exact LGA name matters and map data gets it wrong. Report requirements are set by the council's LEP and DCP, or the local planning scheme. Always hold a pre-lodgement (pre-DA) meeting with the council before you submit, unless you already have certainty on the outcome.
The consultant list below is tagged from what you tick here. It is a guide, not a determination. Always book a pre-lodgement (pre-DA) meeting with the council to confirm exactly what your DA must include, unless the outcome is already certain.
Land purchase
Loan — · Deposit —
Pick a state and the field below fills with an estimate from its general transfer duty rates. Edit it if you have the exact figure.
Estimate only. General duty scales reflect published 2024–25 rates; the SA and ACT commercial treatment reflects 2025–26 changes. Commercial and industrial property is handled differently in some places: SA has abolished duty on it, the ACT exempts it up to a threshold, and Victoria is moving it to an annual tax. The filled figure also adds the land-titles-office fees to register the transfer, and the mortgage where a loan is entered; the seller pays to discharge their own mortgage, so that is not included. Thresholds in several states index each year, and this excludes foreign purchaser surcharges, landholder / land-rich duty and any concession. Confirm the exact amounts with the relevant state revenue office and titles registry.
The state also sets the demolition rates below. The address check above can fill it in for you.
Building and pest, identification survey, title and planning searches, contamination Phase 1.
Finance
Charged on the loan through the DA period. Leave the loan and rate blank for an unleveraged hold.
From settlement to development consent. Many councils run 6 to 18 months.
Establishment, valuation and legal fees on the facility.
On: every cost other than the land deposit is treated as drawn from the loan across the DA period, and interest builds on it. Off: those costs are cash.
Cash or equity you can put toward this, e.g. released from another property. Compared against the cash required below.
Site costs
Works to make the site ready. Leave blank anything that does not apply.
Ground footprint of the buildings and hardstand being demolished, not the whole lot.
Added to the figure when "asbestos is likely" is ticked in Site characteristics.
Set a state (from the address check or the stamp duty field) and enter a footprint to fill the figure below. It will keep updating unless you amend the figure yourself.
Indicative only, compiled from Australian demolition price guides. The rate per m² is higher for a small footprint and lower for a large one, since plant still has to be mobilised either way. Costs also vary with access, materials, service disconnections and contractor demand, and a minimum job cost applies. Not a quote. Asbestos, when present, is usually priced into the demolition contract; the separate "Asbestos / hazardous material removal" line is for standalone remediation.
Consultant costs
Each line is tagged from your Site characteristics. ✱ Likely for this site means plan for it at lodgement; "may be required" means raise it at a pre-lodgement meeting. Tags are a guide, not a determination.
Arborist report and impact assessment, plus any approved tree removal or pruning works. One line, so it is not double counted.
Authority & statutory fees
Council's fee, usually scaled to the estimated cost of works. Check the council's fee schedule.
Infrastructure charges and the long service levy sit in the GRV calculator, since they are usually paid at or after construction certificate.
Only if the site needs a planning proposal or LEP amendment alongside the DA.
Holding costs
Entered per year. The calculator applies them for the months the DA takes.
Public liability, and vacant land or building cover.
If an existing dwelling stays leased through the DA. Reduces the net holding cost.
Contingency & management
Applied to site, consultant, statutory and holding costs. Not to the land or stamp duty.
An allowance for running the DA process.
- Site costs
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- Consultant costs
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- Authority & statutory fees
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- Holding costs (net of income)
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- Contingency
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- Project management
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- Loan set-up & fees
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- Interest during the DA
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- Total cost to DA
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- Cost to reach DA, excluding land
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- Cash (equity) required
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- Shortfall / surplus
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- Debt at DA (loan + interest)
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- Cost to DA as a % of land price
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Your cost to DA
Figures are part-hidden. Unlock the full numbers and one-page PDF below.
Project Carter is sent your figures for an assessment only if you request one.
Reports for this site
You have marked this site as having no mains water or sewer to the block. If that was ticked by mistake, clear it in Site characteristics above. If it is right, treat it as a major development constraint, not a line item: getting services to the site can mean trunk main or sewer extensions, easements over other land, a pump station or an on-site wastewater system, and water authority headworks or augmentation charges that can run into six figures, and it drives the achievable yield. Get a servicing feasibility and a written connection offer from the water authority before you commit to the site.
Standard for most DAs: architect / design drawings, town planner (SEE), detail & level survey, civil / stormwater, landscape plan, BASIX / NatHERS.
✱ Likely for this site: tick the site characteristics above
May also be required: — Confirm the list at a council pre-lodgement meeting.
Always hold a pre-lodgement (pre-DA) meeting with the council before lodging, unless you already have certainty on the outcome. It is the cheapest way to find out what the assessment will turn on.
Month by month
| Month | Costs drawn | Interest | Loan balance | Equity in (to date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enter a land price and a DA timeframe in months to see the schedule. | ||||
Get your cost summary
The page builds a one-page PDF of your figures, the flagged reports and the month-by-month schedule. A copy is sent to Project Carter so we can follow up if you'd like.
Done. Your PDF has downloaded. If it didn't, . Project Carter has your figures and will be in touch if you asked for a follow-up.
How the numbers work
- The site. The address is checked once, when you click out of the field, against public map data to confirm the suburb and set the state, which drives stamp duty and the demolition rates. A matched address is also rewritten as a tidy one-line version for the summary, keeping the street number you typed if the map data has none. The council field is never auto-filled: the exact LGA name matters for the LEP / DCP and map data is not reliable enough, so enter it yourself. Nothing else is sent, and nothing is stored. The site characteristics you tick drive the report tags in the consultant list. The tags are a guide, not a determination by the council: always hold a pre-lodgement (pre-DA) meeting before you lodge, unless the outcome is already certain.
- Loan and deposit. The loan is the percentage of the land price you enter. The deposit is the rest, and it is cash. Leave the loan blank and the whole purchase is funded with cash.
- Total purchase costs is stamp duty plus legal / conveyancing, buyer's agent and due diligence. Stamp duty can be estimated by state: click the field, pick a state or territory, and tick "commercial" if it applies. The filled figure is transfer duty plus the land-titles-office fees to register the transfer and, when a loan is entered, the mortgage. It is an estimate, not the state revenue office's or titles registry's figure.
- Demolition. Click the field, and with a state set (from the address check or the stamp duty box) and a footprint area entered it fills with an indicative figure for that state and structure type. The rate per m² runs higher for a small footprint and lower for a large one, because plant still has to be mobilised either way. Ticking "asbestos is likely" adds the uplift percentage. Figures are from price guides, not quotes, and a minimum job cost applies. Editing the field pins your own number; clearing it brings the estimate back.
- Site, consultant and statutory costs are the one-off costs of getting the DA prepared, lodged and assessed. Enter only the lines that apply. Arborist / tree works is a single line for both the report and any approved removal or pruning, so tree costs are not entered twice.
- No mains water or sewer. Tick this in Site characteristics if the block is not connected. It is flagged as a major constraint rather than a cost line: getting services to the site can mean main extensions, easements, a pump station or on-site wastewater, and water authority headworks charges into six figures, and it caps the yield. Get a servicing feasibility and a written connection offer before committing.
- Holding costs are entered per year and charged for the DA period only, worked out as months ÷ 12. Rental income during the DA, if an existing dwelling stays leased, is netted off, so the holding line can be a credit.
- Contingency is your percentage applied to the site, consultant, statutory and holding costs. It is not applied to the land price or stamp duty.
- Interest during the DA. The land loan is drawn at settlement. If "fund the development costs from the loan" is ticked, every other cost is treated as drawn evenly across the DA period; otherwise it is cash. Interest is charged monthly on the balance outstanding and added to the loan (it compounds and is not paid in cash along the way).
- Total cost to DA is the land price plus every cost above plus the interest. Cash (equity) required is that total less the debt owing at DA. Debt at DA is the loan drawn plus the interest added to it.
- This is a pre-construction view. It excludes GST, the build itself, construction certificate costs, finance beyond the DA period, selling or holding past approval, and it is not financial, tax or planning advice.
Common questions
What consultant reports do I actually need for a DA?
It depends on the site and the development type. Tick what applies in the site characteristics checklist above and this calculator's rules engine flags each consultant line as standard for most DAs, "likely for this site" or "may be required" - see the reports panel it builds for you. The tags are a guide, not a council determination: always hold a pre-lodgement (pre-DA) meeting before you lodge, unless the outcome is already certain.
How is stamp duty estimated on a development site?
Pick a state or territory in the stamp duty field and tick "commercial" if it applies. The figure that fills in is transfer duty from that jurisdiction's published general rate scale, plus land-titles-office registration fees and, if you've entered a loan, mortgage registration. It's an estimate for a company or investor purchase, not the state revenue office's or titles registry's figure, and it excludes foreign-purchaser surcharges and concessions.
How accurate is the demolition cost estimate?
It's indicative, from published price guides rather than a quote. With a state set and a footprint area entered, it applies a $/m² rate that runs higher for a small job and lower for a large one (mobilising plant costs roughly the same either way), with a minimum job cost floor. Ticking "asbestos is likely" adds a percentage uplift. Get an actual demolition quote before committing to a number.
Do I really need a pre-lodgement meeting with council?
Yes, unless the outcome is already certain. A pre-DA meeting is the cheapest way to find out what a council will actually want before you've spent consultant fees finding out the hard way - it's a standing recommendation on this page, and repeated in the PDF disclaimer.
What if the site has no mains water or sewer connected?
Tick it in site characteristics and this calculator flags it as a major servicing constraint, not just a line item. Getting services to an unconnected block can mean main extensions, easements, a pump station or on-site wastewater, and water authority headworks charges running into six figures - and it can cap the yield the site can support. Get a servicing feasibility and a written connection offer before committing to the site.
Is this development feasibility calculator financial or planning advice?
No. It's a pre-construction cost estimate built from the figures you enter, to help you think through a site before you commit. It excludes GST, the build itself, and anything specific to your site or council. Speak to Project Carter, your accountant, a town planner and a licensed adviser before acting on it.