City of Sydney
Private building certifier in Surry Hills
Surry Hills moves from big western warehouses to small shops and terraces in the east. A private certifier in Surry Hills places your terrace within that pattern before any addition is drawn.
NSW 2010
Class 1 homes and Class 10 structures
Local rules
Terrace rows in a warehouse suburb
Mostly apartments, plenty of terraces
In 2021, 15,828 people lived in Surry Hills, across 9,666 private dwellings. Apartments or flats were 68.5% of the occupied stock. Semis, terraces and townhouses were 29.1%, and separate houses just 1.1%. Class 1 work here is almost all terrace work.
The planning framework
Zoning, height and heritage are set by the City of Sydney through the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012. Sydney's 2012 DCP then adds locality statements. The central statement keeps the gradual change in scale from west to east and protects the consistent late-Victorian streets. It also backs lively shopfronts on the listed retail streets.
Special spots to know
Beside Shannon Reserve, the low terraces on Richards Avenue are limited to single storey rear additions, to protect the park. Buckingham Street, close to the park and railway, has a deliberate imbalance. Big warehouse and infill buildings line one side while low terraces face them. Copying the scale across the road is not the test. Check which statement covers your street before you brief a designer.
Typical work
Common projects and how they get approved
What owners build here
Typical Class 1 and 10 jobs in Surry Hills include:
- Terrace rear additions. Relate the height to your own row, not to the largest warehouse nearby. Check the rear roof and the neighbours' courtyards early.
- Attic conversions. Keep the front roof form intact and test how dormers or rooflights read from the street and lane.
- Internal alterations in terraces. Shared walls and old structure often need a closer look once linings come off.
- Small rear structures. Courtyard pergolas or a rear garage on a lane can be simple, but heritage mapping still matters.
Shopfront fitouts, warehouse apartments and mezzanines in converted buildings belong to other building classes. Someone registered to certify those building types has to do that work.
How approval usually works
Some minor work is exempt. If both your site and your plans satisfy each code standard, a complying development certificate (CDC) from a certifier may be possible. Heritage and conservation mapping often rules that out here. After that, the City of Sydney assesses your development application (DA), and a construction certificate is issued once it is approved.
The usual sticking points are rear additions that grow too tall for their row, upper floors visible from a park, and changes to the original roof. Settle the envelope at DA stage so the construction drawings do not quietly change it.
Send a survey, the property's heritage details and photos of front and rear. CertifiBuild then sets out the realistic options for your terrace.
Our services
From approval to sign-off.
One certifier for your whole Surry Hills job, from the first plan check to the occupation certificate.
Local questions
Questions we hear about this suburb.
No two lots in Surry Hills are the same. Give us your address and we will check every map that affects it.
See the council pageCan my Surry Hills terrace take a two-level addition at the back?
It comes down to the terrace’s location. Beside Shannon Reserve, the low terraces on Richards Avenue are limited to single storey rear additions to protect the park. Elsewhere, the City of Sydney’s locality statements, your heritage status and the scale of your own row decide what is reasonable. A rear upper level that lines up with neighbouring additions is easier to support than one that rises above the row. Check the rear roof and the neighbours’ courtyards early, and do not borrow a design from a different street.
Why can’t my terrace match the warehouse across the street?
Because on some Surry Hills streets, uneven heights are part of the character council wants to keep. On Buckingham Street, near the park and railway, tall warehouse and infill buildings face a row of low terraces by design. Across the suburb, building scale also shrinks as you head east, from large warehouses toward small shops and terraces. Your terrace is judged on the rules for its own lot, its heritage status and its row, not on whatever stands opposite. Drawings should show the row your terrace belongs to.
Can CertifiBuild certify a mezzanine in my Surry Hills warehouse apartment?
No. Warehouse apartments are Class 2 buildings, which sit outside the Class 1 and Class 10 work CertifiBuild handles, meaning the job needs a certifier with Class 2 registration. Before a mezzanine goes in, the building’s current approval, structural capacity, fire safety and any significant original fabric all need checking. A high ceiling does not mean extra floor area is approved. If you also own a terrace in Surry Hills, we can help with additions, attic rooms and small rear structures there.
Building in this suburb?
Send us the address first.
We check the local maps for your lot, confirm the approval path and quote in writing.