CDC / DA — From Design to Approval

We engaged Apex Ultimate Design for a three-storey terrace in Parramatta, from concept sketches through CDC lodgement. Council approved it in six weeks, faster than anyone expected. The facade details were handled with care.

This was our second project with the team. The first was a backyard home in Leichhardt using the DA pathway; this time it was a four-bedroom home for ourselves using CDC. Neither project had the repeated requests for more documents that I expected. They also explained the difference between CDC and DA in a way I could understand, which no other firm had done for us.

Difficult site: a sloping block in Dubonnell with a heritage overlay. Three other firms quoted and basically told us good luck. Apex redesigned around the level changes and got the DA through on the first submission with minimal conditions. The 3D renders sold my wife on the design straight away.

Our duplex renovation in Leichhardt needed a CDC as well as an S73 amendment. What impressed me most was the project management: an update every Monday explaining the next step, so I never had to chase. The final design also improved daylight and outdoor circulation beyond what I had expected.

We used Apex for both projects. The drawings were clear and ready to submit to council, and the DA and subsequent CDC documents were fully consistent. They also helped us negotiate away an additional condition that would have increased the build cost substantially.

We were nervous first-time builders and had no idea what a CDC actually involved. Our designer walked us through every step and flagged the things council usually pushes back on. Replies generally came back within the hour.

As an investor, speed and certainty matter most to me. They delivered the CDC in line with the start date I had set. Before lodgement, they addressed the conditions council commonly raises, so no additional issues came up when approval arrived. That reflects a capable process, not luck.

It was a duplex project in Parramatta. They coordinated the structural, stormwater and arborist work themselves, so I did not have to chase documents between different offices. The DA assessment report came back with very few additional conditions.

Clean, well organised drawings. My builder said they were the easiest set he had priced in years: layers named properly, dimensions that actually match, and details you can build from without twenty phone calls.

Our terrace renovation in Leichhardt needed both a DA and an S73 amendment. Before we made a decision, they clearly laid out the two approval pathways and the documents each required. There were no surprises during the process and no extra charges at the end.

Our site in Dubonnell was on a slope. Their structural engineer found a foundation issue during design; discovering it after construction started would have meant costly rework. That alone justified paying more than the lowest quote.

First submission approval on a site with both a heritage overlay and a flood planning level. I had been told to expect at least one round of requests for further information. Apex prepared the heritage statement and we went straight through.

The four units were spread across two council areas, and both applications used the CDC pathway. Both sets of documents were complete, and the pricing structure was transparent from our first conversation. I no longer feel the need to keep comparing design firms.

We had worked with another firm for three months without getting the DA lodged. After moving to Apex, they rebuilt the document package from scratch and had a complete CDC set ready to submit to council within a month. Communication was good throughout.

Honest about what was actually achievable on our block rather than just agreeing with everything we asked for. The design they proposed increased our usable floor area while still meeting the setback requirements.

They dealt directly with the surveyor, structural engineer and private certifier, so we did not have to coordinate them ourselves. As first-time builders, that mattered far more to us than saving a little on the price.

Communication was consistently good. The weekly updates included drawings, and they could answer in both Chinese and English, so my parents could follow the application progress too.

CDC for a two-storey addition in Parramatta. Approved with minimal conditions. They clearly know what the certifier looks for and had addressed all of it up front in the package.

The drawings closely matched what was ultimately built, which is not easy to achieve. The planning report supporting the DA was detailed and easy for the assessor to understand.

I called on Tuesday, had an initial discussion that same week and received a quote the following week. Nobody pushed the capped-price offer or added extra items. We are halfway through the CDC process and the schedule is on track.