Map it before you Buy it or Design it.
Get the feasibility and the cost clarity before you commit to land — or to a full design. Understand your site, your brief and your real budget in two to four weeks.
Many designers send you straight into concept design. That’s fine, until reality hits — and on a tricky site, reality usually hits late and expensive. Map it stops that cycle: early site due diligence that tests your site, brief, budget and planning pathway before you spend serious money.
You buy the land. Then reality hits.
Land looks great in photos. But does it actually suit your brief? Can you build what you want, at a price you can live with? Most people discover the answers after they’ve committed — deposit paid, architect engaged, builder confused about the constraints. Map it answers them before you buy. Or, if you already own the land, before design gets locked in.
Once design starts, changes cost money.
The earlier you catch a constraint — bushfire, slope, wastewater, services, planning — the cheaper it is to design around. Once you’re into detailed drawings, every change ripples through the whole thing. Map it catches these early, while the cost of changing direction is still small.
“I didn’t know the site would cost that much.”
Slope, retaining, bushfire compliance, wastewater, access — site complexity can add significantly to a build. But most people don’t realise it until the builder prices the job. Map it flags those cost pressures before design locks in, so you can redesign or budget accordingly.
SO, WHAT IS A SHACK MAP?
It’s an early feasibility and concept-planning exercise — a fast, visual way to test what your site can actually carry before you spend real money finding out.
Have a play with one yourself. Drag the modules around, build a rough Shack Map, get a feel for how the system works. Free, no sign-up, nothing saved.
Not sure yet? Test your site first →
WHAT YOU GET.
Map it is the first of the four stages of MIDS — the Modular Integrated Design System. It’s a 20–30 page report, prepared over an aerial photo, survey or site plan, that tests your site, your brief and the likely direction of the project. It’s a feasibility and due-diligence tool, not final construction documentation — not a Development Application, not a builder quote, not engineering certification (though it flags when engineer input is needed). Its job is to find the important questions early, while they’re still cheap to answer.
Your Map it report covers:
> site analysis — slope, orientation, solar access, drainage, soil, views, constraints;
> planning pathway — the approvals you’ll likely need, and realistic timelines;
> bushfire coordination — BAL ratings, vegetation setbacks, design implications;
> services & wastewater — town water/sewer availability, or whether on-site systems are needed;
> Shack Map options — 3–4 planning concepts tested before full design;
> probable cost range — a realistic building budget based on site complexity (informed guidance, not a quote);
> risk register — known constraints, pending items and the next steps to proceed with confidence.
We’re not pretending to know every answer on day one. The point is to find the right questions early — because that’s where better decisions start.
WHO IS MAP IT FOR?
Land buyers. You’ve found a site that looks great, but you’re not sure it suits your brief. Map it tests feasibility before you pay the deposit — it tells you “yes, proceed” or “pause, here’s what to resolve first.”
Land owners. You’re ready to design and build. Map it tests your site, brief and budget so the architect can move forward with confidence — before they’re too far down one design path.
Developers. You’re weighing a site’s potential. Map it gives you the cost drivers, planning complexity and realistic construction pathways before you commit.
HOW IT WORKS.
1. Initial briefing. You share your site address and title, a rough brief, a budget range and any site documents you have. We review it and identify the gaps.
2. Site visit & analysis. Marcus visits the site — slope, orientation, exposure, views, existing constraints, services, access — alongside planning controls, bushfire data and wastewater requirements.
3. Consultant coordination. Where a site needs it, we brief specialists (bushfire, geotech, wastewater, planning). These are paid separately and estimated in the report.
4. Shack Map & report. We test 3–4 planning concepts using the MIDS system — how modules fit, solar and cross-ventilation, planning and bushfire compliance, likely cost pressure — then write up the full report.
5. Review & next steps. You get the report and we walk through it. You leave knowing whether your site is a Go (proceed to concept design), a Pause (resolve specific constraints first), or a Redesign (the site suits a different approach — here’s the revised brief).
Start to finish is usually 2–4 weeks. Complex or consultant-heavy sites take a little longer — we keep you posted throughout.
A Go leads into concept design — see the whole flow, first coffee to moving in →
PRICING.
Transparent pricing. No surprises.
Standard Map it — $3,600 + GST. Includes everything above: site analysis, Shack Map options, feasibility report and risk summary. Suitable for most sites across WA.
Complex sites — quoted after an initial review. Steep slopes needing geotech, bushfire-prone areas needing a Level 3 practitioner, tricky wastewater or services coordination, existing retaining walls, multiple planning overlays or heritage all add scope. We’ll talk it through in the briefing and give you a clear price up front.
Not included: specialist consultant fees (survey, geotech, bushfire, wastewater, engineer), authority and approval fees (Shire, planning, health), and full concept design — that’s the rest of MIDS, Zone it, Style it and Pimp it, charged separately. We estimate these in the report so you know the full picture.
Want to know where you stand first? Run the free site test →
WHY MAP IT?
If you skip it.
You hire an architect, start concept design, and three weeks in you discover the site needs significant retaining and geotech, the BAL rating demands construction standards you didn’t budget for, wastewater is more complex than expected — or your brief just doesn’t fit the site. The cost: redesign from scratch, weeks lost, budget blown, morale dented.
If you do Map it first.
For $3,600 + GST you understand your site, test your brief and identify the constraints early. Then you hire the architect with confidence — constraints mapped, brief tested against the real site, budget informed rather than guessed, approvals pathway understood. Better outcomes, lower stress.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.
What’s the difference between the free site test and a Map it?
The site test is your answers, scored. It tells you where the gaps are. A Map it is our work: we pull the title, read the planning framework, check bushfire and services, look at levels and retaining, and give you a Shack Map and a cost range you can rely on. The test tells you whether you need one. Run the site test →
Do I have to do the site test before booking a Map it?
No. But it takes eight minutes and it usually sharpens the first conversation — we can see your site’s risk profile before we talk.
How is Map it different from full concept design?
Map it is feasibility testing — it checks whether your site, brief and budget are compatible, flags constraints early and suggests a preferred direction. Concept design — Zone it, Style it and Pimp it, the remaining three stages of MIDS — takes that direction and develops it into finished floor plans, elevations and specifications ready for approval. Map it is the foundation; concept design is the house.
Can I use the Shack Map from Map it in my final design?
Yes. The Shack Map becomes the basis for the full concept design — we don’t throw the work away, we build on it. If Map it says “go,” the next phase refines the option you chose into a complete, approval-ready design.
What if Map it says “pause” or “redesign”?
That’s valuable information, not a dead end. It means resolving a constraint first (geotech for a steep slope, a bushfire management plan), adjusting your brief to what the site actually supports, or reassessing budget against site complexity. You’re not locked in — you decide whether to resolve it, change approach, or look at a different site.
Do I need a title or survey before we start?
Ideally yes, but not always. If you’re evaluating a potential purchase, Map it can work with current title and property information, aerial photos and GIS data, and a sketch survey (not always necessary). Where major constraints exist — steep slope, existing walls — a current survey helps. We’ll advise during the initial briefing.
What if I don’t have a budget yet?
No problem. We can work with a range — say, “building cost between $600k and $850k” — and Map it shows you what your brief might cost, then flags where site complexity adds pressure. Plenty of people use Map it to figure out a realistic budget in the first place.
Is Map it worth it if I’m not buying or designing yet?
If you’re weighing whether to buy a site, or whether your brief is realistic — yes, Map it gives you the information to decide. If you already own a site and you’re ready to design, yes, it de-risks the whole process. And if you’re just curious or early in your thinking, start with the free site test or a conversation with Marcus.
More questions? The full FAQs →
THREE STEPS. START WHERE YOU LIKE.
Most people find the two free steps tell them what they need to ask us.
01 / Make it
Sketch a rough Shack Map yourself — zones, orientation, the shape of the thing. Free, about ten minutes, nothing to fill in.
02 / Test it
Eight minutes of questions about your site. You get a readiness score across documents, planning, levels, bushfire and services, and a straight answer on whether to proceed.
03 / Map it
We do the due diligence properly — title, survey, planning, bushfire, services, levels and a real cost range. $3,600 + GST.
You’re on it.
READY TO STOP GUESSING?
Book a Map it and get the clarity before you commit — or run the free site test first and see where you stand.
Run the free site test → · Questions first? Contact Marcus.