Getting your property ready for machinery: what changes the job

Most delays and disputes on vegetation jobs come down to things that weren't checked before the machine arrived. A bit of preparation on your end makes the quote more accurate and the day go smoother.

Know what's underground before anything is booked

Contact Before You Dig Australia for a free search of registered utilities on your property. It's not optional and it's not just for digging - subsoil work and even some surface mulching near known service corridors needs this checked first. BYDA plans show registered infrastructure, not private pipes, irrigation lines or septic systems you've put in yourself, so map those separately and point them out on-site.

Check approvals before you call for a quote

If the land has standing native vegetation, confirm whether a permit is needed before any clearing is scoped - check the Native Vegetation Regulation Map and ask your council if you're not sure. If you're responding to a council fire prevention notice, have the notice in hand; it sets the exact area and standard required, and that's what the quote should be built against, not a guess at what 'fire season prep' usually means.

What actually changes a quote

Density and type of vegetation, slope and ground conditions, how the machine gets in and out, whether the ground's been wet recently, what needs to be worked around (trees to retain, fences, structures, waterways), and the finish you need all affect time on-site and therefore price. This is why none of this gets quoted over the phone - two paddocks that look identical in a phone description can be a half-day job and a two-day job depending on what's actually growing there.

Clear the way before the site visit

Unlock or point out gates, move vehicles and loose gear out of the working area, and have dogs and stock secured or well away from where machinery will run. Mark anything underground you know about even if it's not on a BYDA plan - old irrigation, hand-dug trenches, anything like that. The clearer the access on the day we walk it, the more accurate the scope we can put in writing.

Choosing a contractor

Ask what machine they're planning to bring and why - the right machine for scrub on a slope isn't the right machine for flat open pasture, and an operator who adjusts to the site rather than quoting one approach for everything is worth more than one who's cheapest on paper. Ask what's excluded from the quote (stump removal, follow-up weed treatment, hauling material away are common ones), what the finish will actually look like, and whether they'll walk the completed area with you before calling it done. Get the scope in writing - area, method, what's retained, what's excluded, and the finish - before work starts.

What changes the scope once work starts

Hidden obstacles - old fencing, buried timber, unexpected native vegetation, ground that's wetter than it looked - are the main things that alter a job mid-way. A reasonable contractor stops and discusses this with you rather than working around it unannounced or quietly doing less than agreed. Agree upfront how changes like this get handled and priced.

• Before You Dig Australia
• Native Vegetation Regulation Map