Knock Down and Rebuild

• Speak to your Council about your intention to demolish your home and find out relevant details about your land.
• Find a demolition company.
• Request a copy of your Demolition Permit from your demolition company and forward it to us.
• Disconnect power and gas – your utility company will need time to process your request so organise this in advance
• Advise your demolition company to cap off the sewer at the main sewer connection point and in accordance with local authority guidelines i.e. Seal Off Application Form and an On Site Council Inspection. Please Note: Form 4 will not be accepted.

More information is always welcome

When you speak to your Council, try to find out as much information as you can as this will help you to foresee potential issues. In particular, try to determine when sewer lines were installed in your area – this can flag potential future issues such as hidden items in the earth, septic tanks, wells, pools, pipes, etc. If you pinpoint these issues prior to construction, you may avoid the extra cost of removal and possible reengineering of your slab design. Please note that Council information, or lack of, is not necessarily a reflection of what may or may not be found on site and could impact on any planning overlays.

Water Connections

If your site does not already have an existing water meter you will need to arrange for one to be provided. (Contact your local Council for further information).

Does your storm water (roof water) discharge to the curb? If your land is relatively flat, then you may require a sealed stormwater system to enable discharge. This will be determined by our qualified team and is site specific.

Power Connections

Your current and proposed power supply will need to be confirmed prior to demolition of your existing home. If your current site has overhead power supply, then the set back of the house, location of power supply and the height of your home will need to be considered to determine the new power connection. These factors will determine if you will need a temporary or permanent power pole to the front of your property. Next, the supply availability to the front of the property will need to be assessed, as conducted by a licensed electrician who will submit a Supply Availability request to Energex. In a normal circumstance, this process will take 10 days. If a supply relocation is necessary and a permanent power pole is required, with a meter box attached, this process can take between 2-4 weeks and will be completed before demolition begins.

For homes with underground power supply, the first step will be to have the power abolished by Energex prior to demolition. A licensed electrician will then submit a Supply Availability request to Energex, which will also determine whether the supply on the footpath will need to be upgraded. If an upgrade is required, this process may take between 4 weeks to 6 months with applications costs involved.

Site Considerations

If there are any trees you'd love to keep on your land, you'll need to let us know. If the house falls within the perimeter of the tree, an engineer may request that they be removed at the owner’s expense to ensure the integrity of your home’s slab for many years to come. Bear in mind, this could be expensive depending on the tree and its proximity to the new home. If you wish to retain a particularly large tree for added shade in those summer Queensland afternoons, the engineer may approve that 1m piers be installed, preventing the extensive root system from jeopardising the home slab and neighbouring constructions.

Notes

Any additional items will be included in your Tender for an identification survey for the re-establishment of the boundary markers. This is required for all demolitions as it will indicate clear title boundaries. Plantation Homes will only build from title boundaries.

It's time to set your sights on onsite construction, so please ensure all excess soil and rubbish is cleared and grass has been cut.

Tell us when the demolition is complete and we’ll organise the second soil and survey.

Chat one-on-one with a Plantation Homes New Home Consultant

Take the opportunity to chat one-on-one with a New Home Consultant who can help you through an assessment of your existing block of land. Before you settle on the dream home design, it’s best to let us take a look at your site first, so that we can assess the suitability of the block and advise you on which designs are available. In assessing the suitability of your block, we review the following elements:

Slope/fall, width/frontage and depth of your block (these are the physical features of your land used to evaluate design suitability and potential site costs)

• Front setbacks and easements on your property (these can often be set by the estate or Council and they determine exactly where the house can be positioned on the block with regards to your boundaries and proximity to neighbours and the street)
• Driveway positioning and assessing the best orientation for your new home (natural light and sun orientation)
• Assess the requirement for overhead power supply from powerlines to be moved to underground
• Any Council overlays that may be applicable to your block including residential, vegetation protection and planning overlays
• Street access and the possible requirement for traffic management
• Consideration of neighbouring properties and whether a double storey home has the potential to overshadow or overlook neighbouring properties.

Once our Pre-Site Building Advisor has completed the initial site inspection, he or she will make contact with you to discuss the results and any items that you will need to action prior to commencement on site.

Finance options

You can also choose to review the offering from Waterstone Finance, with the option to complete a simple finance qualification process at our Springwood Head Office. Our Waterstone Finance Team can help you to find the best financial solution to fit your situation.

Secure your quote

A deposit is required to secure the current listed base house price and promotional offer (if applicable). For knockdown rebuild, the deposit is $2,500.

Process starts

Your New Home Consultant will now order the initial soil test, contour survey and site inspection to assess the site, access to services and any possible building limitations as well as the creation of your Tender documentation (an itemised, detailed version of your HIA contract that incorporates your selections and choices). Please note that your deposit is now no longer refundable however we will supply you with a copy of the Soil and Survey Reports.

Your New Home Order paperwork will now be passed onto our team at our Springwood Head Office and a second deposit of $1,500 deposit is required.

Once we review the Soil / Survey / Site report findings as well as the results of relevant Council searches at Head Office, we will move forward with preparations for the creation of your Tender documentation for your New Home Proposal Appointment.

Book it in

Let the excitement start building at your Design Inspiration session, where you will discover how your Home Selection Appointment and process works.

Home Styling Appointment

Whether you know exactly what you want for your interior style or are yet to discover it, you’ll have everything at your fingertips at your Home Styling Appointment at our Plantation Design Studio. Located at our Springwood Head Office, your New Home Consultant will book an appointment with a professional Interior Design Stylist to assist you during the entire appointment.

Allow approximately 3-4 hours for single storey homes and approximately 6 hours for double storey homes.

You will also attend an electrical appointment with Your Home Consulting to confirm your electrical plan, with an opportunity to add lights, light fittings, security systems, intercoms, fibre optic wiring and connectivity, data points, home theatre sound systems and more.

New Home Proposal Appointment

Your next appointment is your New Home Proposal Appointment where we will present you with your Authorised Tender including the costs for your selected façade, floor plan options and allowances along with the siting of your new home. This is where you'll do a final review and accept your personalised quotation.

This is where all of your planning and information, quote and payments come together in one place for review and final sign off.

It will look like a complete house on paper, covering façade, variations, colour selections, preliminary site costs, site plan and floorplan (as applicable). There are no further changes permitted after the tender is signed.

Appointments are available Monday – Friday, taking approximately 4 hours for a single storey and a full day for double storey homes.

A progress payment

Once your Authorised Tender is signed, it is here that your final non-refundable deposit of $1,500 is now due, bringing the total deposit paid to $4,000. We will then proceed with ordering your full working drawings.

Once your full working drawings have been received and reviewed, we will begin to prepare for your Contract appointment.

Contract

Present your Contract Drawings, HIA Building Contract and the additional contract documents for your approval. Using an industry standard HIA New Home Contract, you’ll be presented with the personalised version. Each person listed on the contract must attend this appointment to sign the document.

Discuss the power requirements for your build (i.e. permanent or temporary power pole)

Once your contract is signed, all of the relevant documentation will be submitted to your Bank / Broker to initiate your formal finance approval.

Now is the time to action any items that must be completed prior to your house removal. I.e. contact your energy provider to arrange the power pole / apply for demolition approval through your local Council (if applicable).

Lodgement

The Full Council Lodgement will be sent to our Private Certifiers within 1-2 weeks of the contract signing (if we have all required information) or upon receipt of your 5% payment (if self-funding).

Once lodged, the Full Building Approval can take approximately 4 - 8 weeks to be approved. This timeframe depends on a variety of factors including the Council regulations in your area and the complexity of the submission.

Post Contract Variations

While the Council Approval process is under way, our Estimating Department will work on your Post Contract Variation. This document will include all colour upgrades you selected at your Colour Selection appointment and any additional requirements you nominated at your Contract Appointment. This process takes approximately 3 weeks from the date you sign off on your Colour Selection. However please appreciate this timeframe can fluctuate depending on supplier quotes and responses, as well as the nature of your requests.

When you receive your Post Contract Variation please check through it carefully and if you have any questions or changes, please advise your Administrator.

Once the Post Contract Variation is complete and correct, please sign and return a copy to us. Signing the document confirms your acceptance of the variations to the Contract.

Final Drawings

When we receive the signed Post Contract Variation, a quality check will be completed by our Cosham Studios team, this ensures that all of our paperwork aligns. From there, our Drafting team will complete the Final Drawings, which incorporate all of the details of your Authorised Tender, Post Contract Variation/s and Colour Selection. This process takes approximately 2 weeks.

The completed Final Drawings will then be emailed to you for a thorough review and your final approval. Once again, signing these documents confirm your acceptance of these plans, which will be used for the construction of your new home.

If retaining by owner has been nominated on your site plan, please contact your Customer Service Administrator prior to commencing the installation of your retaining wall.

Once we receive the Full Building Approval, we will email your bank/broker all of the Council Approved documents with our Insurances so they can provide the written Authority to Commence Construction Letter and also pay the balance of 5% (if this is not already received by this time).

Demolition

It is now time to begin the demolition of the existing home on your property (if you have not already done so). Please advise us once the demolition is complete and provide us with the following:

• Confirmation that all existing structures / paths / driveways / clotheslines etc. have been removed and the house pad is clear.
• Provide an Asbestos Clearance Certificate from a Licenced Assessor (if applicable).
• Provide an Identification Survey – reinstate boundary pegs (Should you need details of a reputable Surveyor, please contact your Customer Service Administrator).
• Confirmation that all services to the block including but not limited to Sewer, Stormwater, Mains Gas, Electricity and Phone have been adequately disconnected.
• The Sewer must be capped off at the main sewer connection point and in accordance with local authority guidelines i.e. Seal Off Application Form and an On Site Council Inspection. Please Note: Form 4 will not be accepted.

Final survey and inspections

Now that the contract is signed, the above is provided, the site is clear and we are able to safely access the block, we will order a CCTV Inspection then conduct a second Soil Test, Contour Survey and Site Inspection. For knockdown rebuild, we’ll also confirm final site costs after the second soil test and survey results.

Our Drafting and Estimating teams will then review the results of these tests to assess any possible issues with the block (which may result in re-siting your home or adding retaining etc.) and check we are clear to move forward with the build. This process takes approximately 1-2 weeks.

After we have received the Authority to Commence Construction (or current bank statement covering the cost of the build if you are Self-Funding) and the full 5% deposit, we will then commence the allocation of Labour and Materials for your home.  This process takes approximately 2 weeks and involves the final check of the plans, variations and colours and finalises any variances found. You will also receive a copy of your final Colour Selection during this process which you will need to review carefully, then sign and return. 

Preparation on site

When all of the above is completed the final step is to hand you over to our Construction team who will then begin to organise the commencement of works on site.

To help avoid any delays, please make sure your land is clear and ready for commencement of construction.

Site Start

This is where all the plans and paperwork come together so the onsite team can create the vision.

Progress payments

We require progress payments as per the standard HIA recommended payment schedule. These are outlined in your HIA contract paperwork.

This step-by-step guide to buying your Plantation home should be used as a guide only. Approval of these timeframes is determined by approval of all Council related regulations, installation of pools and finance confirmation.