Knockdown & rebuild

Chat one-on-one with a Henley Sales Consultant: Take the opportunity to chat one-on-one with a Henley Sales Consultant, where you can help you through an assessment of your existing block of land. It's true that not all home designs suit all types of land or block sizes, so before you settle on the dream house, let us take a look at your site first. That way, we can assess the suitability of the block and you can fall in love at first sight with a home you can definitely have! We will assess the suitability of your block and review the Contract of Sale, Section 32 or Plan of Subdivision. Elements we will review include:

• Slope/fall, width/frontage and depth of your block (these are the physical features of your land, assessed from every angle and dangle 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.

Dollars and sense: You can also choose to review the offering from Waterstone Finance, with the option to complete a simple finance qualification process at your Henley Display Centre. Our Waterstone Finance Team

Secure your quote: A fully refundable deposit is required to secure the current listed base house price and promotional offer (if applicable). For knockdown rebuild, the deposit is $1,500.

Finalise paperwork: Your deposit will secure pricing and promotion structure for 60 days providing you complete all of paperwork requirements within this time.

Book it in: Let the excitement start building at your Cosham Information session, where you will discover how your home selection appointments and process works.

Confirm certificates and contracts: Please provide us with a clear copy of your Certificate of Title/Plan of Subdivision and a copy of your Land Contract including Section 32. 


Quotation Acceptance: Your next appointment is where you'll do a final review and acceptance of your personalised quotation. This needs to be finalised within 60 days of the quote date, to secure your pricing and promotions.

A progress payment: It is here that your second deposit of $1,000 is now due, bringing the total deposit paid to $2,500. This deposit is now no longer refundable as it initiates works such as a soil report, site survey and council requirements (where applicable) and the creation of your Tender documentation (an itemised, detailed version of your HIA contract that incorporates your selections and choices). The Tender is presented to you at Stage Four, after your selection appointments - see below. In building momentum, we will also book your next round of appointments.

The second deposit is $1,000 for knockdown rebuild, bringing the total paid to $2,500.

Cosham Selection Appointment: Whether you know exactly what you want or really have no idea, you’ll discover what you can create at your Cosham Selection Appointment in Mount Waverley. Open during business hours Monday to Friday, as well as evenings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you’ll have a professional Interior Designer to assist you during the entire appointment.

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

Tender: This is genuinely a tender moment in time – it’s when 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.

Council dispensations and town planning permits: For knockdown rebuild projects, the final tender sign off means we can apply for all relevant council dispensations (Town Planning Applications remain the responsibility of the owner). We also recommend you begin your Electricity Pit Relocation Application through the relevant electricity authority at this point.

A progress payment: A payment of $1,650 is now required in order to finalise your contract drawings.

Out with the old: Demolition of the existing house with capping of all services to boundary is required prior to contract signing. Once demolition is complete, your site will have a second soil test and survey to confirm engineering of your slab.

You will also attend a electrical appointment to confirm our 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.

Your Contract: 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, and it also must be signed within 240 days for a knockdown rebuild.

Positive progress: Progress is positive and your progression to contract stage is celebrated with a 3% (less deposit paid) payment at your contract appointment.

All ready for site activity: You are so close to site start. Now that the contract is signed and progress payment made, we’ll submit your energy assessment, finalise construction drawings, and confirm information relevant to your specific council requirements. For knockdown rebuild, we’ll also confirm final site costs after the second soil test and survey results.

Make your move: So we can start onsite, you now need to provide;

• Finance re-confirmation including a current letter of offer
• Written confirmation from your finance provider that funds are ready to be released for construction progress payments
• Written confirmation of land ownership

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

Site Start: Congratulations! Seeing your builder break the dirt on your block of land is an exciting moment. This is where all the plans and paperwork come together so the onsite team can create the vision. To proceed with site start, we must have received all required permits and approvals, evidence of the owner’s title to the land, full details of restrictions and covenants which affect the land, evidence of finance for the contract price, all drawings are signed and all pre-site start HIA contract clauses are met.

Summary of progress payments: We require progress payments as per the standard HIA recommended payment schedule. There are six payments due, totaling 100%;

• Deposit – 3% (less deposit already paid)
• Base – 10% 
• Frame – 15%
• Lock up – 35%
• Fix – 25%
• Completion – 12% (in addition to any variation orders)

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

• Speak to your council about your intention to demolish your home and find out relevant details about your land.
• Obtain an Asset Protection Permit from your council.
• 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.

Tell your demolition company to complete the following:

• Cap sewer connection and remove line from house.
• Cap water meter and tap and remove line from house (water tap and meter to remain on site).

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:

• Do you currently have clay pipes on your land? If you are unsure, the date your property was established will allow you to determine its water tapping connection – any property established prior to 1989 will generally have clay pipes. An additional item will be included in your Tender if you currently have clay pipes. This is to cover the costs of converting your clay pipes to PVC connections.

• Does your storm water discharge to the kerb? If yes, you may require a charged pump LPOD system. This will be determined by an engineer and is site specific.

 Power Connections:

• Is your power connection currently overhead? If yes, you will need to arrange for an electricity pit to be installed by an electrical contractor to enable us to run underground power connections.

• We recommend that you organise the installation of an underground pit as early as possible as it can be time consuming. A costly generator will be required if it is not installed prior to construction. To organise this, speak to the new connections department of your power company. They will send you a form that will need to be completed to show the amount payable and they will also request a copy of the site plan nominating a preferred location. You will need to let them know that you need an underground power pit installed and obtain the ‘Request for underground power’ form.

• Amps – in most cases you will require less than 100 amps.

• Single phase/three phase – If you plan to have refrigerated air conditioning in your home then you should have three phase installed otherwise single phase is sufficient. Please discuss your specific requirements with your power company.

Site Considerations

• A leafy outlook is lovely, so 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, you may need an arborist report and tree root barriers may need to be installed. Bear in mind, this could be expensive depending on the tree and its proximity to the new home.

• If you're on the fence about your fence quality, it will probably need to be replaced, as you will only be permitted to retain your fencing if it is in good condition.

• Is your garage on the boundary? If yes, it is your responsibility to organise for the removal and re-installation of any affected fences with your neighbours.

Notes:

Any additional items will be included in your Tender for a reestablishment survey – This is required for all demolitions as it will indicate clear title boundaries. Henley 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 2nd soil and survey.