Building a new house

[SteveyC]

I've been scouring the web this evening trying to search out info on planning permission and the like in relation to buying a plot and building on it (obviously).

Does anyone know the general process involved, i mean I know you have to get building consent, then inspections then a Certifictate of Construction Compliance (CCC) when you've finished, but how do you know if it will be granted or not.

In the UK you generally buy a plot with planning permission etc, but all the plots or 'sections' as the kiwis call them are advertised with no mention to building consent or anything.

Has anyone done anymore thorough research on the matter, I know a few of us are certainly considering building eventually.

[MotherBear]

Sorry, Stevey, more links, but you?ll just have to grin and bear it, as there?s quite a bit of reading up to do. Hope you don't get a headache at the end of it.

http://www.consumerbuild.org.nz/publ...-selection.php This tells you a lot about buying a section, what?s required and the local councils etc., but doesn?t necessarily tell you HOW to do it. I guess you just go along to the council offices and ask them for help to start you off. They?ll no doubt point you in the right direction as the kiwis are very helpful people, normally.

http://www.britsnz.co.nz/Picture%20Gallery.htm This is just a set of photos showing one family?s house going up. Thought you might be interested to see how it all comes together.

Some links to building companies who can put a house on your new section. They might be confined to certain areas only, so check.

http://www.jennian.co.nz/name!itmUpperNorthShowHome*pgclass!general*pagegro up!grpUpperNorthBuilder*pageid!29*header!about*lng !eng*.aspx - says for the North Island, but click at the bottom for South Island ones. Click on Homes by size or Homes by style on the left.

http://www.lockwood.co.nz/index.php Often a lot of wood used in these homes. Click on Our plans.

http://www.murrayhomes.co.nz/ I think these are in the SI.

http://www.signature.co.nz/index.sm It says $750 at the top for the plans to your new home, but that?s only a special offer on certain ones, as I see it. You?d have to enquire what their normal prices are. These people supply/design plans for homes and have a builder on board that you?d have to get a separate quote from when you?ve decided what plan you want.

http://www.kitsethomes.co.nz/ - (otherwise known as Highmark Homes) click on the pictures on the right. Building comes in kit form for you to either erect yourself :icon_eek: or get a builder on board. I?ve tried to PM you the prices on these as it?s a separate pdf file and would take up too much room to paste it in here, but it just came out as squares. I tried to copy and paste in Word but only squiggles came out. Let me know if you want prices of particular properties - to give you some idea, they range from $32,000 - $101,010. The company reckons, if you double the price of the property you want, you'll have a good idea of how much it'll cost to complete i.e. with concrete base and erection etc.

http://www.stonewood.co.nz/plans/ind...?region=000004 These give plans and prices. They have offices in the NI and SI.

http://www.cavalierhomes.com.au/loca...cation_nz.html - click on Design range. Don't see any prices, though and don't click on House and land packages as they only refer to Oz houses (v. expensive).

Well, it?ll give you something to dream about, if nothing else.

[SteveyC]

http://www.kitsethomes.co.nz/ - (otherwise known as Highmark Homes) click on the pictures on the right. Building comes in kit form for you to either erect yourself or get a builder on board. I?ve tried to PM you the prices on these as it?s a separate pdf file and would take up too much room to paste it in here, but it just came out as squares. I tried to copy and paste in Word but only squiggles came out. Let me know if you want prices of particular properties - to give you some idea, they range from $32,000 - $101,010. The company reckons, if you double the price of the property you want, you'll have a good idea of how much it'll cost to complete i.e. with concrete base and erection etc.

Yeah haven't got any PMs, sounds reasonable doesn't it. I read that consumer build site last and found it very good tho. But couldn't establish whether Sections are sold with or without a sort of building consent. I emailed harcourts in relation to a gogeous plot I saw, last night playing the prospective purchasers o hopefully they will come back on sunday (monday there) with some good ideas.

I reckon that I can get a decent plot for between 90 and 150k on a 900m? plot leaving 100-160k on the build. Hopefully with my construction knowledge I should be able to save on design/project management costs and maybe even some materials costs with a few good ideas along the way. Should be a pretty excellent build. Gotta establish whether, as in england if you do a self build, you make a substantial gain in value after completion. If not then may have to trim the budget somewhat to make it more affordable.

[Glenda]

We looked into this.

There are so many sections for sale, the majority of which you can build on. (Always make planning and site investigations conditions of the purchase.)

Though having been in the construction industry ourselves, we were told to go to one of the popular building companies to get a cheap, quick and decent job done. You chose your section, chose your design, make what alterations you want to the design, and they will get the combined planning/building permission for you within days and, as long as the title has been sorted out, start building as soon as they can.

If you really really want to do a self-build, be prepared for it to take a little longer than with the building companies. Apparently, tradesmen give first priority to doing work for the building companies and will only do private work on weekends or when other work is slack.
::):

[SteveyC]

Thanks for the answer Glenda.
Not really in a hurry to build so we definitely want to design it from almost scratch in order to get something close to a dream home at least for the next 6-9 years.

You said most plots have building consent.
Is that zoning allowing BC to be obtained, or building consent already, a sort of outline planning permission?

Also what of the onjes with no consent, is that no consent and none likely to be granted, or no consent until I submit plans for BC?

How do you know what plots have and havn't got building consent? Are the agents obligated to tell you or is there not much protection from the law in this area?

hehe sorry for all the questions, that'll teach you to answer my posts :icon_evil:

There's all sorts of problems with building, Stevey.

Firstly, if you are planning on 'self-build', then you better tie in with a registrered master builder else you'd be lucky to get a mortgage and it can also affect buildings insurance. Also get your section checked thouroughly before purchase, as piles have to be driven down to the first layer of clay, which can be quite a long way down and can be the difference between a few grand for foundations, up to $20,000 just for the piles to put the foundations on! You'll also have to pay for excavation on top of that lot :icon_sad: Land slippage is also a major one to look for. I passed a house near Tauranga the other day, whos garden shed was about 20 feet further down the hill than it used to be, in a very sorry state!

Zoning doesn't really impact on what you can build, but you need to check for covenants on the land as you may be restricted to a house of a certain size, or you may only be allowed to build a bungalow etc. Some covenants even dictate what kind of driveway must be laid and what colour your house must be painted in order to least affect the surrounding area.

In NZ, there is also the problem of services if you build rurally. If you're more than a few yards out of the city, then you have to have a rainwater supply and septic tank. These tanks will add an extra $15-20k on to your build.

Anyway, the gist of the story is, only jump into a self build if you've got the guts to stick with it! It can be a minefield, but can also be very worthwhile when its all done and you're living in your new dream home :icon_biggrin:

Think carefully!

[Glenda]

From what I can gather, towns/cities have zones which indicate the density of development allowed. The further you get away from a centre, the larger the sections have to be. Usually, a block of land is subdivided into several sections and permission has been obtained by the local council to do this before the sections go on the market. The next step is getting seperate titles on the section which can take anything from 10 days to 10 weeks, depending on the area.

Building is usually allowed on these sections but is subject to any covenants put on by the owners and any site conditions imposed by the local authority - like storm water drainage. To gain approval for your design of house, it seems that just a building reg application is put in as there are usually no silly regulations about house design, size of windows, colour of bricks etc. etc. like you get in the UK.

The popular building companies will do the necessary site investigations and plans for building approval, they will even design a house especially for you. They are so streamlined here that it is probably the quickest as well as cheapest option. It is quite common here for folks to find a plot (section), choose their building company and design, and get their new house built within a year, getting an even better deal if they are building on an established estate.

Some areas of land do not have planning permission, even if they are in a zoned area. I do not think these are common and are usually that way due to other factors - possibly tax and GST. Apparently, buying land with the intention of subdividing or subdividing too soon afterwards can cause problems in this area. (Not going there ... so don't ask!)

Stress I am not an expert in this field. No doubt you will pick up the nitty gritty when you get here!
[smiley=icon_biggrin.gif]

You're right, Glenda. Section sizes can vary depending on zone, and also from council to council.

As an example, if you are within Hamilton City council, on a residential zoned area, you can build your house on a postage stamp of land. If you go further out of the city, in to Waikato district who have a lot of rural zones, the minimum section is now legally 5000sqm (used to be 4000). If you wanted to subdivide, you would have to have a minimum of 2.6 hectares (26,000sqm) before being allowed to subdivide, and only if that 2.6 hectares hasnt been subdivided already!

If you wander out the other way in to Waipa district council (Cambridge etc) rural zones, you have to have a minimum of 50ha (500,000sqm) before being allowed to subdivide!

You can only build one house per title (each title being a subdivision) and in rural zones, you can also build a seperate 'granny flat' up to 70sqm floor size on a single storey, but in any of these zones, you can apply for resource consent, which may allow you to build an extra outbuilding or possibly a second home, but you would most likely never be able to sell that home as it would have no title on the land, and therefore not be mortgageable under normal circumstances.

Land is a very complicated issue, more so than the actual building of a house in some cases!

[SteveyC]

Thanks guys.

I would never attempt to do a full on self-build I struggle to put curtain rails up with my DIY skills. More like a self-design, I'm good with the principals of building as I have to build houses all day every day at work using computer programs. Expecting a minefield and opne place where I would never 'skimp' on costs is when assigning specialists in surveying, construction etc.

The biggest problem I have is New Zealand Architecture, it's kind of non-existant isn't it really hence I want to design and build our own place. Both from an investment point of view and a perfectionists. Like you say tho, the nitty gritty will become more apparent the more we start thinking about it, but it never harms to ask 'the wise old heads from the forum' first now does it [smiley=icon_biggrin.gif] [smiley=icon_biggrin.gif]

[MotherBear]

which may allow you to build an extra outbuilding or possibly a second home, but you would most likely never be able to sell that home as it would have no title on the land, and therefore not be mortgageable under normal circumstances.

I guess this is what's happened where I've seen 2 homes for sale under one title. No doubt if you want to sell up, you have to sell both homes at the same time.