[Sam B]

Well, our house in Cornwall has just gone on the market (sniff) and we are now looking for a bit of NZ to buy. On Friday we saw the most ace piece of land for sale, up in the hills above Cambridge, fab views across the Waikato valley at the front, and it backs on to protected bush behind. Feel excited just thinking I could own it!! It is 1.5 hectares of hill with no obvious flat bit although the top is flattish (very ish). Our plan is to buy an old villa and plonk it on somewhere. We are complete novices in all this. I have read Caroline and Dave's house thread, but it doesn't answer quite all my questions.

Firstly - do I get a solicitor first or a geotec first?

How do I find out if we can get electricity and water there? There isn't any on the site I don't think as it is just a piece of hill in the sticks.

Is it easy to make a flat bit in a hill to put a house on?

How do I find a good geotech, or someone who can do all this for me? Our budget is fine, I just think the more an expert can do it all for us, the better really....

[Jo Jo]

Info about buying a section:
http://www.consumerbuild.org.nz/publish/site-selection.php

including a handy checklist of things to do before buying:
http://www.consumerbuild.org.nz/publish/site/section-doing-the-research.php

Info about moving houses: http://www.consumerbuild.org.nz/publish/reno/renovations_moving_old.php

[andreamatt]

Wow Sam - how thrilling (but difficult emotionally perhaps letting go of your Cornish cottage?).

Have you read Rose Tremain's The Colour? Great read about gold-mining / settling in the Christchurch area AND building a (cob) house on a very exposed hill! You might enjoy it.

Anyway good luck with your plans - any pictures of this bit of paradise?

Andrea

[Sam B]

Thanks Andrea and Joanna

You're right, it IS hard to sell my lovely Cornish cottage and I have miner panic attacks every time I think about it. That book sounds good, I'll read it after the Bone People, which I am tackling next. I was reading all Deanthingy's stuff on Caroline and Dave's building a house thread and it making me worry about trying to make a flat bit in a hill.

Caroline, when you've stopped feeling jet lagged, have you got any reassuring words for me??

[Sam B]

Minor, minor, NOT miner. Grrrr

[wiki]

Minor, minor, NOT miner. Grrrr

But considering you were talking about a Cornish cottage it's rather an apt typo - I'd say you should be rather choughed! :laugh

[Sam B]

Ha Ha HAAAA!! Nice one Wiki!

[Tia Maria]

Andreamatt wrote:

Anyway good luck with your plans - any pictures of this bit of paradise?

Yes please start another house building/moving thread, I love reading those! :clap

Cheers

Tia

[Sam B]

I'll take some piccies when we go for our 2nd look on Thursday. It's one of those places that a photo won't do it justice though. I'll get J to take them, he's handy with a camera.

[toots]

Get a LIM done
Make sure it has it has its own title and that you can build a house under permited development without having to apply for resource consent (planning)
Suss out the cost of getting electricity and a telephone line to the gate, can be expensive.
Ask the vendor if there are any covenants on the land.
In addition to a geo tech report you may also need a survey to ensure that boundary pegs are in place (fences don't always run along boundaries)
If you're applying for a morgage your lender may ask for a valuation.

We did the same as you and got a fantastic house on a wonderful block that we could not have afforded to buy otherwise.

God luck with your venture, it's well worth it.