[Lupin]

We actually saw this land on the internet when we were in the UK but thought there was bound to be something wrong with it given it's size, location and price but thought we'd take a look for comparison. Initially we ruled it out because of distance from dh's workplace, but after we'd done the journey a couple of times it became shorter and less important. Then we withdrew within hours of unconditional because of some slight access issues coupled with spiralling costs. The vendors contacted us and lowered the price by $20K because our daughter attends the rural primary and we are already feeling a part of the welcoming, wonderful community there.

It's flat as a pancake but with beautiful views, it has only two trees, albeit beautiful Totara ones but is bordered by native bush scenic reserve on two sides. It's 35 mins to dh's work but 10 mins from a jaw droppingly beautiful, unpopulated beach. The school is everything we ever dreamt of (and plenty more besides) and the school bus runs to a choice of two excellent secondary schools for the future. The community have opened their arms to us and we feel very priviledged and fortunate. Perhaps it's the rosy spectacles issued on the flight or the water or SOMETHING but I honestly feel we're acheiving our dream. I miss family but not more than I anticipated. I miss friends but am making more. The children have settled well and fast and our nine year old says she feels like a Kiwi and the 4 year old is starting to sound like one! I've only yet met warm, welcoming, honest Kiwi's.

We are skint and the house we are having built is a medium-modest kitset and the land will remain a field for some years I'm sure. I don't think we'll be able to afford trips back to the UK until I'm earning and I anticipate some financially rough years before it gets better. However, the only family we've met who are not happy here are very well off indeed (in that they have no mortgage and a professional wage) so money isn't the key to a successful migration here I don't think.

Here's our little piece of Kiwi paradise, from the back of the land looking toward the road (it's 1.6 hectares):



and turning round the view of the mountain, which I would name but for internet paranoia!:



And lastly, OUR ( :laugh ) beach :

[Moorf]

Oh man, had goosebumps reading that, so pleased you've found your piece of paradise :nice1 and what great views and BEACH!

Keep us posted on the house progress! We've considered a kitset house too so I'll be really keen to see how you go :yes

Best
Moorf
x

[wilson182]

It looks stunning Lupin and you sound happy and content, and long may it remain. I agree with your comment about money not being the key to successful migration. Best Wishes from the Wilsons

[KerryS]

It looks wonderful - that beach, the view... I'm sure you'll all be incredibly happy on your little slice of Kiwi paradise.

[jen]

That looks amazing! Congratulations & keep us updated on how it goes with the house.

Jen

[katandbob]

yep lovely - the beach looks awsome!:nice1


I look forward to seeing the house when its up!

welcome to the LSB owners but skint brigade;) We are in the same boat, but when you get a bit of DIY done or save the money to purchase an item (saving for horse float) it makes it worth the effort - and the OT:roll

Kat

[Marie P]

Wow .........Good luck and keep us posted on any developments.

Marie x {totally skint brigade too}

[willsken]

It looks beautiful! I'll have to pop along for a nose!! :roll You have the "Tree Guys" very near you and I can recommend them if you want to plant a few more. They are really helpful and know their stuff.

[speckythecky]

What a great looking section, it is one of the things we are considering, especially after reading Marie's thread on the house build. We are currently looking at 'enegry efficient homes'. after all what is the point of having a new home that is not going to work for you and the environment.

Good luck

[thezorbster]

So lovely to see and hear about your plans, you sound so happy and positive. Keep us all posted on developments, we've had a dream to build for years so lovely seeing others doing it.

[pinkpiggy]

Wow, what a fantastic plot and views and beach.

[spaceman]

wow your land looks stunning we are looking at buying some land too we were lucky to find a nice plot when we were on of fact finding mission last year we fell in love with it and as soon as we sell our house here in the UK we are going to buy it and build a nice size modist home you are so right about money we will have enough to get out to NZ and buy the land then the rest will be good old fashion hard work and I am so looking forward to it we are lucky as my hubby will be able to most of the work himself as he is a carpenter but I think at the end of the day its about you and your family and being happy GOOD LUCK with the build keep us posted with pics.

Oh just a thing this is my first posting on the sight been looking at it for days now but felt inspired by your message to write

xx

[gil]

Oh wow, it looks WONDERFUL! You must be so thrilled! Really pleased for you,
Gil
x

[Lupin]

Permit FINALLY through. Has been quite a process! With A1 you choose the plans but then make any adjustments you want before your final plans are drawn up. I really wanted a verandah but with our budget and other 'wants' it came down to what where we prepared to compromise on and in the end it was the aesthetics of the roofline and the elevations. The house will as a result be more symmetrical than I'd have liked but that's quite minor in the scheme of things.

Here's the floorplan



Since the pictures I posted above, we haven't really had much done to the land apart from access track, gates and a track to the house site, but even that seems so make a step from paddock to garden somehow



The build has gone over our initial budget (surprise!) but not unmanageably so and we still feel incredibly fortunate as we love our land, the village it's in and the area and the house we're having built will be gorgeous :)

eta: O, we've also had some of the work to get power on site done. Build starts on Monday :)

[Sam B]

It all looks great, keep us posted. I'm still hovering between wanting to build a house and loving the house we're in at the moment.

[bob_the_engineer]

Lupin,

I’m sooooooooooooo jealous,,

I know what life is like there in the bay, and I’m soooooooooooo jealous, I’ve also been round the A1 homes, and even the basic ones are nice. Couple that with the Hector word and hawkes bay and I’m sooooo jealous (did I say that before?)

Seriously Lupin, I hope you, your oh, and your little one are really happy there, it looks so lovely.

If you have any problems with power there drop me a PM, I have friends in the bay who specialise in back up electrical systems, I could always kick them until they give you a discount LOL

I say drop me a PM because I can never find the same thread twice, I’m just a dopey so an so.

Good Luck with the build, and best wishes Bob :cheers

[thirtysomethings]

Great news hopes it goes well for you the icing on the cake has to be the beach:) good luck

[holland]

What a stunning location and plot, looks like it will be fabulous

j x

[pleccy2000]

All this land buying and house builidng sounds very expensive. is it more than buying a normal house?

[Lupin]

That's a tricky one to answer. We couldn't have bought our home to be in the location we wanted on the size plot we have for what we're spending.

[pleccy2000]

That's a tricky one to answer. We couldn't have bought our home to be in the location we wanted on the size plot we have for what we're spending.

So it sounds like it was cheaper to buy land + build a house rather than just purchase a normal property. That has got me thinking now....!

I was looking at that a1 homes website and you can get a house built for $50-$100k dollars - that's about £40k? Seems good value!

There must be laods of other costs? for example - what about making that land in to a garden with grass, fences, pathways etc after the house is built? What about 'joining' your house to a road? Getting all the utilites attache to your house? I guess the government need to create a new address for you and assign a house number etc...

[Sam B]

Hmmm, I'm not sure that it usually is cheaper to buy a plot of land and build your own. It certainly won't be for us. You do it more to get the house of your dreams in the location of your choice I think.

[Caroline and Dave]

Hmmm, I'm not sure that it usually is cheaper to buy a plot of land and build your own. It certainly won't be for us. You do it more to get the house of your dreams in the location of your choice I think.

This is a very difficult question to answer as it all depends on what you want to put into your house.
The house we are having built is going to have everything we want in it ( Double glazing, air filtration,solar panels etc)
To get a house of the same size and standard in Auckland North Shore would cost an absolute fortune. When our house is built we can add on at least $300 K to the price immediately. I would say to get the house exactly the way you want it, it would be cheaper than buying the equivalent. Also do not forget, not many houses already built have double glazing, Sufficient insulation( Although that is improving) Solar panels, adequate heating systems ( With good insulation, heating should not be too much of a problem)

Dave and Caroline

[Lupin]

So it sounds like it was cheaper to buy land + build a house rather than just purchase a normal property. That has got me thinking now....!

I was looking at that a1 homes website and you can get a house built for $50-$100k dollars - that's about £40k? Seems good value!

There must be laods of other costs? for example - what about making that land in to a garden with grass, fences, pathways etc after the house is built? What about 'joining' your house to a road? Getting all the utilites attache to your house? I guess the government need to create a new address for you and assign a house number etc...

Pleccy, I thikn you might be looking at the kitset price there. The build price is about 2.5 times the kitset price (ish).

Other costs for us included

rainwater tanks, filter, UV treatment
waste water treatment (better than septic tank)
track to house (from road to land was included in land purchase)
connecting electricity
connecting phone
heating
fencing (land is well fenced with sheep grade but we're dividing it up)
shedding
floor covering (not included in A1 price)
landscaping and plants


The build will cost us about what the house will be worth but there weren't any houses in this price bracket there.

[marcia]

Looks great Lupin, the land and views are amazing.

Couldn't quite make it out on your plans - but hope your 'house' toilet (I still call ours the downstairs loo - even though we are on one level - derrrrrrrr!) has a hand basin in it!! This was a real bug bear of mine when we were looking at houses, the estate agents couldn't understand my moans, they'd say but theres a sink in the bathroom next door, yep but you still have to open the toilet door with dirty hands to go next door, and what if someone else in in there - well you could use the kitchen sink -NOOOOOOOOOOO!!

So i hope you've managed to squeeze one in!!:D

[nickydwuk]

Pleccy, I thikn you might be looking at the kitset price there. The build price is about 2.5 times the kitset price (ish).

Other costs for us included

rainwater tanks, filter, UV treatment
waste water treatment (better than septic tank)
track to house (from road to land was included in land purchase)
connecting electricity
connecting phone
heating
fencing (land is well fenced with sheep grade but we're dividing it up)
shedding
floor covering (not included in A1 price)
landscaping and plants


The build will cost us about what the house will be worth but there weren't any houses in this price bracket there.


When you say the build price is 2.5 the kitset price do you mean that for example if the kitset is $70k then the total build including the kitset is $175k or is that just the cost to build and the kitset price is on top?

[swissmissdesigner]

Lupin77: Can you just clarify the total cost of this A1 home?
I am wondering....
Thanks a lot!

Anna

[Lupin]

It is a totally flat paddock with two Totara trees but it has gorgeous views and is bordered on two sides by bush. The vendor invited us up for morning tea and when I got out the car she threw her arms around me and declared herself thrilled and excited for us. I believed her :) She is a wonderful person :)

[Lupin]

The next bit was S-L-O-W. Getting the plans modified and drawn up, the company franchise being sold and various other complications meant I don't think we got our permit for another 3 months or so. In the mean time we set to getting the track to where we wanted to site the house done (by a 'colourful local character and his wife' team, lol!), getting electricity from the roadside to our house site and deciding on water tanks (rain water collection with buried tanks, various filters and UV), etc, etc. One can easily get choice fatigue doing this sort of project, as I realised one day stood in the field with visiting in-laws chewing over the dilemma of where to site it and me thinking I no longer cared where the house went, I just wanted to go to the beach The vendors were true to their word and had a sterling job done on the access track (with a little help from our youngest, lol) and even put a gate in for us.

[willsken]

Lupin I'm so glad it's all through. It's a fantastic spot and you will surely be very happy there.

Sorry to hi jack but our land went through this week after a nearly 2 year wait. We know how happy you feel! Have a frozen banana or 2!:raebanana :raebanana

[Lupin]

Then we had another lull once the permit was approved as due to the process thus far being slower than planned the builders then had a combination of other jobs on and unfortunate sickness that slowed this stage. It took over 6 weeks to get any real progress, other than lots of materials being delivered on site and then a couple more to get the platform finished.

[Lupin]

But then today, a Very Exciting Indeed thing happened! We got walls! In one day! Being a kitset everyone kept reassuring me that it would be low initially and then super fast but I wasn't prepared to be walking round rooms and looking out of window (holes) the afternoon when there had been only a platform the day before. From here it gets really exciting!

We're taking chalks down tomorrow as the girls are desperate to plan where their beds are going etc!

Our experience with A1 and their builders, Bay Builders, has thus far been positive in the extreme. Nothing is too much trouble and they are friendly and approachable. Both the man working for us from A1 and the Bay Builders have gone out of their way to help, far beyond what is in our contract. For example, provision of services is our responsibility but the builders have done so much of it and given us so much invaluable advice. They are lovely :)

[Lupin]

Although with this wind tonight, I fear it may be one step forward, two steps back!!!

[Carey]

How amazingly exciting Lupin! All looks great and I'll watch progress with interest....an estimate of costs of the build would be really helpful if you were prepared to say?
Enjoy watching your abode develop!

[Bruckner]

Great post and photos Lupin! Please keep this thread updated!

Emily

[Marie P]

Wow Lupin :nice1

What a fantastic place to build a home.

I will enjoy following your thread ,

Marie x

[zardell]

:raebanana :raebanana :raebanana

So very happy for you - can't wait for your next installment.

Julie

xx

[thezorbster]

How fantastic, so pleased for you. Friends of ours are using A1 and have nothing but praise for them so hope the rest of the build goes smoothly for you.

[Perksy]

Can't wait to see the finished product - great spot for a home. I think you're very brave and have though how nice to build your own home but not sure I could cope with the stress.
Kim

[holland]

ooooooooooo Lupin, Can't wait for the next installment!!!!!!!! Maybe I will pass it one day...or be cheeky and pop in and see you!!!:D

The spot looks fantastic, are there lots of plots of land in Hawkes Bay up for grabs or are they few and far between???

Congrats to Willsken also xx

Jade xx

[holland]

Is it me being daft....I can't seem to find prices for 2 storey builds on A1 site...can find prices for one level...

Am I missing something??

J x

[mgbridges]

Wow! What an exciting thing to do, hope the rest of the build progresses well, I'll follow with interest. Its like our own Forum 'Grand Designs' story!

Good luck,
Anneliese

[swissmissdesigner]

More pictures please!
Fantastic posting and a lovely idea to show us all the steps!
Thanks

[Sam B]

Wow - it's looking great! We're off to an auction next friday for the land that we wanted to buy a few months ago, so we may well be building soon too. Can't wait to see more photos.

[Kim39]

Is it me being daft....I can't seem to find prices for 2 storey builds on A1 site...can find prices for one level...

Am I missing something??

J x


Here's your link..............http://www.a1homes.co.nz/prices.html

your looking at plan 136 and 228

Kim

[Smiler]

Wow!

Thanks Lupin for taking the time to post this.

We hope to be in this position when we decide to move on from renting, so it's good to hear recommendations and experiences. :nice1 Please keep us updated. Oh and pics, we love pics!!!

[Lupin]

Here's your link..............http://www.a1homes.co.nz/prices.html

your looking at plan 136 and 228

Kim

Although you need to be aware that those are kitset only prices. the build will cost you upwards of at least 2 1/2 times the kitset price plus the cost of services, floor coverings, access, etc, etc....

It looks like all-in our build, inclusive of land, garage and everything is coming in at around $360K :exit

I'll do a decent breakdown sooner, I'm quite happy to share this information as it's quite hard to get hold of!

[kiwidebs]

Lupin, looks fab. I really enjoyed watching MarieP's house going up and it will fun watching yours. I've always thought it would be nice to be the very first people to live in a house.
Good luck with being in for Xmas.

[Moorf]

What a spot! Can't wait to see the house going up! :clap

[Kim39]

Although you need to be aware that those are kitset only prices. the build will cost you upwards of at least 2 1/2 times the kitset price plus the cost of services, floor coverings, access, etc, etc....

It looks like all-in our build, inclusive of land, garage and everything is coming in at around $360K :exit

I'll do a decent breakdown sooner, I'm quite happy to share this information as it's quite hard to get hold of!

Yes thats true Lupin (meant to put that in but forgot), as we went to see them about doing ours and we looked at plan 136 but they never got back to us unfortunately, especially since we spent around 2.5hrs with them and the guy running us around showing their handy work. We were impressed with what they had to offer, but since that meeting we have gone with another company solely due to their lack of interest. We do believe that this maybe for the fact that our section wasn't flat.


Kim

[holland]

Kim thanks for link, and Lupin thanks for giving me an idea as to costings...Keep the pics coming!!

J xx

[red]

Looks fantastic Lupin! I'll watch with interest as we plan on building also. I'm so pleased for you and thanks for puttung all of the information on the forum for us. Good luck.

Helen

[lockstock]

What an inspiration you are - all of you. We've looked at the build on a section option but never really went much further. Seeing all this take shape is so exciting that we're reviewing our plans to see if it's feasible for us. Good luck with the final touches. We'll be watching you every move from now on!!:nice1

[holland]

Lockstock, we are doing exactly the same!

J xx

[marcia]

I loveeeeeeeeeeee these sorts of threads, especially with all the photos (am i just a nosy begger or what?!)

Looking great :nice1

Perhaps we'll have to pop in and visit when we come to hawkes bay to race - you'll have plenty of room for us to park the stock car trailer!

Keep the photos coming! :clap

[robertrippon]

Hi Lupin

Sounds like everything is going well for you, your dream sounds like ours so we will follow closely,

We are looking at the Hawkes Bay area to relocate, big step like everyone else, but sounds worth it, we will be able to come over and then have to look for work, having been self employed for years I will be used to having to look for work so hopefully won`t be too long.

I am a builder too, but also an Electrician, so I have a bit more scope looking for the right job, was it easy to find a house kit supplier and is it expensive to buy a lot and build, at least you get the house you want when your finished,

Good Luck
Rob

[peebles16]

Ditto for lockstock and holland that's really what we've been thinking about doing when we get over to NZ - eventually. So thanks Lupin for keeping us updated and the pics are fabulous!!
Karen

[Marie P]

For all you new folk here is my house being built thread .

http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=5785

We have been living in it for 10 months now.

Marie x

[Caroline and Dave]

I am a builder too, but also an Electrician, so I have a bit more scope looking for the right job, was it easy to find a house kit supplier and is it expensive to buy a lot and build, at least you get the house you want when your finished,

Good Luck
Rob

Hi,
A word of warning re kit homes. They are a more affordable alternative to having a more traditional cost home built but it all depends on your local council.It also depends on where you want to build. Some councils have strict rules on what you can build on your land and before you commit yourself you must check with the local council that a kit home will be allowed.
Our land in Dairy Flat Auckland comes under Rodney District council and they do not like Kit homes. Also the land where we are developing is part of an estate and all the houses must be of a certain type with various covenants on them.
For more info on land buying etc check here
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9378

Dave and Caroline

[Lupin]

Hi,
A word of warning re kit homes. They are a cheap alternative to having a more traditional home built but it all depends on your local council.It also depends on where you want to build. Some councils have strict rules on what you can build on your land and before you commit yourself you must check with the local council that a kit home will be allowed.
Our land in Dairy Flat Auckland comes under Rodney District council and they do not like Kit homes. Also the land where we are developing is part of an estate and all the houses must be of a certain type with various covenants on them.
For more info on land buying etc check here
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=9378

Dave and Caroline

For goodness sake! Our kitset home is beautiful, not some ugly blight :(

ETA: I'm actually really offended by your post. Perhaps I should remove this thread with the pictures of my 'cheap alternative to a traditional home' :( Our home is gorgeous and is our entire savings, plus my inheritance after a close relative died and the maximum mortgage we could get.

[Caroline and Dave]

For goodness sake! Our kitset home is beautiful, not some ugly blight :(

ETA: I'm actually really offended by your post. Perhaps I should remove this thread with the pictures of my 'cheap alternative to a traditional home' :( Our home is gorgeous and is our entire savings, plus my inheritance after a close relative died and the maximum mortgage we could get.

I am really very sorry I did not mean to offend and didn't mean cheap to mean tacky, just on the cost side.. We really wanted a Kit home and found a really beautiful one but the council just would not let us have it built

[Sam B]

It's true - we really wanted to build an energy efficient home, we loved them, but they are classed as a kit home, and therefore had we successfully got the land that we wanted, we would not have been able to build one due to covenants. I think it's really silly to lump all "kit" homes into one catchall like this, many of them are beautiful. I'm sure C and D didn't mean to offend Lupin. Your home looks gorgeous.

[zardell]

We really wanted a Kit home and found a really beautiful one but the council just would not let us have it built



Oh dear.....

So what did you have to do ?

If you still went ahead and bought the land I suppose you had to change your house plans and I bet that wasn't cheap.

By the way, how is your house building coming along ? Well I hope.

Haven't seen an update from you in a while - maybe I've missed it ?

Julie

xx

[granger]

Timber kit homes are standard in Scotland (and Canada and many parts of the USA). Speaking as someone who has built one in Scotland, I think they are fantastic. This is the first time I've heard that some NZ councils don't want them. This is curious given that they are easy to insulate to high levels. They're certainly not tacky in the least and can be built to look as traditional or modern as you choose. BTW I'm sure I've seen kit homes being build down here in Canterbury so not all councils are against them. Those that are need to be re-educated about energy efficiency IMHO.

May I also say I love this type of thread and ask Lupin to please keep giving updates.

[incredible hulse]

The whole covenant issue is quite common here it seems. We saw some land we liked but it had so many clauses we walked away from it - these included house having to be >250sqm, only certain colours allowed and all plans having to be submitted to the original owner for approval prior to building; if they objected you couldnt build.

[Lupin]

Marcia- thanks to your comment we do indeed have a small handbasin going into the toilet. Really not sure how we overlooked that, given it's one of my bugbears! :exit

To clarify the costing for our A1 home is costing in the region of $165K plus the initial purchase price of the land plus

* rainwater tanks, filter, UV treatment (opted for buriable ones...cost approx $15K)
* waste water treatment (better than septic tank) (approx $15K)
* track to house (from road to land was included in land purchase) ($3.5K)
* connecting electricity (approx $15K)
* connecting phone ($600)
* heating (stove with wetback plus some ducting- $5K)
* fencing (land is well fenced with sheep grade but we're dividing it up) (not sure yet...allowed $7K)
* shedding
* floor covering (not included in A1 price) ($4.5 for solid Tawa flooring in living areas...carpet and lino quotes yet to come in)
* landscaping and plants (?)

I forgot about this thread and now have two similar ones running :uhoh

[Sam B]

Ha ha - Marcia - I call it the downstairs loo too and everyone always looks really puzzled!

[Caroline and Dave]

I forgot about this thread and now have two similar ones running :uhoh

If you pm Douglas(ENZ) He should be able to combine the 2 threads together. Its worth asking him anyway. He is very good and helps me out quite a bit

[Lupin]

Ok, will do, thanks :)

[Lupin]

The whole covenant issue is quite common here it seems. We saw some land we liked but it had so many clauses we walked away from it - these included house having to be >250sqm, only certain colours allowed and all plans having to be submitted to the original owner for approval prior to building; if they objected you couldnt build.

That's part of the parcel of building in affluent or high density or protected areas. Here in Central Hawkes Bay with a low population most land is uncovenanted apart from a few nasty 'gated community' American style ghettos that have popped up.

As for whoever asked earlier (sorry I can't remember who!) whether there are many plots of land available in central hawkes bay, here is a snapshot of what your money gets you here in the sunshine in glorious Central Hawkes Bay (can anyone tell I'm falling madly in love with being here? :D )

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeSearchResults.aspx?search=1&mcat=0350-5748-&sidebar=1&132=PROPERTY&selected135=32&selected136=&134=5&135=32&136=&153=&29=Section&49=0&49=0&x=66&y=13

If anyone is interested there are a couple of gorgeous plots on the edge of our village but nearer the sea than us and with elevation. Our village has an EXCELLENT primary plus buses to a choice of two colleges and an intermediate if you prefer for your children not to stay for 'full primary'. The primary bus would go to your gate. You'd be 10 mins from the drop dead gorgeous beach photographed above, join a very welcoming and active community (tennis, cricket, winter social club, loads of community BBQ's, etc, etc), be within an easy commute of the twin cities. It's wonderful here. PM me :)

[Lupin]

:D

[jubjub]

Oooh, lots of space for Hazel to run about chasing the lambs!

Looking good...

[Sam B]

Wow. it's looking great!

[Marie P]

Lupin ............Its sooooooooo exciting seeing it grow isn't it .

Will you be in for Christmas ?

Best Wishes Marie x

[Lupin]

Lupin ............Its sooooooooo exciting seeing it grow isn't it .

Will you be in for Christmas ?

Best Wishes Marie x

Builders say so, but I'm planning on being here (only round the corner) so as not to feel disappointed.


Oooh, lots of space for Hazel to run about chasing the lambs!

We are working on that behaviour .....

Thankfully she seems only to think she is also a lamb, free to spring with the other four. They are less enamoured to her springing ....