RoadRunner
3rd March 2005, 01:08 PM
DrPhred asked me in a different thread What was your impression of the houses you saw? What was the price ranges? Inquiring minds want to know! so I thought I'd start a new thread to keep the topics reasonably on target.
Actually, we were very impressed with the new homes we saw (although unhappy with the sectioning - see my separate thread on that topic!). They have very nice designs - good flow in/out. All seem to have at least 3 bedrooms with study, a separate laundry room with tub, 2-car garage, outdoor deck - the usual. All master bedrooms had walk-in closets. The kitchens tended to be a bit smaller than ours. And, they don't seem to put in "upper" cabinets - some of the pricier builders did though. Most of the better homes did have gas heating (although many are moving to heat pumps for heat/air conditioning). The bathroom counters are tiny/non-existent. They don't seem to have our combo shower/tub concept; they have shower stalls as the default and some have a separate tub. Flooring was generally carpeting (one had berber) or hardwood and tile. The kitchen counters were generally linoleum - even the expensive homes didn't have corian countertops. They seem to have recessed lighting by default in all homes and some extra light fixtures as well! The family rooms seemed a bit small - the concept of a great room doesn't appear to have caught on there. Many do have a separate living room, too, though.
The quality seemed to be as good as in the US - perhaps better. In the US, you typically have illegals doing that actual labor with some modicum of oversight. How many times have you driven by new home developments in the US where half the insulation is left out and boards aren't nailed down properly aligned (etc, etc!!!) In Welly, we saw many people out working on the houses and they clearly were experienced - no 20-year old illegals doing the work!
Prices - very dependent on location. It seemed to us that the house sizes were reasonably comparable from one area to the next. Even the types of fixtures inside were mostly similar. The differences (as best we could tell) were based on your distance from CBD, your views (if any), and your section size. New (or near new) homes in Brooklyn or Belmont (lower hutt) with water views and small sections were in the $630,000 to $800,000 (?) range. Mt Marua (upper Upper Hutt) homes were in the $600,000 range, too. No water views, obviously but much more land and lots of native bush separating you from your neighbor and nicer chattels (fixtures - like a 5-burner gas stove). Churton Park (between Jville and Tawa) homes were more reasonable - $400,000s I think - but you were in front of, behind, on top of, and next to about 4 people... and your view is a bald hill. Jville and Tawa seemed reasonable but we couldn't find any major new developments - not much land left (if any Wellingtonians know otherwise, please correct me!). Parapara also had houses in the $400s on small sections but note that 98% do NOT have a view of any water. And you have to commute about 45 (or more) minutes.
Speaking of views - we were really hoping to get a house with a view - preferably of water or at least some nice forested hills. The good news is that most new development seems to be on hills. The bad news is that those sections are REALLY WINDY!!!! Anyone telling you otherwise is simply - well, wrong! We went on a really cold, windy, rainy day (supposedly a good time for househunting so you aren't surprised but what it is really like!) and two of the homes were so windy that the plants were bent almost to the ground! One of them (an older home) had the radio on so you wouldn't hear just how loud the wind was!). And, of course, these houses are the most expensive.
Overall, we were really surprised by the high cost of housing - we were really hoping to spend less than $500,000. Areas that we really liked were crossed off because of the price (and the crowded nature of the sections and/or the lack of newer homes). We're now considering the lower part of Upper Hutt. Not sure we'll definitely settle there but that's at the top for the moment. Another possibility is to try to buy a section near Tawa and have a house built. Not sure we're that brave though!
I could probably blather on about this for pages but I'll stop here lest I bore everyone. Feel free to ask questions and I'd be happy to try to answer them!
RoadRunner
Actually, we were very impressed with the new homes we saw (although unhappy with the sectioning - see my separate thread on that topic!). They have very nice designs - good flow in/out. All seem to have at least 3 bedrooms with study, a separate laundry room with tub, 2-car garage, outdoor deck - the usual. All master bedrooms had walk-in closets. The kitchens tended to be a bit smaller than ours. And, they don't seem to put in "upper" cabinets - some of the pricier builders did though. Most of the better homes did have gas heating (although many are moving to heat pumps for heat/air conditioning). The bathroom counters are tiny/non-existent. They don't seem to have our combo shower/tub concept; they have shower stalls as the default and some have a separate tub. Flooring was generally carpeting (one had berber) or hardwood and tile. The kitchen counters were generally linoleum - even the expensive homes didn't have corian countertops. They seem to have recessed lighting by default in all homes and some extra light fixtures as well! The family rooms seemed a bit small - the concept of a great room doesn't appear to have caught on there. Many do have a separate living room, too, though.
The quality seemed to be as good as in the US - perhaps better. In the US, you typically have illegals doing that actual labor with some modicum of oversight. How many times have you driven by new home developments in the US where half the insulation is left out and boards aren't nailed down properly aligned (etc, etc!!!) In Welly, we saw many people out working on the houses and they clearly were experienced - no 20-year old illegals doing the work!
Prices - very dependent on location. It seemed to us that the house sizes were reasonably comparable from one area to the next. Even the types of fixtures inside were mostly similar. The differences (as best we could tell) were based on your distance from CBD, your views (if any), and your section size. New (or near new) homes in Brooklyn or Belmont (lower hutt) with water views and small sections were in the $630,000 to $800,000 (?) range. Mt Marua (upper Upper Hutt) homes were in the $600,000 range, too. No water views, obviously but much more land and lots of native bush separating you from your neighbor and nicer chattels (fixtures - like a 5-burner gas stove). Churton Park (between Jville and Tawa) homes were more reasonable - $400,000s I think - but you were in front of, behind, on top of, and next to about 4 people... and your view is a bald hill. Jville and Tawa seemed reasonable but we couldn't find any major new developments - not much land left (if any Wellingtonians know otherwise, please correct me!). Parapara also had houses in the $400s on small sections but note that 98% do NOT have a view of any water. And you have to commute about 45 (or more) minutes.
Speaking of views - we were really hoping to get a house with a view - preferably of water or at least some nice forested hills. The good news is that most new development seems to be on hills. The bad news is that those sections are REALLY WINDY!!!! Anyone telling you otherwise is simply - well, wrong! We went on a really cold, windy, rainy day (supposedly a good time for househunting so you aren't surprised but what it is really like!) and two of the homes were so windy that the plants were bent almost to the ground! One of them (an older home) had the radio on so you wouldn't hear just how loud the wind was!). And, of course, these houses are the most expensive.
Overall, we were really surprised by the high cost of housing - we were really hoping to spend less than $500,000. Areas that we really liked were crossed off because of the price (and the crowded nature of the sections and/or the lack of newer homes). We're now considering the lower part of Upper Hutt. Not sure we'll definitely settle there but that's at the top for the moment. Another possibility is to try to buy a section near Tawa and have a house built. Not sure we're that brave though!
I could probably blather on about this for pages but I'll stop here lest I bore everyone. Feel free to ask questions and I'd be happy to try to answer them!
RoadRunner