Buying land and building on it.... some questions...

[placidfemme]

Looking for serious advice only... please don't post if all you have to say is something stupid like "you can't do it" or "thats a stupid idea".

This is just a "maybe" question... but I'm starting to do some research into buying land up north. I'm hoping this will be a short term goal (like hopefully before the end of this year), but could turn out to be one of those "have to put it off" things... as life is always throwing shit up at you...

I've looked at land prices in a few places in NZ, but both Sam and I prefer the idea of moving north and living up there, the city is just a pain in the ass and a life drainer if your not made of money or if you don't have a rich daddy...

Idealy we would like to buy a big-ish section of land north of Whangarei (hopefully about 20-30 minutes out of Whangarei). I'm not clued up on land values and sizes and getting building consents and so forth... I don't really want to buy a already built land and house type thing, mainly because the sections for sale with houses on them are (a) lifestyle blocks and therefor out of our pricerange (b) In town or very close to town in a suburban setting (c) just crap

I want a BIG land space, and am currently looking at anything with more than 5-10 acres. For just the land with no buildings on it approx 20 mins out of Whangarei with no beach views (don't really care about that), one would be looking at an average price range of $160K - $200K depending on a lot of things (paddocks, bush, pine trees or whatever they are, paddocks already leased to farmers etc).

So what Sam and I were thinking about was buying some land for $160K - $200K, and then building our own place (VERY long term). But to start off with, this is what we were thinking...

Buy the land, and because we don't care about living like hobo's for a while building one (or two depending on if my sister moves over here from the UK) of those Skyline gottages (The biggest one has 1 bedroom, lounge area, kitchen and bathroom... see here: http://www.kryptonitesites.com/skylinegarages/siteimages/ae/3gottages2.jpg)

Doing this will give us the land we want, decent (although small) living area which in the long run gives us time to start planning and saving for the design and build of our house...

However, what I'm asking is...

1) Does anyone know around about (don't need exact figures) how much you'd need to pay the council for building permits for those gottages (or something similar anyway)? And how easy is it dealing with the council?

2) Getting power connected to them once they are built (and water maybe... or a water tank)

3) Maybe getting the driveway paved/sealed/tarred/whatever

4)Any other tips or advise?

Right now as mentioned this is just an idea we're playing around with, but it would help a lot to know what we are looking at financially in regards to permits, building and so forth...

Thanks in advance

[Mrs Busa Pete]

Idealy we would like to buy a big-ish section of land north of Whangarei (hopefully about 20-30 minutes out of Whangarei). I'm not clued up on land values and sizes and getting building consents and so forth... I don't really want to buy a already built land and house type thing, mainly because the sections for sale with houses on them are (a) lifestyle blocks and therefor out of our pricerange (b) In town or very close to town in a suburban setting (c) just crap

I want a BIG land space, and am currently looking at anything with more than 5-10 acres. For just the land with no buildings on it approx 20 mins out of Whangarei with no beach views (don't really care about that), one would be looking at an average price range of $160K - $200K depending on a lot of things (paddocks, bush, pine trees or whatever they are, paddocks already leased to farmers etc).

So what Sam and I were thinking about was buying some land for $160K - $200K, and then building our own place (VERY long term). But to start off with, this is what we were thinking...

Buy the land, and because we don't care about living like hobo's for a while building one (or two depending on if my sister moves over here from the UK) of those Skyline gottages (The biggest one has 1 bedroom, lounge area, kitchen and bathroom... see here: http://www.kryptonitesites.com/skylinegarages/siteimages/ae/3gottages2.jpg)

Doing this will give us the land we want, decent (although small) living area which in the long run gives us time to start planning and saving for the design and build of our house...

However, what I'm asking is...

1) Does anyone know around about (don't need exact figures) how much you'd need to pay the council for building permits for those gottages (or something similar anyway)? And how easy is it dealing with the council?

2) Getting power connected to them once they are built (and water maybe... or a water tank)

3) Maybe getting the driveway paved/sealed/tarred/whatever

4)Any other tips or advise?

Right now as mentioned this is just an idea we're playing around with, but it would help a lot to know what we are looking at financially in regards to permits, building and so forth...

Thanks in advance

I could explain some of that to you but would probly be better to ring me or send me a pm with you number and and i will give you a call
Wendy

[tipper]

Hi Mrs Chucky
this road is not as hard as you may think, the hard part is doing it in such a way that you do not invest twice.
Building permits cost pretty much the same for a gottage as a home (within reason), most councils are $3-$4k; impact or development fees are a possibility, but vary with each council.
Power to homes is $50 to $60 per metre under a 100m, and gets expen$ive from there; wire sizes go up as distance gets bigger.
I would then go to someone like A1 Homes ( no, I work for someone else!) and get a kitset price for a 'proper' home; doing it twice is a waste of $$.

Biggest question is do you know what a 'life sentence block' (my term) is like; it is not all fun, and having done it for ten years on a similar budget, I would never do it unless I had plenty of $ and plenty of spare time.
Find a rural block to rent for a while. and see how you like a winter of mud and a spring of weeds - no time left for riding after working?

[placidfemme]

I could explain some of that to you but would probly be better to ring me or send me a pm with you number and and i will give you a call
Wendy

Sweet thanks :) I'll PM you with my number, but unfortunatley I only have a mobile and can only recieve personal calls at work in the mornings when no-one else is in (like 9am - 10am lol) on the work phone... details in PM

[placidfemme]

Hi Mrs Chucky
this road is not as hard as you may think, the hard part is doing it in such a way that you do not invest twice.
Building permits cost pretty much the same for a gottage as a home (within reason), most councils are $3-$4k; impact or development fees are a possibility, but vary with each council.
Power to homes is $50 to $60 per metre under a 100m, and gets expen$ive from there; wire sizes go up as distance gets bigger.
I would then go to someone like A1 Homes ( no, I work for someone else!) and get a kitset price for a 'proper' home; doing it twice is a waste of $$.

Biggest question is do you know what a 'life sentence block' (my term) is like; it is not all fun, and having done it for ten years on a similar budget, I would never do it unless I had plenty of $ and plenty of spare time.
Find a rural block to rent for a while. and see how you like a winter of mud and a spring of weeds - no time left for riding after working?

thanks... I understand where you are coming from in regards to investing twice in one property... however this is how I see it (and correct me if i'm wrong)

If we build those gottage's things, at a future date when we eventually do build the house, those gottages will just add value to the land, and can always be used in the future as guest houses or boarding houses or backpackers... the oppertunities are out there for them to be worth the while in the long run as well as short term.

Also, Sam and I are currently using a mortgage broker to find us the best deal and if we want to do this, this year then we will be looking at a 100% home loan with no deposit down, which means slightly higher interest on the mortgage...

Taking into consideration the land price ($160-$200K), plus rates, insurance, power and debt consolodation. We don't really want to borrow more than about $250K. I'll look into those A1 Homes (or similar) to find average prices and so forth... But I can't see them costing less than $80K, which is what we'd need it to be to still be able to consolodate our debts and then at the end of it all, still be able to service the mortgage and associated costs/bills.

The plan would be (depending on the mortgage and repayments) that if its low enough Sam and I both move to Whangarei and find jobs there. If its not as low as we'd like I would remain in Auckland in a flatting situation and earn more money here and commute there on odd weekends until the debt is down enough to justify me finding a lower paying job up north.

Also in regards to keeping the land in good nick and all the time it takes etc. I'm more keen on buying a bush section or mostly bush section. And leaving it as bush with a sectioned off area for a garden etc. Which would be about the same size as your normal suburban garden etc, so not a lot of time and effort to maintain that...

thoughts?

[placidfemme]

I would then go to someone like A1 Homes ( no, I work for someone else!) and get a kitset price for a 'proper' home; doing it twice is a waste of $$.

oh oh... your too smart... :) (not being sarcastic)

The prices arn't as bad as I thought:

http://www.a1homes.co.nz/prices.html

[Crisis management]

If I can help, PM me your contact number.....I design anything residential and have done enough subdivision and development projects to talk you thru the process.

Just to be clear, what I am offering is free advice, this isn't me trying to get work out of you....

Iain

[LilSel]

The prices arn't as bad as I thought:

http://www.a1homes.co.nz/prices.html

wow... they aint aye...

[placidfemme]

If I can help, PM me your contact number.....I design anything residential and have done enough subdivision and development projects to talk you thru the process.

Just to be clear, what I am offering is free advice, this isn't me trying to get work out of you....

Iain

Thanks, design as in architecture (dunno if I spelt that right?)

:)

[placidfemme]

wow... they aint aye...

Not too bad $50K-ish for a 3 bedroom house...

Does anyone know of other companies that do similar kitsets?

And also with these Kitsets... does the price include actually building it?

*would be pretty screwed if they dropped off all the material and then fucked off and left me to find someone to build it*

[LilSel]

Not too bad $50K-ish for a 3 bedroom house...

Does anyone know of other companies that do similar kitsets?

And also with these Kitsets... does the price include actually building it?

*would be pretty screwed if they dropped off all the material and then fucked off and left me to find someone to build it*

You need someone to build it I think.... lol

[placidfemme]

You need someone to build it I think.... lol

Well then that sucks... builders, plumbers, electricians = LOTS of hours labour = LOTs of money :(

[LilSel]

Well then that sucks... builders, plumbers, electricians = LOTS of hours labour = LOTs of money :(

To wire up a basic 3 bedroom house... (dependant on what sort of things you want... downlights etc)... you'd be looking at around $4500+GST....
(just the house...)... then obviously mains cable trenching out to boundary is seperate to that... plus the lines company... (up there it is NorthPower)... would give you a quote on the installation of a pillar or a pole at the rd.
If a new pillar is to be installed... you'd be looking from $3000-$5000....
but if you buy in an area that has supply to it already... then an upgrade of the existing pole/pillar would be less than a new installation... (prob only a couple of grand).... everything is quotable...

To build you'd need to have a TBS (temp builders supply installed... not too expensive)... so basically once that is installed... your power is good to go as the change over from TBS-Permanant isnt a major...

Plumbing??... I wouldnt have a clue lol.... nor bout builders either... lol...

im sure someone else might have a basic idea of costing... (obviously it is specific to what is on site... but generally speaking... rough costings should give some kinda an indication)

[placidfemme]

To wire up a basic 3 bedroom house... (dependant on what sort of things you want... downlights etc)... you'd be looking at around $4500+GST....
(just the house...)... then obviously mains cable trenching out to boundary is seperate to that... plus the lines company... (up there it is NorthPower)... would give you a quote on the installation of a pillar or a pole at the rd.
If a new pillar is to be installed... you'd be looking from $3000-$5000....
but if you buy in an area that has supply to it already... then an upgrade of the existing pole/pillar would be less than a new installation... (prob only a couple of grand).... everything is quotable...

To build you'd need to have a TBS (temp builders supply installed... not too expensive)... so basically once that is installed... your power is good to go as the change over from TBS-Permanant isnt a major...

Plumbing??... I wouldnt have a clue lol.... nor bout builders either... lol...

im sure someone else might have a basic idea of costing... (obviously it is specific to what is on site... but generally speaking... rough costings should give some kinda an indication)

lol you can tell what field you work in :)

Thanks for that, comes in handy to know :rockon:

[LilSel]

lol you can tell what field you work in :)

Thanks for that, comes in handy to know :rockon:

LOL.... *sings*... 'I got the power'!!! :innocent:

[Ixion]

Well then that sucks... builders, plumbers, electricians = LOTS of hours labour = LOTs of money :(

You also need to figure in a concrete pad and foundations, floor covering, drapes, light fittings paint (I think) , lots of other small stuff that adds up.

Yes, what you get in the kitset is just that, a big pile of trusses and assorted bits of timber.

Can still be a cheap way to go, especially if you're not in a hurry. Even if you can't do the work yourself, if you have plenty of time you can arrange under the table jobs , a bit here a bit there.

Oh, if you're a way from town you'll need a septic tank or equivalent for sewage. That can cost. Old days, y'just dug a long drop but nowdays council would have a fit. Of course , if you're not OFFICIALLY using the building for residential purposes , "Its just a storage shed, honest", then its a matter of what you can put up with.

I was born in a house with no electricity, plumbing, running water or toilets. We never missed them, y'don't really need all that stuff. Four walls , a roof and a decent fireplace and you've got all any man needs.

[LilSel]

Even if you can't do the work yourself, if you have plenty of time you can arrange under the table jobs , a bit here a bit there.

:yes: ... Esp if you network...

[placidfemme]

You also need to figure in a concrete pad and foundations, floor covering, drapes, light fittings paint (I think) , lots of other small stuff that adds up.

Yes, what you get in the kitset is just that, a big pile of trusses and assorted bits of timber.

Can still be a cheap way to go, especially if you're not in a hurry. Even if you can't do the work yourself, if you have plenty of time you can arrange under the table jobs , a bit here a bit there.

Yup... this is what they include (apparantly)

http://www.a1homes.co.nz/fullcontract.html


Full Contract Materials List
Effective 3 May 2006

List of materials supplied as part of an A1 Homes Full Contract home. This list should be treated as a guide only - materials may vary from area to area. Please check with your nearest license holder.

Permit plans Ready for your local council
Site works (opt) Based on a level site unless otherwise quoted
Insurance Full comprehensive construction
Foundations Concrete floor slab or piles to NZ3604 Standard (based on maximum 150mm of topsoil)
Wall frames Exterior framing 90 x 45 H1 Plus treated precut and prenailed
Interior framing 75 x 45 kiln dried precut and prenailed
Roof framing Gang nail trusses precut and prenailed
Roof Colour steel long run corrugate or T-Rib profiles complete with nails and flashings
Cladding Shadowclad or 240mm smooth Hardiplank or Monotek
Fascia 200 x 25 dressed LOSP treated pine
Spouting Marley PVC gutter with PVC round down pipes
Windows Fairview aluminium joinery with clear glass and paint quality jambs
Ceiling battens 75 x 40 kiln dried strapping
Insulation R1.8 wall and R2.2 ceiling batts
Interior linings 10mm Gib plasterboard to walls and ceilings
10mm Gib Aqualine to bathroom areas
Scotia 55mm Gib cove and No. 8 mould
Skirting No. 20 mould
Shelving MDF to wardrobes 90 x 19 dressed to HWC
Interior doors Prehung MDF flush doors in slimline jambs
Door hardware Lockwood Guardsman (satin chrome)
Wardrobe rails Pryda
Kitchen Formica rolled edge bench tops and single bowl stainless steel sink insert, Meltecca prefinished carcase, Meltrim edge doors with chrome D pull handles
Laundry tub Dissco smart tub
Appliances Simpson La Bella underbench oven and hobb
Simpson 52B850 dishwasher
Simpson RDN6W rangehood
Shower/s Englefield 900 x 900 acrylic shower walls and tray with glass pivot doors
Bathroom 750 and/or 900mm vanity units
Englefield 1675mm bath
Plumbing Caroma Concorde dual-flush Tasman toilet
180 litre Rheem mains pressure hot water cylinder
Chrome single lever mixers
Slide shower rose to showers
Chrome wastes
Service connections All within 10 metres, thereafter $40 per metre. Includes power, telephone and water (excluding water meter installation)
Garage door (opt) Powder-coated sectional door with auto-opener
Colour consultant Free for 2 hours (Auckland area only)


As for the bit here and bit there... shouldn't be too much of a problem I guess... lots of helping hands... Sam's brother is an electrician and no doubt they'll know people and maybe if this pans out I can for some help here on KB... lots of talented people on here

[placidfemme]

arggg... just got a reply from them... have to find a builder:


Hi Tammy,

Yes you will still need to hire a builder to erect your kitset home as the
kitset only includes to supply the material.

Kind regards
Mark Kapa
A1 Homes- Ruakaka


bastards...

[LilSel]

arggg... just got a reply from them... have to find a builder:

bastards...

Ask them what kinda ball park figure you'd be looking at...
Surely they'd have some kinda an idea :D

[placidfemme]

Ask them what kinda ball park figure you'd be looking at...
Surely they'd have some kinda an idea :D


good idea!

*sends off email*

[DMNTD]

....or you could simply buy my historic 1893 kauri cottage in Opononi...comes with land and is already built :dodge:

[placidfemme]

....or you could simply buy my historic 1893 kauri cottage in Opononi...comes with land and is already built :dodge:

I spoke to Sam about it... and she said it was too far away, I'm not good on distances.... how much land and how many bedrooms?

[Paul in NZ]

The ‘get away from it all’ ideal always seems like a grand plan…. Until you do it and you suddenly realize it costs a LOT to live that way. Not just in $$ terms but in the hours and hours you invest in the land to get something semi worthwhile.

Before you spend money you don’t have – go ask a few people that have done it if they would do it again. Unless one of you is super passionate about it and prepared to sacrifice everything for the dream – don’t do it.

We have 1400m2 of garden. About a third is ‘finished’ and a third is half way there and the rest is in ‘one day’ mode. I spend at least a half day every weekend and at least two full days every month maintaining it and trying to move onwards. Lessons?

Natives and mulch are your friends.
Some weeds you have to spray.
You have to be committed.
Animals are a major commitment.
You cannot leave some jobs until you get back from your ride….

It works for us. Vicki pretends she likes oily old bikes and I pretend to like gardening and guess what, over time we found that we have 2 passions to share, yes, some days I’d rather bovver about in the garden than ride.

However, we live in a semi rural suburb. It would be twice the work in a rural setting and you WILL end up with serious money invested in machinery. My mate has more $$ invested in his ride on mower than his car and can’t wait to sell his lifestyle block….

[LilSel]

….

Awesome pics Paul :love:

[DMNTD]

I spoke to Sam about it... and she said it was too far away, I'm not good on distances.... how much land and how many bedrooms?
LOL...was pulling ya leg Tammy *mostly*
1308m² and a mere 2 bedroom cottage. It's well worth the cheap price that it is but not viable for you guys

[placidfemme]

The ‘get away from it all’ ideal always seems like a grand plan…. Until you do it and you suddenly realize it costs a LOT to live that way. Not just in $$ terms but in the hours and hours you invest in the land to get something semi worthwhile.

Before you spend money you don’t have – go ask a few people that have done it if they would do it again. Unless one of you is super passionate about it and prepared to sacrifice everything for the dream – don’t do it.

We have 1400m2 of garden. About a third is ‘finished’ and a third is half way there and the rest is in ‘one day’ mode. I spend at least a half day every weekend and at least two full days every month maintaining it and trying to move onwards. Lessons?

Natives and mulch are your friends.
Some weeds you have to spray.
You have to be committed.
Animals are a major commitment.
You cannot leave some jobs until you get back from your ride….

It works for us. Vicki pretends she likes oily old bikes and I pretend to like gardening and guess what, over time we found that we have 2 passions to share, yes, some days I’d rather bovver about in the garden than ride.

However, we live in a semi rural suburb. It would be twice the work in a rural setting and you WILL end up with serious money invested in machinery. My mate has more $$ invested in his ride on mower than his car and can’t wait to sell his lifestyle block….

Thanks for the advice... I wanna buy out there purely for the bush aspect, I don't want cows, pigs, sheep or any of those random farm animals... just dog's and maybe chickens and maybe cats (if Sam twists my arm enough). Otherwise no other animals. In my head (its a scary place lol) our garden would be about the size of yours if not a little smaller... the rest of the land as I mentioned I'd want to stay as native bush.

Sam and I are both very homely people... other than the odd ride here and there, we spend 90% of our free time at home pottering around, and I can see us doing the same thing in norfland but enjoying it MUCH more because its ours, and we'll have more stuff to do

[mstriumph]

Living on a smallholding about 12kms from a small village about 100k from perth in west aus.

Place had a relocated, unrenovated '20s workers cottage, an unconnected watertank, two trees and fencing on the two road boundaries when i got it ........ structurally sound, new stumps [obviously] power connected, re-wired but otherwise a basket case

BUT the village is on the Perth rail commuter-line and the place itself is a couple of minutes from a network of great country ride roads [ok - not up to nz standards but good for here] that city motorcyclist do weekend pilgrimages to ride and on the side of a gentle valley with a view that can't be built out with state forrest adjacent [gonna be great for my dirtbike when i get it:yes: ]. soil is gravel over clay, grows just about anything and there's potable water about 12 feet down in the front paddock.

IT HAS TAKEN 9 YEARS AND BAGS OF EFFORT [not to mention $$$] to make it a going concern, liveabilitywise but worth it to me ...even so, i HAVE cried on occasion

I guess wat I'm saying PF is that all of that effort would have been wasted if it had been put into the wrong acreage - the REALLY important thing is to find the RIGHT PLACE FOR YOU - weighing up what YOU want to do with it, where YOU want to be and not overestimating what you are capable of...then the work becomes acceptable - otherwise it could turn into a heartbreakingly-heavy burden.

--- and, even if you get it all right, you WILL cry on occasion ['cause it's hard, it's ongoing and it doesn't CARE if you are tired, or sick, or just want to go for a ride instead of doing the routine maintenance etc. .........]

But, if i knew then wat i know now, would i do it all again?
YOU BETCHA!!!!!

good luck with it!

[placidfemme]

Hi Tammy,

Yes I have a few builders to recommend to you, roughly to build a 3 bedroom
home on a flat section they may charge you $ 20,000 to $ 25,000 labour only.
Pending on size of home.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Kind regards

Mark Kapa


hmmm........

[Fub@r]

However, what I'm asking is...

1) Does anyone know around about (don't need exact figures) how much you'd need to pay the council for building permits for those gottages (or something similar anyway)? And how easy is it dealing with the council?

2) Getting power connected to them once they are built (and water maybe... or a water tank)

3) Maybe getting the driveway paved/sealed/tarred/whatever

4)Any other tips or advise?

Right now as mentioned this is just an idea we're playing around with, but it would help a lot to know what we are looking at financially in regards to permits, building and so forth...

Thanks in advance

If you need some land surveying or civil engineering help give me a call.

Dealing with council's can be a real hassle at times and costs to process vary with each council and are related also to the difficulty/problems with the proposed building site.

Being rural you will also need to demonstrate how you will be disposing of effluent either with a septic tank or dripper field.

[placidfemme]

If you need some land surveying or civil engineering help give me a call.

Dealing with council's can be a real hassle at times and costs to process vary with each council and are related also to the difficulty/problems with the proposed building site.

Being rural you will also need to demonstrate how you will be disposing of effluent either with a septic tank or dripper field.

Cheers :)

I know what a septic tank is, but never heard of a dripper field... good to know there are options however...

I've just sat down and done a rough estimate on land + kitset + builder etc and without knowing the exact prices and interests and blah including land & water rates etc... the idea of buying non-developed land and developing it myself works out above my estimated budget...

Thanks for the advice and idea's... Gives Sam and I heaps to talk about tonight and play around with and develope a slightly better plan.

So now its back to either overbudget or settle for less...

[placidfemme]

We live only 8kms north of Levin but it's nice and rural and as we're surrounded by farmland, not likely to be turned into a rural ghetto any time soon! I have to agree with Paul, it's not an easy thing to look after land. We have three acres, about two of it consists of steep paddocks that we have to have sheep in to keep the grass down. The rest is either in lawn, garden or trees - so it has to be mowed, or Andy has to spend a whole day weedeating the area around the trees to make it look tidy. We have a septic system, rely on rain water (rain is your friend!), have no services - not even street lights or footpaths, but still pay rates! We pay for rubbish collection, including green waste, and shit, you get a lot of that if you want to keep the trees looking good!

I used to work for a power company and one guy wanted to put power on to an isolated section he owned down south - we quoted him $20,000 to do it, as we needed to put in about 5kms of power poles to get there!

It's a lovely lifestyle and we enjoy it, but it is hard work and it can be expensive. Owning is a lot different from renting - not only do you have to pay contents insurance, power and phone, but you also have to pay rates, house insurance, all maintenance costs, source heating supplies if you don't have electric heating (chopping wood is NOT always fun!) and all other associated costs. Yes, paying a mortgage is better than rent, but don't forget all the other costs as well. Rates vary - we only pay $550 a year but some are thousands.

thanks for that :) I'm aware of the basic costs related to owning your own property, I work for a property development and investment company, so its part of the job helping clients sort all that...

It does sound like more work than we initially expected/assumed, but it doesn't sound bad enough to make us change our minds... Sam's a country girl raised in Dargaville (of all places) and has lived on bush/farm/lifestyle sections through-out her life with a big family and a very small budget, so it will be "just like home" for her with a few extra chores I guess...

Right now though, with all the above said, I am considering maybe a smaller section, but I'm still dead keen to give it a go.

The way we're looking at it... we're both going to be putting in 120% towards this, and if it goes bottom up... we're both still in our early 20's... plenty of time to fix any mistakes we make along the way... you live and you learn

[Crisis management]

Thanks, design as in architecture (dunno if I spelt that right?)

:)

Yup! Lots of that stuff.....

[Beemer]

We live only 8kms north of Levin but it's nice and rural and as we're surrounded by farmland, not likely to be turned into a rural ghetto any time soon! I have to agree with Paul, it's not an easy thing to look after land. We have three acres, about two of it consists of steep paddocks that we have to have sheep in to keep the grass down. The rest is either in lawn, garden or trees - so it has to be mowed, or Andy has to spend a whole day weedeating the area around the trees to make it look tidy. We have a septic system, rely on rain water (rain is your friend!), have no services - not even street lights or footpaths, but still pay rates! We pay for rubbish collection, including green waste, and shit, you get a lot of that if you want to keep the trees looking good!

I used to work for a power company and one guy wanted to put power on to an isolated section he owned down south - we quoted him $20,000 to do it, as we needed to put in about 5kms of power poles to get there!

It's a lovely lifestyle and we enjoy it, but it is hard work and it can be expensive. Owning is a lot different from renting - not only do you have to pay contents insurance, power and phone, but you also have to pay rates, house insurance, all maintenance costs, source heating supplies if you don't have electric heating (chopping wood is NOT always fun!) and all other associated costs. Yes, paying a mortgage is better than rent, but don't forget all the other costs as well. Rates vary - we only pay $550 a year but some are thousands.

Edit - sorry to ruin the flow - wanted to post some photos (just took them now, yay, summer has arrived!) but couldn't find a way to add them so I copied my original post and deleted it then did a new post with the photos!

[placidfemme]

Edit - sorry to ruin the flow - wanted to post some photos (just took them now, yay, summer has arrived!) but couldn't find a way to add them so I copied my original post and deleted it then did a new post with the photos!

thats what I want! but with more bush around...

[Motu]

The old bit of land has been a dream of ours for some time,we've got close a few times but life always cuts me off....I thinks it's for the better really,like Paul says it's a big job,even the 1/4 acre is damn hard work.

But going somewhere out of the mainstream where you can live like you like is a good option too.It was great living on Waiheke Island in the '80's and '90's,you could live how you liked without a proiblem - people were living without electricity even,just kero lamps and an LPG cooker,no fridge.The house we built is still on a gravel road with a gravel drive,never fenced,just trees and bush.Some people wouldn't want to live in Huntly...too rough and run down.But that has worked to my advantage,I got in here real cheap on a do up in a pretty good street for the State House side Huntly West.My neighbours on one side have 12 cars on the front lawn,the guy on the other side has about the same,although more of his are runners - I park 5 cars on my lawn.I could mow the lawns naked or beat the missus half to death in the drive and no one would bat an eye.Every household is 3 generation minimum,next door are 4 generation.It has it's down sides,but it also allows a family that doesn't fit well into suburbia to go un noticed about their business.

[LilSel]

I used to work for a power company and one guy wanted to put power on to an isolated section he owned down south - we quoted him $20,000 to do it, as we needed to put in about 5kms of power poles to get there!


Retailer, Generator or Distributor?? :innocent: hehe which power company??

[Dai]

Strange that this subject rises in this board.

I have just returned from a brief visit up north also and have decided to persue the same course of action.

I'll be watching this thread carefully.

One thing I did while away was talk to people in the area who have done what I am at the moment just contemplating.

All said that it was the best thing they have done but they all gave me varying pieces of advice.

Formost amongst them was to watch the size of the piece of land I was looking for and to realise the amount of work I was letting myself in for.

The general concensus was that if I went for 1-5 acres it would be better in the short term.

I was advised that if I was contemplating 10 acres then it would be best to look around for more as the cost of looking after for example 100 acres was not too much of a jump from the cost of looking after 10 acres.

Once again I suggest you find a place you like and then talk to those people who have made the move to that area.

On the housing side there are those companies that will site whatever house you are looking for. Costs arent too prohiibitive compared to building.

Wish you all the luck in the world.

Chris

[Paul in NZ]

As Motu suggested, you better make sure you are a good fit or adaptable to you new surroundings. We got real lucky moving to Raumati South. Its nice enough where we can walk the streets at night unarmed but Izzy the goat lives over our back fence. Its an increasingly rare mix and if we had not litterally had the section drop into my lap I'm buggered if I know what we would be doing.

I have a mate that moved to a lifestyle block on a main highway and they lock the gates at night and have a big mean dog because of all the un invited 'visitors' that have 'broken down' and would like to 'use the phone'... The countryside is not as friendly and safe as you might like to think. Nor is it peaceful and quiet all the time....

With 10 acres you will need to fence it as well. Not cheap...

[Beemer]

Retailer, Generator or Distributor?? :innocent: hehe which power company??

Retailer - Contact! From memory it was some isolated spot in Otago or Canterbury and the last house was 5kms or more from where his land started. So it was a matter of extending the line, putting in power poles or underground cabling, etc. I've heard some phone charges are pretty horrendous too!

Paul's right, unfortunately. The country isn't always that safe. We're lucky because we live down a no exit road so it's not as prone to burglaries as the ones where the offenders can drive in one way and out the other. Too many nosy people like me keeping an eye out!

Oh, and if you DO move to the country, don't moan about the normal noises of the country! One neighbour (who is renting until the owners move down in about a year) bailed up another last week and said "is your husband the one who does the weedeating?" (We all have weedeaters!) "I was going to come over last week and offer to help and get it done in half the bloody time."

Another thing - you need a lot of equipment! We have a petrol driven chainsaw and weedeater, plus all sorts of loppers, a mulcher, compost bin, plus we need to get someone to shear the sheep twice a year... it's not exactly the easy life, but it is the good life! Wouldn't swap it for the world!

[LilSel]

Retailer - Contact! From memory it was some isolated spot in Otago or Canterbury and the last house was 5kms or more from where his land started. So it was a matter of extending the line, putting in power poles or underground cabling, etc. I've heard some phone charges are pretty horrendous too!

LOL.... sweet (:shutup: )...
yeah some of the costs from the network/lines companies are horrendous.

[Hillbilly]

Depends where the land is. I remember the Rodney District Council changing the rules for building permits to stop people building "minor dwellings". This might be the case if you wanted to have a small 1 brm cottage placed on the land while building your main house.

If you can get a property closer to a town supply for water it's a bonus. One idea for the furure would be to keep the small cattage as a "granny flat" later on. It's have to be on the same title though, and you may not be allowed to subdivide. With water tanks you'd be better getting at least 2 3,500 gallon tanks to give you a minimum of 7,000 gallons of water. The reason is simple: dishwasers, ensuites, washing machines etc all use a ton of water. If you're not used to living on a tank supply, for goodness sake move somewhere where there is a town supply. When I was living on Waiheke Island we would
have "jaffa's" come over every summer and they'd empty a 7,000 gallon tank from chock-a-block to bone dry in a week! They had no concept of water conservation! Get this - the ARC were going to charge Waiheke Island residents water rates even though the whole island was on tank supply!

When I was living in Whangaparoa it was interesting that from Wade River Road back to Orewa (on the shopping center side of the road) the houses were on town supply, but across the road all the way out to Shakespear Bay they were on tank.

If you want a rural aspect and cheap land, check out Kaiwaka. Mind you, there's bugger all work there.

[geoffm]

My parents went through this exxercise nearly 30 years ago, before it became trendy...
THey ended up buying a farm, as it cost the same as a lifestyle block, but all the expenses are tax deductable, and it actually produces income. Lifestyle block - you have all the outgoings of a real ag block, with no income and no deductable expenses. See if you can get enough land to at least lease for grazing, and talk to an accountant.
The other issue is work - I live in Auckland as this is where the jobs are - it has nothing else going for it. Finally, your living costs will be a lot higher, with transportation costs, etc. Rates are often not much less than the city.
Geoff

[Laava]

Don't be put off too easily girl, follow your dreams and take some shortcuts! I'm talking about dropholes and rainwater and living in a non permitted dwelling, ie a permitted shed with power. There are bush blocks avail, now is a good time to look IMO and you may find something you fall in love with. Try Trademe. I am up here, and am a builder, if you need directions or advice[such as it is!]All the prices you have quoted seem realistic so far IMO. Good luck! PM me if you want to ask questions or just need a wee break LOL.

[Krusti]

If you want to do it on the cheap don't bother with a skyline Gottage as it will still be around the same as any home....$1000 aprox per sq m.

We bought the land and built a garage/shell. We have undertaken the rest ourselves.

Of course way more work than I had planned but that is par for the course!

We still have a small Honda gen running power, chilly bin for fridge and no ceiling etc but these are things you can live with when your kids have left home.

Our Skyline man has become a friend/mentor and without his help I would have been way out of my depth.

We often wonder if we should have gone another way but we wanted to go this way and are still happy with our decision.

A second hand home shifted on to your property is another option you may wish to look into.

If ever you are down Rotorua way give us a bell and come have a chat. As an ex farmer I can also give some advise regarding stock etc.

Don't let any one else talk you out of what you really want to do. Just make sure you really want it!

Times everything by 2! (money and time)

[Krusti]

Just as a guide...

Septic tank, dranage feild,drainlayer. $3000 tank(can be cheaper, depends on council) $5000 Drainlayer.

Plumber, $2500

Gas fitter, $1500

Power, 200 m from road. Quoted $10000. Saved over $4000 digging trench myself!

Sparky, free but still waiting for him to finish. Can't hurry mates!

When purchasing property make sure power is at boundary and is included in purchase price. cost us $6000 to get power across road!

These are just some of our actual costs and may be of some help.

[Dooly]

Going rural or lifestyle is an excellent choice, but it all depends on your persona I guess.
We love it but as said by others, it can be a lot of hard work.
We have 20 acres, and I have 4 rows of vines plus about 15 fruit trees. Enough to keep me more than occupied in spare time, not to mention the mowing, and untold weed eating.

You need to pay good money for decent mowers, trimmers, weed eaters etc as you'll soon wear out cheap stuff.
You usually need to have stock to keep the grass down and that can be costly if you need vets, electric fencing etc.

Plus the usual problems that can arise with water issues or breakages of fencing and other things.
Its very character building and forces you to think outside your comfort zone if you need to sort a problem and towns miles away.

Aside from that, I would'nt have it any other way.
The awesome views from our house of the ranges, city lights, the tranquility!
Can't beat country life.

Oh, I have a decent ride on lawn mower for sale if anyone's interested. Husqvarna 4yrs old, low hrs.

[placidfemme]

Thanks everyone for the advise and tips :)

Spoke to Sam last night and we had a great ole discussion and revised our options and how much we're prepared to take on and sacrifice to achieve this...

We're still dead keen to try to follow this plan through one way or another, but you guys have given us so much to think about its rather baffling at times... even harder for me to try to explain some of the things to Sam without confusing her...

I spent a lot of time yesterday on the phone to the mortgage broker and the bank just to try to get an advance figure of around about how much we can look at borrowing and blah... and last night we discussed our options for living space (gottage, A1 type home, portable second hand house thingy).

The buying of bare land and then the associated costs of power, septic tanks, water, builders, house, electricians, fencing, land maintanence equipment, rates, insurance etc even working it at the cheapest I can, including bits and bobs done for free by family and mates still comes in at above our budget...

We also discussed the whole being able to service the debt once approved and how we'll manage that with me working in Auck's and commuting to whereever we buy and yadda yadda... still so much to think of and plan for...

Right now I'm hoping we'll strike it lucky and have a pre-approved loan and then sit on it until we find the right place....

[35tickets]

thats what I want! but with more bush around...

Try looking for land on the old Russel road/Helena Bay road, its about 20-30 minutes north of whangarei with many bush sections for sale.

I've noted a few people mention the effluent disposal on the thread. Septic tanks are still ok provided you have the room for the land disposal area. Your question relating to driper line is to do with aerated wastewater treatment systems and is to do with an irrigation line disposing of treated wastewater.

I'm a consulting engineer in whangarei and have done a bit of work out in the area. Because of the bush many of my clients go with an aerated system to put the dripper line in. Capital cost isn't cheap (starting around $9000)

Another option if you're keen is composting toilets; they are labour intensive though and generally people say if they want them designed for.

Happy to help more if you like just PM me

All the best

[terri]

We are in a similar boat to you with the gottages, i would like to contact you to find out where you are with it all.
We are buying hse in north shore 100% finance also including 40k debt in loan and know our repayments, and know a great contact that can facilitate mortgages at banking rates 100% finance. (national bank) we also are self employed for less then 2 years wich is real bad in the banks eyes and we were denied till this mate jacked it up for us.
He does it full time.

he will talk you through it all and its all legit above board with lawyers. they consolidate al debt into you loan at normal bank interest rates.

we need to put in a gottage for my olds to the premises and are wondering the price and hard yards with that.

just signed up to this site to talk to you so hapefully you can ,ake contact with me. kindest Regards Terri