Property costs in NZ - the heart of evil

**Brian d marge** · 6th November 2013, 19:42

It would still need permissions. 600 easily for a drain to be certified ( the cheque is in the post chch council)

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**Ocean1** · 7th November 2013, 06:15

Wonder if we'll ever see lower costs arising from this review...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/indu...needs-shake-up

**HenryDorsetCase** · 14th November 2013, 15:16

I was interested in this article.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3017309/t...-soon-be-yours

**Winston001** · 14th November 2013, 19:03

Good find ma man. There are a few simple house designs available in NZ but they don't seem to get any traction. I'm flummoxed as to why.

http://www.dbh.govt.nz/simple-house-acceptable-solution

Edit: one reason I can think of is modest people feel uncomfortable in them. Habitat For Humanity built a clever eco-design house in Christchurch and the family chosen to buy the house turned it down. Why? The house looked futuristic in their eyes and much too flash - all of their friends and relatives lived in boxes. They feared being shunned.

**Indiana_Jones** · 17th November 2013, 19:44

On that note, I have looked into container houses as an option. I'd be tempted to build one, but the council red tape costs far too much; Well far too much for a family on a single income.

-Indy

**Winston001** · 17th November 2013, 20:13

Yes and that is tragic Indi. Local authorities are behind the curve when it comes to innovative buildings and I'm not sure how we can change that. Building inspectors 95% of the time see standard house specs and that is what they are used to dealing with - its what they know.

4% are architectually designed buildings and the architects realise they have to provide engineering specs so they do. The 1% of weird stuff they have no idea how to assess. But every council office knows about leaky buildings so the emotive response is refusal.

In large countries (by population) odd-ball designs such as container homes are known about and there are existing standards. So its not an impossible task to go ahead.

Frustrating eh.

**Winston001** · 17th November 2013, 20:23

Some years ago we had a McRaeyway kitset home built and that proved to be an excellent choice. However the council insisted on an engineers design report for the roof trusses despite having already approved at least 30 houses with the same design in the last 5 years.

What a load of old codswallop.

This was a known and popular design from a reputable kitset manufacturer which had dealt with the council many times. I was bloody livid but lived with it because getting the house built was the most important thing.

**Brian d marge** · 17th November 2013, 20:42

I ve always wanted an alternative home such as acob or earthship, but ,well try explaining that to a vogon
I take full responsability if it falls down

Stephen

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**Winston001** · 17th November 2013, 22:06

Ah yeah - but thats not much help to the person who buys it from you. Houses are supposed to endure through multiple generations of inhabitants. Otherwise they are called a tent.

**Brian d marge** · 17th November 2013, 22:52

Originally Posted by Winston001

Ah yeah - but thats not much help to the person who buys it from you. Houses are supposed to endure through multiple generations of inhabitants. Otherwise they are called a tent.

not here they aren’t , you buy the land and the house is an extra

most of the house is recyclable and they are set up to bull them down and rebuild STILL cheaper than a leaky nz home !

I have some photos somewhere to a building they are pulling down ( near the size of Buckingham palace and not a whisper of dust or noise , but it will be gone and the ground levelled soon enough!!!

Stephen

**Indiana_Jones** · 18th November 2013, 19:29

"Think tank the NZ Initiative is proposing the taxpayer - rather than developers and home buyers - pay councils for providing water and sewerage services to new houses as part of a suite of measures to improve home affordability."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=11159041

-Indy

**Brian d marge** · 18th November 2013, 20:28

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

"Think tank the NZ Initiative is proposing the taxpayer - rather than developers and home buyers - pay councils for providing water and sewerage services to new houses as part of a suite of measures to improve home affordability."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/n...ectid=11159041

-Indy

If that isnt a business roundtable inititive i do not was is

Hahahaaaa
Stephen

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