Will DIY become easier?
The Government has announced that it will soon become easier to make property improvements by removing the need for consents for ‘low-risk’ building work. This includes single-story detached buildings up to 30 square metres, such as sleep-outs, sheds and greenhouses; carports; and awnings.
This is great news for Kiwi homeowners and builders alike who can now perform low-risk developments without applying for council consents.
Do you have extra space and would like a new shed or sleepout? Are you thinking about taking on a DIY project? We’ve taken a look to see how many kiwis have a spare flat 100m2 of land and therefore more likely to have the available space to turn their dreams into a reality.
As you can see above, even our most populous cities have space to add a fixed asset with 25% of Wellington properties having a spare flat 100m2 to develop. This increases to 85% of all properties in Palmerston North. Higher density towns (such as Auckland, Queenstown, and Wellington) all have less housing stock for this, but still over a quarter of all properties would be suitable for a new shed or sleep-out. This could result in a boom for many tiny home and portacabin developers.
However, before you dust off the tools and get started, it’s important to remember that any work must be compliant with the Building Code. We spoke to Jayden Hodson from Made Construction to get some builder’s advice.
- “Some structures may still require input from an architectural designer. A professional engineer may also need to be involved especially if the structure requires slab design, timber floor foundations (pile depths), or bracing elements.”
- “You will need to think about and be compliant with height-to-boundary restrictions, maximum site coverage, and firewalls.”
- “You will be adding a permanent structure to your property so when it comes time to sell it must meet the Building Code.”
- “Do your research, have a plan and make sure any work is overseen by a Licensed Building Practitioner.”
The exemptions are expected to kick in from August after the Government had made changes to the Building Act.
Monthly HomesEstimate Property Update
The homes.co.nz Monthly Property Update is generated using homes.co.nz’s June 2020 HomesEstimates, providing an up-to-date perspective on house values around New Zealand.
Trends in our Main Cities
The impact of COVID-19 is yet to be seen in our main cities’ property markets with homes.co.nz’s June HomesEstimates continuing to increase. Auckland’s sales activity during the first quarter of 2020 have resulted in the current median HomesEstimate being 8% higher than this time last year. Positive numbers are also seen right across the country and the standout performer is Dunedin, once again, with the median HomesEstimate up 22.8% p.a.
Although there is anecdotal evidence of some markets being impacted, it appears that property prices have largely held firm. Watch this space in the coming months as the picture becomes clearer.
NZ’s First Home Buyer HomesEstimate
The “First Home Buyer HomesEstimate” is homes.co.nz’s estimate of what a typical first home may cost. It is calculated to be the lower quartile HomesEstimate in a town.
How do we calculate these figures?
The homes.co.nz Monthly Property Update is generated using homes.co.nz’s monthly HomesEstimates and provides an up-to-date perspective on house values around New Zealand. By valuing the entire housing stock, the homes.co.nz Monthly Property Update can compare median values from month to month in a consistent and reliable way. Our HomesEstimates are calculated for almost every home in New Zealand by an algorithm that identifies the relationships between sales prices and the features of a property.
Established in 2013, homes.co.nz is NZ’s first free property information portal eager to share free property information to New Zealanders.
