Building a home in New Zealand
For many, buying or building a home is such a dream and the moment the keys are handed over to you for the first time, it feels like such an achievement! This is especially true in current times, when real estate prices in New Zealand are considerably higher. Under these current circumstances, there is quite a debate on whether to buy a house or build a house and which is the more affordable option.
In general, it is seen that building a house could be cheaper than buying a house in the same price range, as you have more control over many factors to save costs without compromising on quality. Building your home from scratch is far more exciting as well and for many, it is the ultimate dream!
Building your home is a big step and there are many factors to consider. When you understand all the steps involved and the known and unknown costs, the journey can be quite enjoyable.
Building a house in New Zealand takes around 10 to 12 months which involves the initial planning to ultimately moving into your new home. It is estimated that the build alone takes around 6 months. Some factors that may delay or shorten the time are:
- Number of storeys
- Weather
- Slope of land
- Amount of land to clear
- Holiday seasons
Building a home in the Waikato
Waikato can be a great region to live in! The location of Waikato is great, with easy access to Auckland and Tauranga and other popular locations such as Rotorua, Taupo and Raglan all under 2 hours drive. People in the Waikato also get to enjoy all the luxuries of living in a big city without all the hassle and congestion of living in a big city like Auckland. The region has seen a lot of new residents, especially post the pandemic, with people choosing to move away from Auckland to Hamilton or quieter Cambridge.
Waikato has some fun events through the year such as the Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Balloons over Waikato, Sound Splash, Rugby at the FMG Stadium, cricket at Seddon Park and heaps of other art and cultural events. You can see a full list of events here.
How much it costs to build a home in the Waikato
It is estimated that in the Waikato, the average cost of building a home is $2253 and the average size of a home is 170m² which comes to $379,483. More about the cost of building a home in New Zealand here.
Finding a Builder in the Waikato
If you do decide to live in Waikato and build your home, there are a few factors to consider. Hamilton continues to be the most preferred city to work in due to such a diverse range of industries. But that being said, Hamilton is also one of the hardest cities in NZ to find a vacant piece of land to build your home.
Some popular locations outside of Hamilton to build your home are Cambridge, Te Aroha, Te Awamutu, Ngaruawahia, and Raglan. All these locations are just a 20 min drive to Hamilton and offer both city and country living.
Most Hamilton builders offer new build packages as well as house and land packages in Hamilton & across Waikato.
If beachside living is what you are after, you could look at Raglan, Tairua, Whitianga and other locations in the Coromandel. Some popular builders in the Waikato who have some good packages are:
Make sure you go through their website (linked above), and look at their current and past projects. Set up a meeting to see if they align with your goals and pick the best home builder. Good luck with your build!