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 Happy New Year! And to kick of 2015, seems I got a digger for Christmas! Yes, it's started! Yesterday! OMG the yeays. Well actually, its almost an anticlimax, the diggers dug and then...well they just kept digging. There's only so much of that I can watch. For Mr Three however, it's better than TV, which is lucky for him given we don't currently own a TV. The digger looks so tiny there in the picture, but up close, when it's pushing dirt and (mostly) dust, around it's just impressive enough to tingle the nerve endings. And its doing more than tickle the bank balance. This is where it starts to get real people. These puppies are not cheap. Although with all the quotes we've seen, this one in particular isn't as bad. Things to look for in your digger quote - the hourly rate for both the digger AND the truck that it comes on. (You'll often get a quote for the whole job, but to compare apples and apples ask for the hourly rate) Anything from $85-130 for a smallish digger (12 ton and under) seems standard in Auckland (but let us know if you have had other rates). With our arrangement we are only billed for the actual hours the digger is being used, this because Our Man of Diggers (who owns some of the diggers) is also one of our builders, so he can flick between tasks onsite. It works out pretty great for us, less blokes standing around watching our money disappear.
This is a super difficult part of the build to quote on of course as no one knows exactly what you're going to hit until you actually hit it. Therefore I guess, the "fixed price" quote we were given was almost three times that of others, it's a just a process of contingency for the digger driver in case he/she hit rocks, holes, secret underground fairy-caves complete with rivers....well, you get what I mean. Of course, we cant afford to provide such an expensive just-in-case contingency, so we're doing an hourly rate for this part too and hoping that the Geotech report was right and we're not going to hit very much more than dirt. Fingers crossed!!! Also, check in with the costs of the truck that is taking the dirt away. If you can, keep the spoils on site as it will save you a LOT of money, but beware that when the dirt starts coming out of the ground it doubles in size, so when we dig our house shaped hole we're going to have two house shaped holes of dirt, plus everything that comes out of the pile holes...it's a lot. If you've done this, or are about to start, feel free to share! No point reinventing the wheel - or digger track.  In the last post on Stuff.co.nz for the year, it's a catch up with Jon Bridges and his family's build progress. It was great to see someone come out the other end of this and be so calm about it. I guess they've had a whole year to unwind from the madness that building can bring, but still, a nicer, more relaxed couple you couldn't hope to meet.
Over at Building Boxes HQ it's quite another story. We cant afford a Fixed Price contract so have just done a pre Christmas hand shake with our soon to be builder who will be running a managed labour only site. And when I say soon, I mean really soon. We'll be starting again in earnest on the 12th of January when we break ground! All Of The Yeay Things. What's more, because James has a chunk of time off over the holidays, we're building my office...They're the set out pegs in that photo all ready to go. It's a small (just under 10m2) box, designed to echo the main house, and will house the best view I've ever had in an office. It's definitely going to be better than the view I've had this year, although the washing machine isn't all bad. Especially when it's on fast cycle. But because the new office is a)tiny and b)we're building it, it will of course be a fraction of the price of the main house. We'll let you know the ins and out of it over the next couple of weeks. For now, Christmas is only days away, I just hope no one gets me a nail gun for Christmas... Have a great break and happy holidays.  This week on stuff we're talking about Building Consent. I though this would be easier than Resource Consent. Things are either structurally correct or not right? The Building Code is black and white I thought...well maybe it is, but turns out plans are always open to interpretation. When you're doing things like suspended concrete floors to increase your thermal mass - a practice that's super common in commercial property but not so common in residential property, I guess it makes people want to ask more questions. But still, black and white right? It's about numbers, calculations. Turns out it IS about numbers, mostly the number two. Twice the amount of time, and twice the amount of money...sigh. BUT. We are now the proud owners of permission to build this puppy. Christmas is almost upon us but we're signing the contract with the builders this week unless a mad meatball storm or something equally as unlikely gets in the way. It means we're set to start mid Jan! YEAY!
 This week on Stuff I'm talking about how to get Resource Consent. It's not an easy ride, but we got there and it didnt take as long as I feared it might. It means though that we want to be smart about all that great outdoors that comes with our property. All the green is something we're dedicated to looking after, and if we do it right, it can be not only a playground for our boys, but a real resource for their and their neighbourhood's future. So what better way than to get some experts to help. The awesomesauce folk at the Unitec Landscape Architecture Department are coming on board to help us not only plan out what we'll be doing long term, but to think smart about how we can save money by germinating some of our plants ourselves in a strategic and longterm manner. If you're thinking about building, this might be a great thing to start thinking about even now, so you have things to get in the ground when you actually have ground ready.
 Because today is the 2nd of December I'm announcing the winner of the LeeAnn Yare giveaway! Thanks to a highly technical process (using http://www.random.org/) the winner of both New Zealand Interior Style and Rooms to Love is Natasha Margaret Hough. Congratulations. Get in touch to claim your prize! I'll post this up on Facebook as well so let me know your details.
This weeks post on Stuff.co.nz is all about saying thanks to those people who have already helped out. So a big, cheers, goes to Hugh from Hopscotch in Auckland. Unfortunately, his lovely mug didnt make it into the article...so I thought I'd add it here instead. Next week I'll be talking through the mad process of getting Resource Consent. So if you're thinking of doing this part yourself, tune in.  Did you notice that our column in stuff this week was sitting next to a piece by interiors legend (and international pilot - yes really) LeeAnn Yare from Collected? Well because Christmas is coming and she is an all round awesomesauce lady she is giving away a copy of her latest book with Larnie Nicolson Rooms to Love, as well as a copy of their first book, New Zealand Interior Style to one lucky Building Boxes follower. Yeay. Both books are packed with glorious images of homes with beautiful interior ideas to recreate or adapt for your Box. All you need to do to win is jump over to our Facebook page, like our page and comment about why you should win. We'll run the contest for a week.
Oh and did I mention that it will be personally autographed too. So you can let me know if you're keeping the books for yourself or giving them away for Christmas and LeeAnn will personalize a message for you! Awesome. If you were a fan of The Block you will have seen LeeAnn in judging mode, and probably seen the contestants in her shop Collected. It's a veritable treasure trove of Christmas gift ideas so if you're stuck...I'd head there. (dont tell James I've already been in!)  Everyone tells you building takes longer than you think. I figured I'd add an extra couple of months, maybe even six, to be on the safe side....a year and a half later and we STILL haven't got building consent. Moreover, this doesn't seem to be an uncommon position. If you've been following our journey on stuff you'll know that our timeline had a serious hiccup with a less than helpful architect, and that with Christmas coming, all bets are off when it comes to getting a builder on site. But we're still hopeful that with a little help from our friends we'll dig a few holes super soon. Fox has been telling us that the diggers are coming for some weeks. If a three year old is that certain about something, it must be true...right?
This week I'm talking about how to get your builder to stick around when you finally get one - or rather, how to chose the team that are going to pull your dream house out of the sky and create it, stick by stick, or block by block - just like a team of busy hamsters. Okay, maybe not hamsters, maybe more _like these guys... |
We areA family of four: writer, scientist, lego engineer and destruction specialist. Our previous home is featured in New Zealand Interior Style and this new project promises to provide plenty of great, green, smart and maybe madcap solutions to new building in New Zealand. Build Partners
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