When do you start building?

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Rachel

Like being asked “How’s married life” or “When’s the baby due”, once you’ve bought land, it seems the cliche question is a variation on “When do you start building?” (or “How’s the house plans coming along?”).

The more people we talk to who have bought land and built, the more we hear that you shouldn’t be in any rush – otherwise you’ll waste money if you haven’t thought things through.

So, we’re taking our time, looking at ideas online, talking to people, dreaming, thinking.

It’s nice to know other people in NZ blogging about buying land and jotting down things they like as they plan. Just discovered Jenene and Ken’s blog and here’s some bits and pieces from their blog I like – love the first one especially:

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Quite like this too

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Rachel

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The type of house I don’t want!

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Rachel

So cold, it’s warmer outside

It’s been so cold at Judith and Kim Rowe’s home that wet clothes have been freezing in the bowl of their washing machine.

“I’ve just been moving the heater in here to try and defrost everything,” Mrs Rowe said, wearing four layers of wool and still battling the after-effects of the flu.

The family have been without much heating for more than two weeks and have been battling frozen pipes, days of permafrost on sunless pathways and temperatures plunging to minus six degrees Celsius as winter settles on their valley near Tapawera, Tasman District.

After they took out their old kitchen Kent fire and installed a new Esse wood range, intending to connect it to 10 new radiators, their plumber told them there was a delay in getting parts.

Read more →

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The New Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency: The Classic Guide for Realists and Dreamers

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Rachel

I got out some books from the library on lifestyle blocks and this one has been excellent, planning to get a copy:

It’s an updated book by an 88-year-old who has been living the self-sufficient life and gives a lifetime worth of advice in the book. It is a northern hemisphere based guide, so some things don’t apply (no foxes here!) but these bits are pretty minor. There’s some very cool little pictures (reminds me of an Usborne book from when I was a kid) of how you could plan out different sizes of land with animals and crops.

One tip I learnt which has immediately changed our plans: not to put new sheep on land which has previously had sheep on it for a minimum of 6 months (I guess all the bugs/diseases will have died off by then) so we’re now not going to be in a hurry to put some sheep on there.

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A house I like

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Rachel

Found in NZ House and Garden Magazine:

…movie theatre… five bedrooms with en suites… Lockwood design which features industrial steel rather than wooden framing. Pete Bossley Architects had made the concept drawings for Lockwood and this became the basic structure; the Owens then hired a draughtsman to personalise the design, which he did, specifying polished concrete floors and ceiling-height windows on the north side.the spacious kitchen and dining room at its centre.

You can see the kids in the pool from the dining table or from the long kitchen bench…the pool lights up at night.”

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