Buying a section
Building on an empty section is more complex than altering or renovating an existing house. It involves more paperwork and legal processes — whether you build from scratch or move a house onto the section.
Some legal processes to consider:
land use restrictions
district plan rules
resource consents
land surveys.
Buying a section and preparing to build on it
Building your home
Understand the stages of building a house before you get started, these include:
organising consents
monitoring construction
making progress payments
approving variations
organising inspections
getting a Code of Compliance.
Stages of the building process
Hire your team
Choose a project team who can help you build your home, for example an architect, builder and project manager, who can confidently meet Building Code requirements.
You’ll need a licensed professional builder to do certain work.
Building the house yourself
If you want to build your own house and you’re not a licensed builder, you have to:
get an Owner-Builder Exemption
know how to meet Building Code requirements
apply for consents
let your council know.
Your rights and responsibilities when building a house
Make sure you understand your rights and responsibilities throughout the process. These include:
when you need a written contract
when your builder is required to give you a disclosure statement and standard checklist
what to do if something goes wrong.
