How Long Does It Take to Build a House in NZ?
Many people are wondering right now, when is the best time to build a new home? Well, the reality is, there’s never really a bad time. Markets go up and down, but ultimately, as long as you can financially manage your mortgage payments (with some wiggle room in case of an interest rate rise), getting into the property market is always a good idea.
Many people choose to build their first home, and this can be for a number of reasons. House and land packages often represent great value. You get the house you want and won’t need to renovate. Everything is new, limiting the risk of costly problems with plumbing or wiring.
But the big question is, how long does it actually take to build a house in NZ?
How long does an average home build take?
In many cases, it depends a lot on the type of home you’re building. Naturally, a stand-alone home on a level property is one of the fastest homes to build. For property developers building apartment complexes, it takes a lot longer. Let’s stick to standard homes for now.
On average, an average property in an area where building companies may already have teams in the area and have a stream of council consents already going through, you’re looking at around 20-24 weeks. That’s assuming everything goes right and your council consent comes through in the typical 20-30 day period.
Obviously, the size and complexity of the home will often inform the build time. A large acreage property is going to take a bit longer than a 3-bedroom home on a level block in the suburbs. Home builders should be aware though, that there are several things that can impact the time it takes to build a new home.
What affects build time?
There has been no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the build time of new homes. It’s not just about building professionals being in isolation for various periods. Rather, it’s more about supply chain issues, some of which have been further exacerbated by the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
However, here are some of the other things that will impact a new home’s build time:
- Developers waiting for pre-sales before building commences
- Complexity of house design
- Builder availability
- Location (whether builders already have crews working in the area)
- Council consent
- Site preparation
- Bad weather delaying build activity
As you can see, many factors can cause the ideal period of 20-24 weeks to stretch out further. The best thing to do is contact the team at Stonewood Homes. We’ve got crews working throughout New Zealand, and we always provide accurate build times so that you can plan your life around it.