Eleven years ago my wife, Sarah, and I and our two small boys moved to a three-acre lifestyle block just south of Waiuku. Our house was seven years old and had everything on our bucket list that we could afford, except for the sea views that I had pined for. However, we did agree to look around for a new place with an ocean vista in 10 years’ time.
A decade later, with the promise of sea views not forgotten, I started to look for ideal properties near Auckland. To my dismay, any house that even had a glimpse of the ocean was still well outside our budget.
Not giving up, I investigated bare land and a new build, however, these hopes were also dashed when I spoke to a building company which informed me that I had to “pop on another $100K if you are wanting to build in a rural area”.
Desperate to not give up I stumbled across relocatable homes as an option and found our dream property on the wild west coast near Waiuku. This set in motion a plan that today has reaped the rewards I longed for all those years.
Start your property search
On Christmas Eve, 2017, we saw the perfect relocatable house. We soon became the owners of a cute stucco 1930s Californian bungalow, 200km from where we wanted it to be. Fortunately, it had been moved 10 years earlier, so came with a new(ish) roof, kitchen and internal wiring so that was one less cost to worry about.
Our new land was at the tip-top of the Waikato region and the Waikato District Council was excellent, giving us professional and straight-up advice, allowing us to plan ahead as much as possible.
Much to my surprise, I discovered that a relocatable house that has a code of compliance in its original location may not require the same level of inspections a new build does. Check with your local council to find out what you need prior to any buying decisions, however.
Six months after starting the project we gained the Code of Compliance.
We are so grateful the relocation process allowed us the ability to now live in our dream property in our dream location. However, it is a stressful process, and many others are not so lucky, running out of money, enthusiasm and marital bliss prior to the project’s completion.
The relocation rules
1. Contingency
Have a significant financial contingency for the project in case piles need to be dug deeper, driveways need to be widened or services need to be relocated. Issues like these can take you by surprise and without a good contingency, you could find the stress unbearable.
Get insurance
Even though our relocation process was relatively smooth, a storm resulted in a medium-sized insurance claim that would have halted the process without it.
Research the transport company
We had a great team with Total Relocation, however, there are a lot of cowboys out there taking shortcuts with your dream property. Be wise and always get references.
Always some damage
Seeing the house on its original site versus viewing it at your new property can be daunting. If your house has been cut into pieces, there will be holes in the walls and damage to the external cladding. Don’t lose heart, a good builder will have it perfect in no time.
Don’t skimp on pre-purchase reports
Before the final sign-off on the land, get all the necessary checks and reports so you can make an informed decision. The geotech report is especially important as it will tell you if you can put a house on the site. We heard of a person who didn’t do this, and then found their piles had to be 15m deep, which forced them to sell the section uncompleted.
Cost of services
While we did have an electric junction box 100m away to connect power to, it was still a significant cost to bring the power to the house site. Our self-contained plumbing and waste-water system was more than $35K. Internet reception was also something we had to factor in.
House PLUS relocation price
We found our house with an advertised price of $29K. A bargain! However, to relocate it to an especially tricky spot right by the sea, we ended up paying $128K more. The cost of the land not included.
It may have been a stressful process, but done with the right team, the right resources and the right attitude, there is a way you can be in your dream home in your dream location.
Prepare and have a contingency budget
To get the dream house in the dream location, you need to make sure it is from the right side of the street so the orientation is perfect for your land. Allow a good budget for remedial work, as often relocatable homes require a lot of repairs. We were fortunate that ours was in good shape so we could almost move straight in.
Our house mover, Dave, and his team from Total Relocations were awesome, cutting our new house in half with a skill saw, then relocating it from Tauranga over two trips. However, in autumn of 2018 a major storm with gusts up to 212km/h on the coast almost finished the project right then and there.
We were incredibly blessed that our house stood strong on the temporary jacks, with only a short delay allowing us to move out of our on-site caravan after 100 days living with two teen boys.
Relocating saves
By our estimates, relocating our house to the coast saved us about 60 per cent of building new, with the added benefit of the house arriving, being put back together and becoming liveable within weeks, not months.
However, the dream is not for everyone as banks will usually only lend up to 50 per cent on bare land and not provide a mortgage at all on relocatable dwellings, until they gain a Code of Compliance.
