Built to last: apartments that don't cost the earth to run

Apartment living is becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand, but body corporate fees can make buyers nervous about ongoing costs. So developers like NZ Living are designing their apartments with an eye to keeping running costs down.

The company, developers of Fraser Avenue at Northcote, are behind developments Mason Square in Otahuhu and 340 Onehunga Mall. It was set up in 2016 to meet the need for high quality, medium-density housing in Auckland.

Using architects to master plan and design their developments and builds, NZ Living aims to reduce building costs and construction time by up to 25 percent each. Those cost savings are then transferred to the buyer. But the good news doesn't stop there; they also aim for a 50 percent reduction over regular apartments in long-term maintenance costs.

Shane Brealey, one of the directors at NZ Living, is overseeing the delivery of Fraser Avenue.

“We’ve chosen materials that are going to look good and need minimal maintenance for many years. The buildings are concrete slab, block and solid brick. The brick and the powder-coated aluminium cladding are super durable. The exterior won’t ever need painting or re-staining and there’s no need to hire scaffolding in the future to maintain the buildings.”

Living at Fraser Avenue will also help homeowners manage their energy costs. The development has been awarded a HomeStar 6 rating.

“The rating reflects the quality of the insulation, double glazing and the careful orientation to catch the sun,” says Shane. "The Green Building Council’s website states that: “a 6 Homestar rating provides assurance that a house will be better quality – warmer, drier, healthier and cost less to run – than a typical new house built to building code.”

“The buildings will be not only warm but also quiet,” says Shane. “The exterior and inter-tenancy walls are all solid concrete block and brick all the way to the roof – a 150mm reinforced concrete slab.”

NZ Living has also kept the development to three stories rather than the permitted five so that elevators aren’t needed. Installing lifts in buildings adds to the purchase price and ongoing maintenance cost for owners.

Like most apartments Fraser Avenue owners will belong to a body corporate and pay an annual fee to maintain the buildings and grounds. Fees are relative to the size of an apartment but average $2,000 a year – a figure Shane describes as “light” compared to many apartment complexes in Auckland. The fee pays for general maintenance and cleaning of the buildings; a gardener, building manager and body corporate manager; and building insurance.

Like all NZ Living developments, a third of the site will be built on, a third will be allocated for car parking, and the final third is landscaped green spaces.

“The buildings are arranged so that there are lobbies serving about six to nine apartments each,” says Shane. “This makes it more likely you’ll bump into your neighbours and helps establish a community feel within the broader development.”

The central ‘village green’ will provide a place for residents to gather and a ‘backyard’ for kids.

Sculptor Anton Forde has been commissioned by NZ Living to give something back to the people of Fraser Avenue in the form of an artwork. Each building’s exterior will feature one of five tukutuku panels as seen in marae, but in this case ‘woven’ in brick. Standing tall below the panels Anton has planned a Pou Kaitiaki (guardian carving) and, at the centre of the site, a kowhatu granite touchstone.

Shane says NZ Living is a fan of Northcote and plans to build further developments in the Northcote development area once Fraser Avenue is complete. “Our projects will always be in developing suburbs with good amenity and public transport options. That’s why we chose Northcote.”

“Significant investment is going into Northcote’s streetscapes and public amenities, including a new primary school and an upgraded town centre. And it’s close to everything too; Takapuna, Wairau Road and the CBD. You can walk everywhere within Northcote, and there are great public transport links. And, unlike newer suburbs that are still establishing themselves, it has a real community buzz.”

To find out more about Fraser Avenue homes visit NZ Living’s new sales suite at 38 Fraser Avenue, open daily between 9am and 4pm.

- This content was supplied by Kāinga Ora