It took just three months for a flat pack from Bunnings Warehouse to become a house in Auckland.
That alone is an achievement worth noting, but what has got Kiwis excited is the price: $91,000.
Renters looking to get on the housing market will no doubt be running the numbers: $91,000 is a lot less than what a typical New Zealand house goes for in the current market.
And those worried about the shortage of homes in Auckland will be encouraged by the new construction system that the national DIY chain has launched.
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In a challenge to traditional house-building methods, Bunnings has begun selling flat pack homes into New Zealand under its own Clever Living Co. brand.
The one erected in Auckland's Onehunga suburb, by Trent Building Solutions, is a two-bedroom house offering 83sq m of floorspace.
The north-facing weatherboard house is the Suffolk design of 82sq m and measures 11.4m long by 7.5m wide, has a separate laundry with walk-in linen storage cupboard, audio speakers in lightbulbs, security camera system installed within outdoor lights and bathroom with separate bath and shower.
Builders Matt Cross and Tristin Hapelt assembled the flat packs on site.
"You wouldn't know," said Cross, referring to the new house looking no different from those built via traditional methods or techniques. "This is the first one we've done in Auckland."
Other builders have put up the homes in their yards, then had them trucked to sites in Wainuiomata and elsewhere on the Kapiti Coast and in Wellington.
"It's portable and can be trucked anywhere around the country," said Cross of the almost-completed Onehunga house.
This area looks towards Mangere Bridge. Photo/Dean Purcell
OneRoof editor Owen Vaughan said: "While the $91,278 price of the flat pack is encouraging it does not include GST or earthworks, cost of the land, consenting costs by a territorial authority or connections to services including power, sewage and stormwater.
"Buyers who think the flat pack is a silver bullet to affordability challenges within the housing market should factor those extra and sizeable costs into their calculations.
"In New Zealand, land, not the house, is the most expensive component when buying a property."
Des Bickerton, Bunnings' New Zealand commercial manager, said demand for the flat pack homes had grown in the year since the launch and more than 50 flat pack homes had been sold.
The Onehunga house had audio speakers in light bulbs, a security camera in outdoor lighting and wall insulation was higher than the North Island standard.
Kitchen drawers are soft-close, all windows are double-glazed and a Mitsubishi heat pump in on the lounge wall.
"A lack of quality and affordable housing options has seen the Clever Living Co. range be really well received as an affordable option," he said.
"With our partners, we have developed a number of different design packages with the Angus three-bedroom, two-bathroom 96sq m design being the most popular, particularly among retirees and first home buyers with young children," Bickerton said.
"We did a lot of homework. The early result is encouraging and as we get more feedback from customers and our builder partners, we expect to make a few subtle changes over the coming years to improve the offer," he said.
- OneRoof and New Zealand Herald
