Relocate or build?

Hi

Originally we were going to relocate an older, character home but realised to do this and completely redecorate etc would cost just as much as building new so then we thought why not build?
So we looked into this and found one within our budget - now we have plans and contracts for building a new house but are holding off on signing for a couple of reasons.
Its just a house and we don't love it - sure everything is pretty and new, but we'd rather have a home with character.
We're a bit worried about the economy and don't want them to be halfway through our house and go under or anything.
Sorry for my novel, I guess I'd just like to hear from people with experience doing either of the above please. Pros and cons or whatever you want to share.
So far we've got - initial cost, moving a house on we have the consents, earthworks, power, drainage and moving but then we can move in and do things slowly - a con for this of course is the house may stay unfinished for a long time lol. Building, sure there are progress payments but we need to pay everything before we can live in it. Also, the one we chose was a basic plan so colour options etc were very limited.
Meh, I don't know Anything you have to say could be useful.
Thanks in advance

Hi Funlvn,

I totally recommend going for the new house. My husband and I had the same dilema 5 years ago, as we both really love character houses too. After looking at a lot of different house relocation companies and a lot of different houses, my husband (who is a builder) said that it was going to cost us WAY too much money, as he said most old houses need to have a new roof and new plumbing and the inside to be totally remodified to fit our modern way of living. Also, the wooden joinery needed to stay with the character of the house is VERY expensive and it is hard to find the right joinery to fit at second hand places.

We ended up building a brand new house and we were 100% happy that we did. We too didn't have a huge budget, so we did all the finishing ourselves, like painting and tiling. Also, we didn't choose the kitchen or bathrooms through the house company, as they looked really budget, but were quite expensive. So we sourced our own kitchen and bathrooms and ended up getting a great deal.

If you are worried about the company going under, make sure they are master builders as then they have insurance to cover them.

Hope this helps!

Shifting an established house onto a piece of land is something people usually only do once!   Then again, I have friends who've said that about building too, and they love the results of their new homes.

I agree - both building and relocating can cost around the same. Both are guaranteed to go over budget and over time though! Renovating does allow a lot more flexibility for time - our project (not a relocated house) has taken years, with the most concentrated part of that being from Oct 07 until some time in the very near future... but DH did do a fair amount of work in the 4 years leading up to that too. Everything but the floorboards, exterior weatherboards, roof exterior and most of the wall structure has been replaced, and if it wasn't replaced, it was repaired and re-surfaced. We couldn't afford all the natural timber we have if we'd been buying new, or a 4-bdrm place, but then a newly built house comes with lovely things like awesome insulation and very little likelihood of leaks. Even a well renovated character home will be more high maintenance than a new one, but then a bit of maintenance here and there isn't a big deal.

You can save more $$ by doing a lot of work yourselves with renovation - I guess what do you want more, your time or your money? Whatever makes the most sense for you guys. If you're not planning on doing the reno's yourselves and getting subbies in for the work - that in itself is a big job! Organising, contracting and following up on the workers when they're scattered around a vast array of places can be frustrating work, and IMO is best left to those already in the industry who have more pull.

Edited by Andie

I found building to be rather stressfull! we have not relocated a house before but did do an awful lot of work to our first one which i think i prefered Our builder was great i just prefer being able to do everything at our own pace rather than all at once. Either way it never seems finished and there are always things to do! have a look around at what new propertys are going for in your area too for us in central otago it was better money wise to build. Good luck in you choice

I've heard of a company that builds new houses which character features.

If you are interested, I could find out the name of the company and let you know.

http://www.moss-brothers.co.nz/ - just googled and found this - gives you an idea.

we built new, but we opted for a labour only option (source materials/subbies ourselves) to save money and so we could work off our own plans and have all the specs we wanted. I wouldn't really recommend this option unless you have a lot of time on your hands and you like stress but it has worked out well for us in the end (we are still to finish landscaping though) New houses are a lot warmer, less damp and healthier especially if you have babies with allergies. On the other hand character houses are lovely and homely feeling. It really depends on the condition of the older house get firm quotes and then allow an extra 10% because something will come up. If you go through a building company with a fixed price there will probably be less surprises.