Relocate or build?
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20176
Printed Date: 21 August 2025 at 5:37pm
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Topic: Relocate or build?
Posted By: lovingmummyhood
Subject: Relocate or build?
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 6:06am
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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  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: T_Rex
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 6:36am
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We are in the process of doing up an old house (we didn't relocate it, but it still needs lots of improvements - eg. an inside toilet!). I can say its hard work, but also very satisfying. It is good in that we can do bits here and there as we can afford it. Also there is plenty of scope to do painting etc ourselves, which makes the job a bit cheaper. And because we don't have to pay for the whole job in one day, we can afford to do each bit to a slightly higher standard than if we'd had to pay for the whole lot in one shot, because we can save in between times.
Its a lot of fun. Also a lot of stress! I can see the advantages of just paying someone else to build you a new house! And in some ways thats better than having to work within the constraints of an existing house (there are a few bits on our house where we think if only they'd not done this or that...). But that may not be such an issue if you get to select a house to relocate. Ok, so that probably wasn't a lot of use, sorry! If it were me, I'd probably go for the old house. I like the character too. And its something you can be really proud of once its all done. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: george
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 8:21am
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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! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 8:42am
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it depends on what you want at the end of the day.......an old character or a brand new house
my parents relocated the house and we bought it cheap from them as it was half done. almost 5yrs later and it's STILL not finished. we don't have a driveway and the front yard is a tip but that's all really. we've certainly come a long way since we moved in! it can work out cheaper to relocate, but you have to be careful about the house you buy and the section. our land had never been lived on so it had no services connected to it at all. that added an extra $10K onto the cost for drainlaying/power/ph some things to watch out for are - what the walls are made of - ours was lard and plaster so most of them needing replacing due to cracks caused by the shift no asbestos - we needed a new roof because of asbestos distance the land is from the house make sure you cover all the bases and get quotes for work that needs doing so you know how much you'll need.........wish my dad did that before we moved this place!! it hasn't really worked out any cheaper, but it's been a great learning curve!! all that said, i myself would prefer to build as i like new stuff. but if $$$ wouldn't allow that, i'd definately look into relocating as well, because we know alot more now than we did last time  ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 8:49am
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Shifting an established house onto a piece of land is something people usually only do once! Then again, I have friends who've said that about building too, and they love the results of their new homes.
I agree - both building and relocating can cost around the same. Both are guaranteed to go over budget and over time though! Renovating does allow a lot more flexibility for time - our project (not a relocated house) has taken years, with the most concentrated part of that being from Oct 07 until some time in the very near future... but DH did do a fair amount of work in the 4 years leading up to that too. Everything but the floorboards, exterior weatherboards, roof exterior and most of the wall structure has been replaced, and if it wasn't replaced, it was repaired and re-surfaced. We couldn't afford all the natural timber we have if we'd been buying new, or a 4-bdrm place, but then a newly built house comes with lovely things like awesome insulation and very little likelihood of leaks. Even a well renovated character home will be more high maintenance than a new one, but then a bit of maintenance here and there isn't a big deal. You can save more $$ 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. ------------- Andie |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 9:38am
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I would build, that way you know that the walls, roof etc are all new and safe. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: mrsturtle
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 1:29pm
| 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 |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 2:12pm
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It depends what you want, character or new, and also what finish. I know friends of mine have just built a house through a building company and they have crappy lino (I would have tiled), cheap looking carpet, a really basic bathroom and kitchen, and only 3 colours were allowed in the whole house. That was on their package. I think if you could build but be able to do some things yourself, like carpet, tile and paint, it may work out cheaper in the long run but could also take time.
I've heard horror stories about relocating, mum's friends beautiful character home fell off the truck and was ruined. But one of my other friends relocated a home with no probs and did it up nicely. |
Posted By: DJ
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 6:53pm
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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. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: lovingmummyhood
Date Posted: 18 August 2008 at 7:32pm
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Thanks guys - there are a lot of valid points here.
My parents relocated a house ages ago now, when all of us kids were living at home, and it took literally years to finish!! But it was really cool in a lot of ways too. The main thing is that we don't love the new house. Yeah, I know its just a house, but we plan on staying here for a long time so we want to love it
If we won lotto or something, then we could build new and get exactly what we want The other thing is, that our property would be worth more (if we were to sell it) if we built new.
All your replies are great thank you. We've still got a little while before we have to decide. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Lilypad
Date Posted: 20 August 2008 at 9:45am
| 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. |
Posted By: lizaray148897
Date Posted: 28 July 2014 at 4:39pm
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Relocation from one place to a different place has been always a big problem. So take your decision wisely. |