Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

My last house in the UK was a 1906 terrace. No insulation at all, no double glazing and, when the plumber took up the floorboards to put in a gas pipe we discovered the ground! It was all easily fixed though.

You can make an offer subject to survey and get someone in the check the insulation and make recommendations - budget for bringing it up to the standard you require. You might strike lucky and get a house built by a pom!:fingerscrossed:

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

Thanks to Globalization you can get the same standard in any country. Obviously material will be harder to find in New Zealand and might cost more and there are fewer local builders who can build to the standard you want, but why shouldn't it be possible with a good builder? Even in Ireland I'm not always happy with the building standards but I don't have to build the same way others do. There's also nothing stopping me installing an Austrian heat pump, German windows etc. or using Japanese engineering for earthquake proof structures.

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

If its a timber frame with brick veneer you can get cavity wall insulation just like the UK.


I'm about to start the process of insulating, heating my place. All in its going to come to around $70k. thats for extra loft, underfloor, cavity wall insulation. retro fit double glazing and diesel fuelled central heating.

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

Our house is timber frame with brick veneer and has some in wall insulation, but it is not to a uk level. Just run through our first winter without using any heating - I think partly because the main rooms are all north facing. It gets a bit too warm in the summer, but the rooms (incl bedrooms) all have big ranch sliders etc.

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

Just thought I'd add, if you buy a house build package remember it's like anything, the spec is all to the lowest basic standard they can get away with and you have to upgrade a lot of stuff which is additional to the first price given.
The show home you look around will have all the highest spec so even if you chose the same floor plan it won't end up being the same if you don't upgrade.

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

The furst place I bought when I arrived in NZ had ranch sliders in the master bedroom.
I never used them, not once, and boy did they let a lot of heat out

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

We can lie in bed surveying the acres in the morning (and if I have the strength shoot the odd rabbit/magpie on the lawn) and boy do they let out excess heat in the Summer. This isn't Dunedin you realise.

Re: Standard of New Houses?
 

But don't they let the morning sun warmth in, we have them in our main bedroom and it gets gloriously warm in the mornings with them. I love them in the summer, I can sit up in bed with a cup of tea with them open and it's lovely to have the bird song coming in. Makes me all happy and content.