Through the winter months in a large factory space in Rotorua my new life is taking shape.
I’m not actually there, and I won’t be going there, but what is being built is going to come to me, on Waiheke Island. It’s a HOUSETTE. A mini home PODULAR that will arrive with all the bells and whistles that I have selected, ready to live in from the moment it is craned into position and hooked up to the gas, electrics and septic, which are all in place just waiting for the day to arrive. Can you imagine having a brand new fully insulated house with double glazing, wooden floors and tiled bathroom and kitchen splashback, with all the latest handpicked whitewear, arriving on site without all the noise, mud and responsibility (and time-wasting!) that goes with overseeing a new build? It’s a dream. My dream, and it’s about to come true. Podular have made it happen. It starts with a consultation. How big is the site and what’s the access? While there are easier sites to deliver a Podular home to than my Waiheke one, there are many others way more fraught with difficulties, Charles Innes founder of Podular assured me. The house is built in two parts, transported up to Auckland then barged over to the island, then craned onto the site. There might be a few white knuckles on that day, but for now, everything is ticking along nicely.
The next stage – that’s after the architectural design (you can choose in-house or use your own architect), the consents applied for and issued, and consultation re the construction and delivery of the housette and the choosing of flooring, lighting, kitchen surfaces and all the appliances – is the preparation of the land. It’s going to be sited where the raised vegetable gardens were. Yep, they’ve been dug up, what was salvageable was potted up and the precious soil wheelbarrowed to safety. Now we await the digger to flatten the ground, move the garden shed and dig up the flaxes for replanting. It’s a journey, and I’ll document progress as we go along. It might be helpful if you are thinking about down-sizing and don’t know where to start. There is great benefit to be had with a smaller place – I mean, why clean and heat 10 rooms when you only live in 4!
Here’s the Link if you want more info PODULAR
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