Tiny homes could solve big problem
Living in a tiny, relocatable home about the size of a single car park might not be for everybody.
But former Nelson city councillor, Seddon Marshall, thinks his ‘‘crane-a-home’’ idea could be a real solution for the affordable housing shortage.
Marshall, who has been involved in the building industry for 65 years, has written a detailed proposal and secured meetings with the Nelson city and Tasman district councils to explore his ideas further.
His ‘‘crane-a-home’’ design was six-by-three metres and included a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and laundry.
They would be fully insulated and the windows double glazed.
Marshall said a complete home would cost between $45-55,000, about 10 times less than the average house price in Nelson.
(The Nelson Mail, Monday 1 May 2017)
Retirement village changes landscape
Substantial earthworks are under way at the site of a $125m retirement village on the Port Hills with building hoped to start at the end of the year.
The Coastal View Lifestyle Village at the end of Princes Drive will house up to 300 people including 180 standalone units, 60 apartments and 50 care beds, on the eight hectare, northwest facing section at the Tasman Bay end of Princes Drive.
It will provide about 80 new jobs for nurses, administrators and maintenance workers. The complex is being developed by Christchurch-based Alpine Village Retirement Group.
Alpine Retirement Group executive chairman John Ryder said the land vendor, Christchurch roading contractor Kevin Blair of KB Contracting and Quarries, was under contract to level the building site. It was also part of the sale terms that it build a public road down to Waimea Rd.
The development will feature three eateries, an indoor pool, a movie theatre and a new road connecting Princes Drive and Waimea Road.
The road would initially connect only to the village. The connection to Princes Dr would be developed alongside later stages of the subdivision.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday 4 May 2017)
Less 'hype' for houses
House values in the Nelson region have continued to rise, but the ‘‘hype’’ in the market appears to be fading as buyers become more cautious.
The Nelson region has seen house values rise by 16.9 per cent in the year to May and 3.8 per cent over the past three months to an average of $527,422, according to the latest figures from QV.
Tasman district houses have also increased in value by 16.9 per cent in a year (4.7 per cent in the past three months) to an average of $521,575.
The region has bucked the national trend for house values, which has been described as ‘‘dead flat’’ for the past three months.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday 5 May 2017)
Dam builders raise hands
Seven potential dam builders have signalled their interest in constructing the proposed multimillion-dollar Waimea dam in the Lee Valley, near Nelson.
Tasman District Council programme delivery manager, Russell McGuigan, said the seven contractors that provided a Statement of Interest and Ability were all ‘‘tier one’’ companies.
‘‘It’s a good response,’’ McGuigan said.
Those contractor submissions would be evaluated over the next couple of weeks with the intention of creating a shortlist of three for the ‘‘next round’’, likely in mid-June or July. The next round would be a full tender, McGuigan said.
‘‘The aim is to have a contractor signed up by the end of the year.’’
(The Nelson Mail, Friday 5 May 2017)
Thought for the Week
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
(John Lennon)