New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[patches]

Looks like the Auckland crazy prices are travelling fairly far north

 

https://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/cvs-blown-out-the-water-as-buyers-look-to-escape-corporate-north-shore-38497

[Hairy]

If I had the opportunity to build from scratch I would look into designing a container home. 

You should look into it, lots of companies that do it in NZ too.

I would not be so excited going for a container home.

 

It can get very expensive very quickly and it not all it is made out to be.

 

We recently completed a project in Houtbay where we took over a project for a Client who had another practice do the design work and it was based on a container system as the Client is wanting to go into supplying container homes for Gov. etc ... so he was going to use his house as an example.

 

The moment you start looking to cut out the container for decent window sizes and joining them for more open plan living you end up loosing much of the structural integrity of the frame. Enter the skilled steel workers and materials and very quickly things start to get expensive.

 

We managed to make the one part of the house on the higher levels work with containers and convinced the Client to go with a timber frame construction clad in matching profile metal sheeting to look like the containers when doing the lower levels that were a little more complex.

 

The latter construction was way cheaper and faster than the container route and had the same look to it.

 

You would want to use a 40' High Cube container to start with when building the "lego puzzle" and work on from there.

 

I just started on a new project in Woodstock today working with two older structures and integrating 3 x side by side containers on a higher level between the two structures. .... it is going to be interesting.

 

Container homes are "nice", but before you go that route, be sure you know what you are getting into.

 

Also not sure if you can get home loans on a container home should you be taking a loan of sorts.

[Hairy]

Sorry to be "die droll in die drink water" Wayne ... but if you assume the pink block to be the bicycle storage and workshop, where are you going to be parking your cars?

[Wayne Potgieter]

Sorry to be "die droll in die drink water" Wayne ... but if you assume the pink block to be the bicycle storage and workshop, where are you going to be parking your cars?

Easy, sell the cars, buy more bikes.

[intern]

Easy, sell the cars, buy more bikes.

 

The right answer.

[Wayne Potgieter]

Is anyone here looking for  a hi spec trail bike in a medium?

 

A good saffa mate (ex GM of Bike Barn) is looking to get rid of one of his bikes.

 

 

 

 

[patches]

Sorry to be "die droll in die drink water" Wayne ... but if you assume the pink block to be the bicycle storage and workshop, where are you going to be parking your cars?

 

 

Easy, sell the cars, buy more bikes.

 

haha, or outside like the majority of kiwis do.

 

It would be interesting to know what percentage of garages in NZ actually get used for housing cars.

 

My garage... nope

3 sets of close friends... all nope.

 

In NZ "off street parking" is considered almost as good as a garage. And even then, it doesn't necessarily mean that the car is parked within a gated property.

 

Such is the case in my instance. No front gate to my property. Will only look at putting on in one day when pets or mini-humans on the cards and I need to corral those suckers in.

So yeah... garages are for bikes and fun stuff. Driveways and verges are for cars

 

Edited October 6, 2020 by patches

[patches]

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but I thought it was quite funny.

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/122981053/superkiwisocialisticempireofjacinda-jacinda-ardern-puppet-appears-as-mary-poppins-fighting-covid19-on-uk-satire-spitting-image

 

Spitting Image back after a 24 year hiatus. They have some funny Trump and BoJo Covid sketches too.

 

I guess with the state of the world at the moment, there is just WAY too much comedic/satirical content for them to ignore, and hence the return after such a long time.

 

First sketch I ever saw of theirs was the "I have never met a nice South African" song, shown to me by a British colleague. 

Edited October 6, 2020 by patches

[davetapson]

Living Murrays Bay, working Newmarket... what do we say?  Do able?

Current commute MB to Oteha Valley Rd... which is pretty sweet.

[Kranswurm]

haha, or outside like the majority of kiwis do.

 

It would be interesting to know what percentage of garages in NZ actually get used for housing cars.

 

My garage... nope

3 sets of close friends... all nope.

 

In NZ "off street parking" is considered almost as good as a garage. And even then, it doesn't necessarily mean that the car is parked within a gated property.

 

Such is the case in my instance. No front gate to my property. Will only look at putting on in one day when pets or mini-humans on the cards and I need to corral those suckers in.

So yeah... garages are for bikes and fun stuff. Driveways and verges are for cars

 

Parking a car outside stuffs it up.

I have always kept my bikes and cars in a garage

Bicycles live in the house

[patches]

Living Murrays Bay, working Newmarket... what do we say?  Do able?

 

Current commute MB to Oteha Valley Rd... which is pretty sweet.

 

Yup, totally do able!

 

I have a friend who lived in Mairangi Bay and commuted to Newmarket via car.

Another who lives in Long Bay, also commuted to Newmarket (drive to Albeany Station, then catch the 866 bus). He's also cycled (Long Bay to Bayswater Ferry along East Coast rd, then cycle up through the Domain).

 

And I live in Milford and commute to Grafton (a little shorter, but same general route). I mostly bus (842 from Milford to Smales, then 866 from Smales to Grafton).

 

What mode of transport you planning on using?

[patches]

Parking a car outside stuffs it up.

I have always kept my bikes and cars in a garage

Bicycles live in the house

 

True.

 

Which raises a notable point of difference. In general Kiwis care a lot less about what car they drive and what condition it is in, than we Saffers do.

 

So many rusty bonnets in NZ. So many skadonks, driven by people in $1m+ houses. Add duty-free 2nd hand Japanese imports into the market, and one sees all sorts on the roads.

 

Fortunately though NZ does require an annual warrant of fitness (roadworthy), which does mean 95% of cars on the road are passable.

[Kranswurm]

True.

 

Which raises a notable point of difference. In general Kiwis care a lot less about what car they drive and what condition it is in, than we Saffers do.

 

So many rusty bonnets in NZ. So many skadonks, driven by people in $1m+ houses. Add duty-free 2nd hand Japanese imports into the market, and one sees all sorts on the roads.

 

Fortunately though NZ does require an annual warrant of fitness (roadworthy), which does mean 95% of cars on the road are passable.

There are just as many Skorra korra in SA

I have always looked after my possessions so they work properly,last,and give pleasure.Sure it takes time but going through my cameras once a month,cleaning the lenses and checking everything is working is part and parcel of the hobby

My car is polished once a month

[patches]

There are just as many Skorra korra in SA

I have always looked after my possessions so they work properly,last,and give pleasure.Sure it takes time but going through my cameras once a month,cleaning the lenses and checking everything is working is part and parcel of the hobby

My car is polished once a month

 

True, although those skorra korra generally aren't owned and driven by people earning R750,000pa plus. 

 

It would be interesting to take a specific group, lets say young professionals (25 - 35yrs old) earning around $110k/R1.2m in NZ terms, and approx. R750k in SA terms. Then compare what percentage of their annual income they spend on their motor vehicles.

 

I know cost of living in NZ is generally higher (especially housing in Auckland), but still, I don't know ANY young professionals in NZ with brand new Beemers, Mercs, or even Golf GTi's.

 

In SA though, there are heaps of people earning that kinda money (or less) that will happily finance a car for 40-50% (or even higher) of their annual income.

 

Here that same group would generally hover around the 5-15% mark.

 

Interesting difference in perception and culture.

[Kranswurm]

True, although those skorra korra generally aren't owned and driven by people earning R750,000pa plus. 

 

It would be interesting to take a specific group, lets say young professionals (25 - 35yrs old) earning around $110k/R1.2m in NZ terms, and approx. R750k in SA terms. Then compare what percentage of their annual income they spend on their motor vehicles.

 

I know cost of living in NZ is generally higher (especially housing in Auckland), but still, I don't know ANY young professionals in NZ with brand new Beemers, Mercs, or even Golf GTi's.

 

In SA though, there are heaps of people earning that kinda money (or less) that will happily finance a car for 40-50% (or even higher) of their annual income.

 

Here that same group would generally hover around the 5-15% mark.

 

Interesting difference in perception and culture.

Depends where

We had a houses in Scarborough and Fish Hoek for many years and the cars are just toast and certainly not 40 to 50%.Glencairn and Kom not far off.Must be the sea air.My ex farms in Mcgregor and my sister has a B&B in Greyton and lots of the cars there are also generally vrot.I suppose its the type of people who live there.

Anyway looking after a car has nothing to do with its value.

[patches]

Depends where

We had a houses in Scarborough and Fish Hoek for many years and the cars are just toast and certainly not 40 to 50%.Glencairn and Kom not far off.Must be the sea air.My ex farms in Mcgregor and my sister has a B&B in Greyton and lots of the cars there are also generally vrot.I suppose its the type of people who live there.

Anyway looking after a car has nothing to do with its value.

Oh I definitely agree. My point of reverence was city folk working corporate jobs. JHB vs Auckland.

 

Those unblemished by the JHB smog are definitely more sensible.

 

And yes, frugality in car choice does not excuse poor stewardship.