introduction

WELCOME TO THE HOMEOWNER'S BUILDING GUIDE - 

If you want to know about building a new home, renovating your current house or replacing your existing kitchen or bathroom, then this site is designed to give you the best advice on how to go about undertaking these projects...

The New Zealand Homeowners Building Guide has been specially written to help give advice and provide information and a resource for homeowners who are building a new home or building renovations to their existing house and are looking for building products like kitchens, aluminium windows, bathrooms, tiling and flooring and everything that goes into building a house. The Building Guide website gives prospective builders and renovators the essential facts for successful planning and building...

View our introduction to home building to get started. Learn more about us....More

• For information on kitchens and kitchen manufacturing click here...
• And for an idea on the costs of building a home in your region click here...
• To see our Facebook Page click here
• To see the Colleen Dicks Home Rebuild Project - something we're enormously proud to be a part of click here

Traditional or modernist, addition or new build - the Homeowner's Building Guide website has information on building products and services essential for your building project...

A comprehensive directory to building products and services.  Click Here

Click here to order the Homeowner's Building Guide specifically tailored to your region. Get your hardcopy version that you can carry with you and find excellent local suppliers from your own area as well as national suppliers of products and services... more...		Work out what you can afford to spend before you start spending. Our Budget workpage allows you to factor in all the costs and change it as you go through your project... more...		Take part in our online forums or email us to ask advice on a particular problem. We love to hear from you and you can share your frustrations or ask us questions to see if we can find out the answers for you... more...

June Building Consents show small increase but still low...(NZ Herald July 30) - more... Jennian Homes CEO lambasts interest rates increase citing low building levels...(NZ Herald - July 29) - more... Insulation scheme plagued with poor workmanship - (NZ Herald - Feb 16) - more... Department of Building and Housing release new report forecasting the building industry (DBH website - Feb 15) - more... Forecaster predicts ongoing boom for the building industry - (NZ Herald Feb 9) - more... and the original report is  (BIS Shrapnel) is available here... Faster Building Consents for multi-use designs for group home builders - (Scoop - Feb 4) - more... Building consents up 50% from year ago (NZ Herald - Jan 28) - more... Southern Architecture Awards announced (NZ Herald - Dec 2) - pictures here... Building consents for residential homes increase by 23% (NZ Herald - Oct 31) - more... Canterbury Architecture Awards announced (NZ Herald - Oct 22) - pictures here... Auckland Architecture Awards pictures here (NZ Herald - Oct 14) - pictures here... Building continues to firm - slight rise in August building consents - highest level for 12 months (Stuff website - 30 Sept) - more... Westpac Economist strengthens calls for Home Construction led boom - (NZ Herald - Sept 19) - more.. Residential construction picked to double in coming months - (Stuff website - Sept 04) - more... Building Amendment Act 2009 comes into force - details here Minister of Building and Construction announces formal review of Building Act 2004 - public submissions set for early 2010 - (Dept of Building and Housing website - Aug 27) - more... Minister of Building and Construction announces changes to Licensed Building Practitioners scheme - (Dept of Building and Housing website media release - Aug 27) - more... (pdf - 54kb) Infometrics Economist picks building activity picking up following rise in house prices - (NZ Herald - Aug 11) - more... BRANZ forecasts huge jump in renovations in coming years (Scoop - 5 Aug) - more... Leaky Homes warranty announced in pending shake up to Building Act (NZ Herald - 4 Aug) - more... Building consents show slight rise for June (NZ Herald June 29) - more... ...and builders seeing increase in enquiry levels (NZ Herald July 30) - more... Law change to speed up consent process (Stuff.co.nz) - more... More good news on building from Westpac economist this time (NZ Herald - July 18) - more... Radio NZ reports good news for builders (July 7) - more... ANZ Forecasts shortage of housing in Auckland but not elsewhere - (NZ Herald - July 6) - more... Alternative source of building products (NZ Herald - July 5) - more.. BNZ Economist picks small rise in dwelling consents and house prices (BNZ website - July 2) - more... Department of Building and Housing starter homes winners - build a brand new house for $168,000 (Sunday Star Times - June 21) - more... And more good news for the Building Industry (Sunday Star Times - June 21) - more... More good news for builders as migration into New Zealand picks up (National Radio - June 23) - listen here... Building begins to pick up - turnaround at last? (Stuff.co.nz - May 29) -more... Forecaster picks building work set to increase...Strategic Risk Analysis April newsletter - more... Financial Commentator says best time for building right now (NZ Herald - May 17) -more.... New affordable home designs - winners of the Dept of Building and Housing 'Starter Homes' announced (Stuff.co.nz - April 1) - more... NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development release report calling for Govt investment in improving NZ Housing Stock (Scoop - Dec 2) - more... Association of Building Sustainability Assessors lend weight to upgrading NZ Homes (Scoop - Dec 2) - more... Asthma foundation joins chorus for Govt to invest in improving insulation in NZ Homes (Scoop - Dec 1) - more...