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Farmhouses that don't need planning consent


There are many financial benefits to having an additional home on your farm. From offering short-term accommodation for holiday-makers to attracting the best staff available while reducing your monthly outgoings there are dozens of reasons to look into adding a property to your farm. The main benefit to investing in your farm is that in return, the value of your farm is going to increase over time. It is no secret that by investing in a high-quality and well-insulated farm accommodation for workers, you will help attract and keep good staff while potentially increasing the capital value of the farm itself. 

If you have been contemplating whether or not to invest in your farm accommodation then the wait has been worth its while. Now has never been a better time to add an additional property on your farm, or replace a run-down older house as a number of new building consent exemptions will be added to the Building Act in August 2020, increasing the amount of low-risk building work that can take place without a building consent.

According to building.govt.nz the new exemptions to building consents will save building owners time and money, by not having to go to their local council for consent for common, low-risk building work. This reduction in building consents will also allow Councils to focus on assessing building work that is higher-risk, helping to boost productivity.

So what does this mean for prefab homes, and more importantly prefab homes used as farm housing? The summary of the new exemptions states that single-storey detached buildings with a maximum floor area of 30 square metres where a manufacturer or supplier has had the design carried out or reviewed by a chartered professionals engineer can be constructed without a consent. Here at Genius Homes, there are a couple of units that fit the new consent exemption criteria perfectly, making it easier for you to get small homes on your farm for less. Check these designs out for yourself!

Farm accomodation

Horizon - Compact 1 Bedroom

The Horizon is a compact 1 bedroom unit with bathroom, toilet and kitchen. Its tidy and open floorplan is the perfect option for either a single farmworker or farmworker with a partner looking for a place to relax and unwind. The kitchen, living and bedroom areas are all in one open-plan space which opens up onto a deck offering nice indoor-outdoor flow. The Horizon is quick to build and is delivered directly to site with minimal disruption - perfect for the busy farm.

Its floorplan size sits at 24.95 sqm which is well within the consent exemption guideline and perfect for a low cost, low-stress building option. 

The simple yet practical Horizon design is also low maintenance and easy to manage, resulting in less time cleaning, fixing and furnishing and more days available for it to generate extra revenue. This home is fully insulated and is compliant with the Healthy Homes standards, meaning one less thing to worry about if offering it as staff accommodation. A warm home is a safe home, and at Genius Homes, care is taken that our homes are made for the Southern climate. 

Discover the Horizon

Houses for farm workers

Kiwi - Self-Contained 1 Bedroom

The Kiwi is a self-contained 1 bedroom unit with bathroom, toilet, kitchen and a considered layout and striking design. The main access to the unit is from the deck and brings visitors into the kitchen, living, and dining area, which has a good amount of space to relax after a long hard day at work. Here the bedroom is separate to the living space and has an ensuite for ultimate practicality giving this a more homely feel. The built-in storage cupboard makes it easy for the Kiwi to feel like home, without using more space than required.

The Kiwi design offers a more striking modern design than some, which has a great external appearance, sure to impress any worker or visitor. The Kiwi’s floorplan size sits at 29.64sqm which just sneaks within the consent exemption guideline and makes it one of the largest exemption-compliant designs on the market in the South Island. 

As far as small accommodation units go if you’re looking at designs that are building consent exempt whilst still being modern, warm and built to last a lifetime you can’t look beyond these two designs. So why not tap into the many benefits of small onsite accommodation and invest in a property that’s built ‘South Island strong’ by chatting to a member of the team today. Enquire about a no-obligation chat with our specialists.

If these options are too small for your farm accommodation needs, we have a range of additional options that are larger in size and vary from 2 bedrooms all the way up to 5 bedroom homes! Use our online dream home finder to discover the perfect design for you. 

Genius Homes also offer site visits anywhere in the South Island of New Zealand to advise the best options for their section and needs. We also offer full project management so you can focus on running your farm and let us take care of the rest.

Or, if you’re interested in checking out our focused range of designs perfectly suited to life on the farm then you can download our Farm House accommodation brochure to discover a range perfect for when the work is tough and remote. 

Download the Farm Homes Brochure

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