Bunnings offers flat-pack homes
Bunnings is selling flat-pack houses – but only in New Zealand at this stage.
The range of five modular dwellings are priced from $A75,000 for a two bedroom with an internal area of about 60 square metres.
The most expensive – one of the four bedroom designs – costs $A123,000; its internal area is about 106 sqm.
Builder Simon Hinds told stuff.co.nz that half the flat-pack homes he has created sold to Bunnings for its Clever Living Co brand.
He added that by last Friday afternoon, when availability of the product started receiving widespread media coverage, 100 requests were received in hours.
Thirty two people are now on a waiting list.
A design called The Angus, measuring 100 sqm, is the best seller, Mr Hinds said. Another dwelling spreads c83 sqm.
The homes are delivered by a series of trucks.
Seven to nine weeks to construct
Richard Trent, of Trent Building Solutions in Christchurch, markets the flat-pack homes on New Zealand’s South Island (story continues below).
The businessman told stuff.co.nz that the smaller residences take about seven weeks to construct and nine weeks “to be up and running”.
“If we get a large influx of orders, that might change because we like to work on one at a time,” he added.
The sale prices don’t include GST (which is 15 per cent in New Zealand), earthworks, planning costs, landscaping or connections to services such as power, sewerage and water.
One customer, quoted in this item, said that factoring planning and connection costs, he outlaid NZ$200,000 ($A190,000) on a 101 sqm dwelling, ex-land.
The fibro-cement homes use a steel frame with double glazed windows and offer a pitched roof.
Depending on the climate and orientation, the builder said a 7-star energy rating could be achieved.
Buyers can upscale features with timber floors, bi-fold doors and contemporary external building materials.
Bunnings will inspect prospective building blocks prior to selling the flat-packs. It can also draft up a customer-specific design and has a showroom to display products.
