Trends New Zealand Volume 34 No 3 | Page 42

Unlocking your potential Great location, but sub-standard house? Or a sprawling backyard wasted on your lawnmower? If you own a house and section, home expert GJ Gardner offers some valuable advice Above: This aerial view of a typical older, larger site in a sought-after Auckland suburb reveals just how much space is locked up in high- maintenance lawn. To free up your weekends and realise your property’s potential there are several smart options to consider. Housing expert GJ Gardner offers free assessment of your property and outlines the options open to you. search | save | share at Loving your inner city site – close to schools, friends, family and work – but not quite so much your tired existing house? Or, is it that you feel the full potential of your property is not being utilised? If either of these scenarios apply to you there are some strong options to consider. Here, respected national building company GJ Gardner outlines three ways forward – Knock Down Rebuild, Subdivide or Medium Density. Knock Down Rebuild: Often existing homes are cold, damp, or leaky – potentially affecting your or your family’s health. Asthma sufferers in particular be aware. Plus, older homes can lack natural light and good insulation, suffer from poor internal layouts or simply be too small to accommodate a growing family. Knock Down Rebuild is an option that lets you to stay in your local area, while offering the flexibility of a brand new house with modern construction standards – designed and finished exactly the way it best suits you and your family. This freedom of choice often makes more sense than trying to purchase another home at current market value or even undertaking expensive renovations which often struggle to keep within budgets, particularly if they’re for leak repairs.