Outdoor Reno: Entertaining Areas

Why You Should Hire A Builder For Large Decks And Outdoor Entertaining Areas

Covid-19 has had many impacts but one of the biggest has been the effect on overseas travel. People who had plans to holiday or visit family abroad now have spare cash. Some of those people are looking at other ways they can spend their money and home renovations is at the top of the lists for many homeowners. Let’s look at what types of renovations and why people are looking at them.

More Time At Home

Working

Many families are spending more time at home. For some it is as a result of Working From Home (WFH) and for others, they don’t want to travel. Many people are concerned about contracting the virus and have decided it is safer to stay at home.

Holidays

Other people have decided on a staycation rather than travelling around New Zealand this year, but still want to enjoy the summer. The school summer holidays also mean people are at home for longer periods than usual.

Covid Restrictions Suspended For Now

While lockdowns and restrictions on numbers at events and gatherings have been rescinded for now, many people want to meet friends and family or have parties with their workmates.

The Festive Season

The Christmas holiday season and New Year are times when family and friends come together to celebrate and enjoy each other’s company. This year many more people will be staying home than before.

These are some of the reasons why people are spending more time at home, and also why people are looking for options to take pressure off home life, by creating more space for everyone to spread out in. A major opportunity to get out of each other’s pockets, is renovating or additions to their home.

Why Renovate?

Space

A common reason people renovate their home is because of a lack of space. Growing families use more space but in these times with the impacts of Covid, people are staying at home more which increases the space limitations. Older homes often have poor and inefficient layouts so a renovation is a good way to increase the useable space in a home.

Value

A good quality renovation will add value to a home. If it is a good quality, well-designed renovation, the increase in value is likely to be considerably greater than the cost of the renovation itself.

Housing market

The current housing market is very hot with the stock of properties in the Auckland housing market down 7% from the previous year. Properties that do come on the market are snapped up, often at much higher prices than expected, making it difficult for buyers to find properties. Those looking for extra space are finding that renovations are an easier option than looking to move.

Low Interest Rates

With record low rates for mortgages, now is a great time to invest in renovations and additions to your home. The finance costs for renovations have never been so low which means people can afford to have that dream renovation they have wanted.

What Renovations Or Additions Are Popular?

Common renovation projects include bathrooms, kitchens and living spaces. However, increasingly popular are renovations or additions that include the outdoor aspects of a property. With the arrival of summer, people think about large decks or dedicated outdoor entertainment areas. These coincide with the acceptance that people are spending more time at home than previously. So if you are going to be at home more, then make it a more enjoyable and luxurious experience.

This also coincides with the government’s relaxation in building consent requirements for certain types of building project.

Ground-floor awnings, verandas and porches can now be built up to 30sqm without building consent as long as they meet a few simple requirements. This will save a lot of time and cost for people wanting to make changes to or add new outdoor entertaining areas. Naturally, these have risen in popularity.

Requirements For Decks and Outdoor Entertainment Areas

The key requirements for the new 30sqm outdoor entertainment areas is the use of qualified service providers. These are a Chartered Professional Engineer to either draw up or review the design and hiring a Licensed Building Practitioner to carry out the installation.

At Cain Built, we are long-standing Licensed Building Practitioners as well as members of both Master Builders and NZ Certified Builders. This means our work is sure to meet high standards required to maintain our certifications. We also offer guaranteed workmanship meaning you have extensive liability cover for up to ten years.

Our Experience Building Decks

We have worked on many outdoor projects so we can advise you on the feasibility of your deck or outdoor entertainment project. This can include a ball-park costing subject to final drawings. This means you can make an assessment of the value you will gain before entering into an expensive design and drawing phase. Of course, it is not uncommon that you will need to have the design reviewed by an approved engineer as outlined above, but at least you will have a reasonable idea of the affordability of your aspirations.

Summary

If you are feeling the home-bound pressures and are thinking about expanding or renewing your decking, we can certainly help. Our years of experience can help you with the initial project assessment, give you some design pointers, and of course, building your new deck for you. Our ten-year warranty and extensive insurance coverage, will give you comfort knowing your fantastic new deck is fully guaranteed.

If you are thinking about a new deck or an outdoor entertainment area, please call us on 0800 224 628 or if you prefer, you can email us at enquiries@cainbuilt.co.nz.