Waikato · The Mātene whānau, Te Awamutu
A two-bed family build on a Te Awamutu lifestyle block
55 m² two-bed family unit, lodged as a minor dwelling on a rural-zoned 5 ha block. Built for a couple with a young child; second bedroom doubles as a long-stay grandparents' room.
The story
The Mātenes wanted multi-generational living without sharing a kitchen. Their 5 ha lifestyle block had room for a minor dwelling under Waipā District Council's rural-zoned rules — anything up to 65 m² without a subdivision.
The build came in at 55 m², two bedrooms, single bathroom, full kitchen, separate laundry. Coloursteel cladding, R5.0 ceiling, heat-pump space heating zoned for the two ends. The build itself ran twenty-four weeks on site; the consent process ran twelve weeks beforehand.
Once it was finished, the build was lifted off the trailers, set on engineered piles, and connected to the principal dwelling's bore and septic. They started a flexible long-term-rental option on Airbnb to cover the cost when nobody's visiting; the first booking covered the principal/interest payment for a month.
Scope notes
- Full building consent under Waipā DC rural minor-dwelling rules
- Engineered concrete pile foundations
- PGDB plumbing tied to existing bore & septic
- Coloursteel Permanent Magnetite cladding
- Two bedrooms + bathroom + laundry + open-plan kitchen-living
- Heat-pump space heating (zoned)
- Code of Compliance Certificate issued
Spec
- Internal floor area: 45.4 m² (built to 55 m² with covered entry)
- External envelope: 10,800 × 4,200 mm
- Foundation: engineered concrete piles
- Heat-pump hot water (200L)
- Heat-pump space heating (Daikin), zoned
Consent path
Waipā DC building consent for minor dwelling, twelve weeks.