Connect New Builds
New homes and baches, built by people who live here.
New builds on the Coromandel — places to live in and places to escape to — by a crew that's still here in July. We know which cladding survives the salt, which sites flood, and how to get trades onto a Pāuanui job in January.
Roughly what it costs
$3,500 – $5,500 a square metre, finished
So a 120 m² three-bedroom house lands between $420,000 and $660,000 for the building. Land, site works, services, decks and landscaping are separate. Coastal sites cost more — that's the sea spray zone, the wind zone and the ground, not us.
Most of the cost overruns here are distance
A lot of building on this peninsula gets done by Auckland or Hamilton firms who price the drive in, then price it in again when something goes wrong. We're in Whangamatā. When the cladding turns up wrong we're on site that morning, not next Tuesday, and our subcontractors are people we see at the shops.
A new dwelling needs a full building consent
No exemptions here, and we wouldn't pretend otherwise. What that means in practice:
- Resource consent first if your site or zone needs it — coastal, flood-prone and some rural sites usually do
- Full building consent, with plans, specifications and engineering
- Inspections at every stage through the build
- Code Compliance Certificate at the end — the thing that makes it legally habitable and sellable
- Restricted building work carried out or supervised by an LBP, with Records of Work filed
Coromandel coastal sites bring extras: sea spray zone cladding and fixings, a higher wind zone, and sometimes a geotech report. We build those into the quote rather than discovering them in month four. If what you want is under 70 m² and standalone, read the granny flats page first — that one skips the building consent entirely.
What's in it
- Site assessment, including the coastal and flood overlays
- Working with your architect or designer, or bringing ours in
- Resource and building consent applications, lodged and followed up
- Engineered foundations for the ground you've actually got
- Full build with our own carpentry crew
- Local subcontractors we've used for years — not whoever was cheapest that week
- Sea spray zone cladding, fixings and joinery where the site needs it
- Decks, steps and outdoor areas, because that's half of why you're here
- Code Compliance Certificate and handover
How it goes
- 1
Feasibility
Before plans, before money. What the zone allows, what the overlays say, what the ground will cost you, and whether the budget and the brief are in the same postcode.
- 2
Design and consent
Your designer or ours. We price it as the drawings develop so there are no surprises when the consent lands.
- 3
Fixed price
A full quote against the consented plans, with the allowances named rather than hidden.
- 4
Build
Our crew on site, weekly photos and a plain-English update so you know where it's at from wherever you live.
- 5
CCC and keys
Final inspections, Code Compliance Certificate, and a walk-through where we show you how everything works.
Questions people ask
Can you build while we're not there?
That's most of our work — a lot of what we build belongs to people living in Auckland or Hamilton. You get weekly photos and an update, and you only come over for the decisions that genuinely need you on site.
How long does a new build take?
Roughly 12 to 18 months all up — consents take a few months, the build nine to twelve. Coastal sites and resource consents stretch the front end.
Will you work with our architect?
Yes, and we'd rather be in early. Pricing a design once it's fully drawn and consented is how people find out they're $150,000 over.
Is a holiday place different from a house to live in?
Structurally no — same consent, same code. What changes is how it's used: a place that sits empty half the year wants different security, heating and drainage decisions, and we'll walk you through those.
What about looking after it afterwards?
That's Connect Bach Care — open-ups before Christmas, close-downs for winter, storm checks while it sits empty. Most of the holiday places we build end up on it.
Do you do renovations and extensions too?
Yes. An old place on a good site is often a better buy than a new build, and we'll tell you honestly which one yours is.
Also from Connect Build
Smaller job, or want a few prices rather than ours? Post it on Connect and vetted local tradies will quote it. Or email admin@connectcoromandel.co.nz.