Straight answers for New Zealand home builders.
Costs, consents, granny flats and choosing a designer. Written by the team that has taken 391 projects through 23 councils.
Updated 1 October 2026 · By CAD Consultants Ltd
- How much does it cost to build a house in New Zealand?
2026 New Zealand house build costs per square metre, with worked examples for Canterbury, Queenstown Lakes and a 70 m² granny flat, plus the costs people forget.
- How long does a building consent take in New Zealand?
Councils have 20 working days to process a building consent, but the clock stops for RFIs. For a typical new home allow 13 to 19 weeks from first sketch to consent.
- What changed in the granny flat exemption on 8 October 2026?
What changes to New Zealand's granny flat building consent exemption on 8 October 2026: more building products allowed and easier water, wastewater and stormwater connections.
- Architect or architectural designer: who should design your house?
In New Zealand only registered architects can call themselves architects. Architectural designers who are Licensed Building Practitioners (Design) can design and sign off homes for building consent.