After the first briefing with the architect we had some actions to do:
- Order a copy of our title for the LIM (Land Information) report
- Order a LIM report
- Perform a survey of the section to map the altitudes and features
Certificate of title
Although we had been owners of the section since 2010, except for paying our rates we didn’t have any proof anywhere that showed we (or Francis to be exact) were the owners. The title was necessary to be able to order a LIM report. Getting a copy was easily arranged online at the Land Information New Zealand website (LINZ) for NZ $15.
LIM report
We ordered a Land Information Report (LIM) on our section from the Kaipara District Council (NZ $280) which we hadn’t ordered before when we bought the section. It gives you an overview of all the information that is available on your section, what easements or conventions apply, how it is zoned, where stormwater connections are, relevant information from the District Plan and if there is anything special that needs to be taken into account. It took about 2 weeks to receive and didn’t give any real new information that we didn’t know but also no nasty surprises.
Survey
Requesting quotes from different surveyors in the area paid off since the highest quote was double the price of the lowest. The best price however also came with a waiting time of 1,5 -2 months which was a little bit too much for us so we contracted Boundary Hunters from Whangarei who had a decent price and were available within 10 days. When ordering a survey it pays to discuss with the architect what level of detail he needs. Since our site is steep, intervals of 0.2-0.25 m were needed where the surveyor quoted for 0.5m intervals. It was no problem to get this interval but it meant more measurements so more work and a little higher price. In the end we paid NZ $1350,- excl. GST to survey our 2000 m2 section. Having the surveyor on our site was pretty exciting since it was the first sign of action and signaled that we had actually started the process of building our home.
Margriet Geesink