Reality Check: Designing your beach house

This beach property at Matiatia on Waiheke Island has been designed to make the most of its view across the ferry channel.

Ahhh, the Kiwi summer fantasy - a bach at the beach, children running barefoot from dawn to dusk, evenings grilling the day's fresh catch with an ale or two, falling asleep to the sound of the waves. With existing beach or lakeside properties selling for more and more eye-watering prices, the bach dream for many New Zealanders these days is likely to involve building from scratch.

Whether you're planning an urban mansion-by-the-sea or a barefoot fibro cottage, make sure you check things out before signing for your piece of land.

Check your council zoning

Most councils have very specific building and planning regulations for beachside properties which can differ even from one side of the street to the other. Design restrictions include set backs from the beach or side boundaries, site coverage, height, even the materials you may use. Check also what public access rights exist down to high tide mark and which trees are protected.

Know your building platform

Because waterfront is so special to every New Zealander, not just the land owners, you may find certain local authorities are very specific about how much buildings can impose on the natural landscape. Check whether there any specific covenants on land use, such as preserving existing bush or streams. Before you brief your architect or builder, be very clear just how much of your land is buildable, as dispensations and resource consents are increasingly costly and time consuming to obtain.

How connected are you?

Architect Andre Hodgskin, who designed the Bachkit bach which can be altered on site to suit your requirements, recommends checking how easily the property can be connected to town water supply, electricity and sewage. You may need to cost the alternative of solar power generation, eco-friendly septic and water tanks. And if landline phones are not nearby, how reliable is your mobile phone reception, or are you happy to remain completely unconnected?

Geo-technical reports

Beachside or clifftop land needs special engineering for foundations if your house is not going to sink or slip away. Be sure that you include a geo-technical report as a condition of sale. Also include assessments of likely wind zones (high wind will affect the kind of bracing and windows you can use, for example) and the stability of sand-dunes or breakwaters.

Work with your lifestyle

Spend some time on your new beach site before you finalise your building plans. Camping for a few weekends, visiting in the winter or on a stormy day will give you insights into how best to site the house to enjoy the sun and views year round. Observe how the wind changes during the day - will you need to create a more sheltered outdoor living space for windy days? Hodgskin feels strongly that beach houses need to be different from urban ones - more informal (no front door, for example), flexible enough for two people but expandable for 10, and with more room to store outdoor furniture and toys when you are away.

Think ahead

Think how you might use your beach house over the next 10 or 20 years. If this will be your retirement home, plan for reduced mobility or add self-contained quarters for a caregiver. Expect invasions of teenagers or grown kids with grandchildren? Plan a flexible garage that converts to summer dormitories, extra showers and more loos. If you would like your bach to earn money as a renter, build in plenty of lockable storage for your gear. Consider how you can secure the building for the off-season or winter storms, perhaps using sliding shutters.

Now, how will it look?

Once the practicalities are finalised, think about how you'd like your bach to look. Do you want custom-made or can you select from a variety of stylish re-locatable houses and kits? Hodgskin suggests you focus on easy-care finishes, no exterior maintenance, and a more innovative use of lower cost materials. Remember that a remote beach site incurs extra transport for materials and has less available skilled labour, so building costs may be more than in town.

Have fun designing your holiday bach as a complete contrast to your hard working urban house - make it a true getaway.