Sanctus Builders does home renovations and extensions in Waltham from a base on Opawa Road, so most Waltham jobs are close to our door. Whether it is a kitchen, a bathroom, a reworked floor plan or an extra room on the back of the house, Felipe walks the property with you, gives a straight price for what the work needs, and stays on the job until it is handed over.
We work from 53a Opawa Road, so a quote visit in Waltham does not mean a trip across the city. Felipe comes to the house, looks at what is actually there and talks through what you want before any price is given. Homeowners in neighbouring Opawa, Sydenham, Linwood and Woolston get the same visit, the same straight answer and the same builder on the tools.
Character home detail, Christchurch.
Renovating an existing house raises a few questions before any work starts. These three come from MBIE's Know your rights booklet for consumers.
Work that involves or affects the primary structure, such as walls, foundations, floors and roofs, or the weathertightness of the outside of the building, is restricted building work. It must be done or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner.
Any work on an insured home that involves the structure or weathertightness should be notified to your insurer.
Any change to the building work listed in your contract is a contract variation and needs to be put in writing, so check the price and timeline effect of each one.
On any extension, the section shapes the job as much as the design does: how close the new walls can sit to a boundary under the District Plan, where materials get delivered, and where a skip can stand without blocking the street. We work through those questions at the walkthrough, and we check whether the job needs council consent before quoting, so the timeline you are given already includes it.
Recent renovation work in Christchurch homes, from kitchens to built-in storage. Sanctus Builders is based in Waltham and works across the surrounding suburbs. The full portfolio has more.
Want the wider picture first? Head back to the Sanctus Builders homepage. If it is a repair rather than a renovation, see our repairs and maintenance work.
The process is the same in Waltham as anywhere else: a walkthrough, a structural check, a fixed price, a staged build and a final walkthrough before sign-off. The full breakdown is on our renovations and extensions page.
What a renovation costs depends on the size of the space, whether consent is needed, the condition of the existing structure and the finish level. Those factors are explained on the same page, and every quote is free once Felipe has seen the job.
Sanctus Builders holds a five out of five rating across Google and Builders Crack. Here is what some of those customers had to say.
"Friendly, great communication and great tidy work"
"Great price. Fantastic professional service! Felipe was super efficient and I was impressed with his knowledge and quality of workmanship. I will definitely keep him on my list for future jobs! Thank you Felipe, and your wonderful assistant!"
"Reasonable price. Amazingly quick response to request for a builder. A great skilled worker with ability to bring in helpers as required. Nothing appeared to be too difficult, from laying paving to assembling a large kitset workshop shed, in a fast and efficient manner. Would definitely contact for future work."
"Felipe is an amazing guy, super friendly, helpful, flexible and hardworking. We've loved having him in our house doing renovations. The work looks good and he did exactly what we wanted. Would definitely recommend. We'll be getting him back to do more."
"Tough job completed to a high standard and on time. Would definitely use again."
Sanctus Builders is based on Opawa Road in Waltham and takes on home renovations and extensions in the suburbs listed here, from Opawa, Sydenham and Linwood to Cashmere, Sumner and Papanui. The quote visit, the consent check and the written price work the same way wherever the house is.
The rules below apply to any home renovation or extension in Waltham and the rest of Christchurch. The council referred to below is Christchurch City Council.
It depends on the work. MBIE lists structural building work, including additions, alterations and re-piling, as work that needs a consent, and advises checking with your local council to confirm. Low-risk work is exempt under Schedule 1 of the Building Act 2004. The owner is responsible for deciding whether work is exempt and for making sure exempt work complies with the Building Code. You can still apply for a consent for exempt work, and the council must process the application. MBIE's guide on how to check if you need consents is a good place to begin.
No. A building consent is granted under the Building Act 2004 when the council is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the Building Code would be met if the work were properly completed to the plans and specifications. A resource consent is a separate consent under the Resource Management Act 1991, and district or regional plans can require one. The Christchurch District Plan has rules such as boundary setbacks, height, site coverage and recession planes, and the council notes that a job can need a resource consent as well as a building consent. For the rules that apply to your property, contact the council's Duty Planner.
Under section 48 of the Building Act 2004, a building consent authority must grant or refuse an application within 20 working days after receiving it. If it asks for further reasonable information within that period, the 20 working days are suspended until it receives the information. Unless the work is exempt, building work must not be carried out without a building consent (section 40).
Under section 14B of the Building Act 2004, the owner is responsible for obtaining any necessary consents, approvals and certificates. A written residential building contract priced at $30,000 or more including GST must state which party is responsible for obtaining the building consents. At the quote stage, ask who is lodging the application and whether that is included in the price. A building consent lapses if the work does not start within 12 months after it is issued, or within any further period the council allows (section 52).
Under section 49, the council must grant a building consent if it is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the Building Code would be met if the work were properly completed in accordance with the plans and specifications. Under section 90, every consent is subject to the condition that the council's authorised agents may inspect the building work during normal working hours or while it is being done. Once all the consented work is finished, the owner applies for a code compliance certificate, and the council must decide whether to issue it within 20 working days after the application is made, unless the owner and council agree a longer period (sections 92 and 93). Christchurch City Council notes that a missing code compliance certificate can prevent a bank releasing a final builder payment, can increase the cost of insurance cover and can make a house harder to sell.
If a building consent was required but not obtained, the owner can apply for a certificate of acceptance (Building Act 2004, section 96). The council can issue one only if it is satisfied, on reasonable grounds and as far as it could ascertain, that the work complies with the Building Code. Christchurch City Council says only work done after 1 July 1992 that required a consent can be considered. The application needs evidence of compliance, normally a report from a suitably qualified person, and the council carries out an inspection. The council describes certificates of acceptance as usually significantly more expensive than the equivalent building consent. The certificate can be qualified where parts of the work could not be inspected, or the application can be refused, and a land information memorandum will show the application and the decision. See the council's page on the certificate of acceptance.
Tell us what needs doing at your Waltham home and we will come back with a straight price and a start date. Call, message, or fill out the form below.
Tell us what needs doing and we'll get back to you with a straight answer.
