Subdivision Covenants Provide Scope to get Creative

Planning a home to meet certain subdivision covenants is one way to get a little more creative with your design, David Reid Homes Wellington/Kapiti director Tim Sunderland says.

Dealing with subdivision covenants and design guidelines over the years, Tim says he has learnt to view them as a challenge.

“The whole idea of the covenants and design guidelines of a subdivision is that they are trying to set a certain style or theme, and it’s not just about trying to meet that lowest possible requirement. Any constraint is an opportunity to be creative,” he says.

During recent years, Tim and his team have designed and built a number of houses in Kapiti’s Ferndale subdivision, which has strong covenants around eco credentials and sustainability.

Among the requirements, homes in the area need to meet certain sustainability and energy efficiency ratings, while also fitting naturally into the landscape around them.

The subdivision also has a push towards natural materials, and therefore won’t accept a house clad entirely of man-made materials .

“It requires you to foster a bit of creativity from a design perspective and it’s about trying to understand the overall ethos of the subdivision and to design something that fits the parameters, but not something that will just scrape by,” Tim says.

Other common subdivision covenants could be around colours, products and materials, building standards, fence height and location, design styles and the type of vegetation planted.

It’s important when selecting a section for a new build to research covenants of different subdivisions, as they can impact the design and price of the home, Tim says.

“You should really know and have a good understanding of what the design guides and covenants mean … most people have an overall budget and they need to know that once the section is purchased, that they can afford to design and build a home that fits with that.”

For help with selecting your section, or advice on certain covenants and what they mean, contact your nearest David Reid Homes Franchise.