- David Mooyman’s off-grid home in Kūmara Junction sold for $400,000 after a council inspection nearly derailed the sale.
- Mooyman removed features to comply with council rules, marketing it as a shed with solar power.
- The new owner plans to park a mobile home on the section and eventually build another house.
An off-grid home on the West Coast that hit the market earlier this year has found a new owner, but a last-minute council inspection nearly sank the deal.
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Roofer David Mooyman was seeking around $400,000 for his one-bedroom bach in Kūmara Junction, Westland. He had spent more than five years creating the property, telling OneRoof he bartered and begged for almost all of the materials he used in the build – and for much of the labour too.
However, the sale of the 4815sqm property almost collapsed after a council inspector visited the site and issued a notice to fix.
One Agency listing agent Nicole Pamment said it was “a bit of a pickle”. The initial advice from council was that the property was code compliant because at 30sqm, it was classed as a minor dwelling.
The materials used in the off-grid property were sourced from other jobs or given in exchange for labour. Photo / Supplied
The house sits on a 4815sqm section in the bush. Photo / Supplied
Pamment said the property would have complied with council rules if there had been a second dwelling onsite, which there wasn’t.
Mooyman had to remove the fireplace, the lookout tower, and the bed to comply with the council’s rules.
“You are not allowed to sleep in it, not until a second dwelling has been built. You can use it as a mobile home or a second living space,” Pamment told OneRoof.
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Mooyman said it would have cost him tens of thousands of dollars to get the building consented, so he decided to update the marketing for the property to reflect that what he was selling was a shed with solar power, double glazing, full insulation, and a covered deck area.
The listing for the property was updated and it was re-pitched as being ideal for occasional use as a bush base, workshop, or creative retreat.
Buyers were not put off, and Pamment received two offers. “There were lots of twists and turns, but I still had multiple buyers on it,” she said.
The property ended up selling for $400,000, which was $10,000 more than its updated asking price.
“There were lots of learnings in it, and it was still an incredible result even though you can only use it as a shed,” Pamment told OneRoof.
The property attracted a lot of interest from buyers looking for an affordable option. Photo / Supplied
“Again, I think it comes down to what [David] created there. It was a real bit of magic.”
The new owner is from Christchurch. She plans to park her mobile home on the section and live in it before probably building another house on the land.
Pamment said everyone who saw the property fell in love with it. “It was the labour of love the owner had put into it. [David] did such an incredible job. There’s just character oozing out of every inch.”
Mooyman told OneRoof he was very happy with the outcome: “Nicole did a fantastic job.”
He told OneRoof in April that he was stuck in a rut in Christchurch when he came across the section in 2019. He had just enough equity to buy the property for just over $86,000 and lived in a caravan while gathering materials to build it.
“I ended up working a lot out of town, and out of that work, I managed to build my whole house and solar system and everything, including the deck, all through a barter system. No cash was handed over. I created it out of a lack of resources.”
With his property now sold, Mooyman is now eyeing a do-up property in Charlestown.
- Click here to find more properties for sale in West Coast
