- David Mooyman built an off-grid home in Kūmara Junction using bartered materials and labour.
- The property, surrounded by native trees, features a solar system and recycled materials.
- Listed for over $399,000, the one-bedroom home has generated significant interest from potential buyers.
The owner of an off-grid home on the West Coast bartered and begged for almost all of the materials he used in the build - and for much of the labour too.
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David Mooyman told OneRoof he was stuck in a rut in Christchurch when he came across a 4815sqm section for sale in Kūmara Junction, Westland, in 2019. A friend had recently bought land in the former gold-mining town, and he thought a similar move would do him good.
“I had a house in New Brighton for 13 years and got nowhere with the mortgage,” he said. “I was 43 and I needed a hip replacement. As a roofer in Christchurch working in pain, I thought, ‘enough of the banks, enough of the insurance’, so I made a plan.”
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
Mooyman had just enough equity to buy 4 Jackson Place for just over $86,000. “I lived in a caravan for two years with no electricity or solar, nothing. 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.”
Mooyman made a deal with a steel frame company in Timaru to offer roofing services. In return, the company came over to Kūmara and erected a steel frame at no cost.
“I also bartered for the solar system,” he said. “I did a job for a Canadian engineer who lives in Lumsden, Southland. He was quoted a huge amount to get his rear roof done. So I worked out a deal with him and did his roof [in exchange] for a full power system. It’s fully off-grid. I’ve got 24-volt, eight lithium batteries, and it has 14 panels. It’s an absolute kick-a*** system,” he said.
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“The whole deck I got from a good friend in Charleston. I exchanged my labour for materials on his account.”
Some of the materials were recycled or repurposed from other work Mooyman had done, with the kitchen cabinetry sourced from a roofing job. “We did the demolition and improvements, and I got the timber from it. All the red iron in the interior is from a re-roof of a café in Hokitika.” There is insulation between the repurposed red iron and the exterior cladding.
Mooyman spent the Covid lockdowns at the property and did significant stone work during that time. He excavated and washed the stones himself. “They came out of the earth and were full of grit, so I hand-washed every one of those rocks.”
The property has attracted a lot of interest from buyers looking for an affordable option. Photo / Supplied
A unique tree hut was built from materials from another demolition job Mooyman had worked on. There is also a utility shed with a flushing toilet connected to a long drop, and a camp shower. The container on-site that comes with the property was going to become a second bedroom, but that project didn’t happen.
The home is surrounded by native trees, which would appeal to many buyers, Mooyman said. “I love how the sun moves through the trees. To me, that’s bliss. They’re all native trees. Rimu, kahikatea, and various others.”
The property is for sale because Mooyman is moving for work. “But I also want another project and maybe a bigger, more rural piece of land and really get out in the bush as opposed to a subdivision in the bush,” he said.
The one-bedroom property, which has an RV of $320,000, is listed for sale with One Agency’s Nicole Pamment, with buyer enquiry invited over $399,000.
Pamment told OneRoof that the initial response to the listing has been huge. “I’m getting strong enquiries every day. We had a couple of people drive from Christchurch just to view it and head home again,” she said.
“We are seeing quite a lot of people coming to the West Coast, and I think it’s just because the housing is much more affordable.”
- 4 Jackson Place, Kumara Junction, Westland, is seeking buyer enquiry over $399,000
