About 120 years ago,

a pioneering local family built a tiny cottage. Fifteen years ago, I copied its dimensions, scaled them up, and built a slightly larger version on my Waikato block.

When I say I built my house, people often think that means I paid someone to build a new house for me.

But as the terrifically poor plastering on the walls around me proves, it was mostly Dad and I who painstakingly built it by hand with help from an electric saw, a friend’s spare nail gun, mum’s unwavering support (and lunches), and some very generous family members.

On either side of my house are two 9.99m² sheds, which have somehow filled up with stuff, despite my best intentions. Under the old building rules, depending on a few criteria, it was legal to build a shed under 10m² without the need for a permit.

Ten square metres is quite a limiting space, not big enough for anything really. The first shed was designed to hold my original ride-on mower, which died about a week before we finished. The new mower is twice as wide and doesn’t fit inside.

My dream shed would be about 30m². Plenty of room for the ride-on, a little workshop, firewood, storage – neatly organised! – and my motorbike. No room for the car, but I’m confident mower, motorbike, firewood, and Marie Kondo fans will agree with my priorities.

That’s why the new rules (see page 26) that allow you to build a shed up to 30m² without a permit are very exciting if you’re in a DIY mood these holidays.

Thank you from all of us at NZ Lifestyle Block for your support during this strange, strange year, and I hope you have a happy, healthy summer.