Description
Build Back Home
Everything you need to plan, price, and ship materials for a 3-bedroom house in Tonga.
You have been saving. You have been sending money. You have been talking about it for years.
Building a house back home.
But every time you try to figure out what it actually costs, you get stuck. How much timber? How many sheets of iron? What fits in a container? What do you buy here and what do you buy there? How much can you save buying second-hand?
Nobody has a straight answer. So you keep guessing. Keep saving. Keep waiting.
This changes that.
What you get
A complete Google Sheets planner that does the maths for you.
Materials List – Every single item you need to build a compact 3-bedroom house in Tonga. Timber, roofing, plumbing, electrical, doors, windows, kitchen, bathroom, paint, hardware. Nothing left out. Over 90 items, all with quantities.
Mitre 10 and Bunnings prices – Both stores, side by side, already filled in. The spreadsheet automatically picks the cheaper option for each item.
Second-hand column – Find the same item on Facebook Marketplace or TradeMe. Type in the price. The spreadsheet shows you exactly how much you save buying recycled instead of new.
Cost comparison totals – See three numbers at the bottom: what it costs buying everything new from Mitre 10, everything new from Bunnings, and everything second-hand. Watch the savings add up as you fill it in.
Container calculator – What fits in a 20ft container. What fits in a 40ft. What to pack first. What NOT to ship (because it is cheaper to buy in Tonga).
Buy Here vs Buy There guide – A clear list of what to ship from NZ and what to buy in Tonga. Colour-coded. No guessing.
Second-hand sources – Where to find recycled building materials in NZ. Facebook Marketplace search terms, TradeMe categories, demolition yards in Auckland, Hamilton, and more.
Floor plan – A simple layout of the 3-bedroom house so you can see what you are building. Open plan kitchen and living, small bathroom, veranda, designed for Tonga.
