Lifestyle Blocks
Rural sites up to 10 acres (4 Hectares)
Purchasing a lifestyle block is a big investment, in capital, ongoing development and also your time. Our broad-scale lifestyle block plans helps you avoid the pitfalls, develop your property infrastructure with big picture thinking and explore sustainable approaches to a larger piece of land, for a more productive, beautiful and easy lifestyle block of your dreams.
We offer expert input if you are planning to regenerate the land, grow food (for your table or market), restore watersheds, incorporate regenerative grazed animals or undertake ecological plantings. Both our ecological landscape designers have successfully developed permaculture lifestyle blocks. Choose between our different options to suit the level of detail you want, how many options you wish to consider – and of course, your budget.
If you are in the process of looking for land, check out our pre-purchase land appraisals in the tabs below.
Property Press Articles: Planning Your Lifestyle Block & Choosing Your Dream Property
Design
Concept Design $4995 + Developed Design $4995
The basic lifestyle block plan is suited to those who would either like a bit of direction, are budget conscious or may desire to move quickly. You also need to be good at making and keeping to decisions. Once you are ready to go ahead, your ecological landscape designer will meet with you and further define your brief, often they will do a basic site assessment at this time also. A single sketch concept will then be generated, usually hand drawn for expediency and to keep cost as small as possible for you.
You can then choose to have the design developed into one Master Plan. The plan is juicy and imparts key information, such as location of infrastructure (house, shed, water tanks etc), access and plantings (shelter, specimen trees, food forest or orchard, veggie beds etc). Fruit and nuts are described by type ie Apple, but you will need to make your own selection of varieties. We will provide you with a range of Greenbridge Regenerative Info sheets relevant to your project. The basic broad-scale plan is not about pretty pictures or perfection but rather getting important information down on paper for you, so you can move forward with DYI confidence.
We also offer this service remotely (see tab below)
Prices exclude: GST / Travel / Out of Region Charge
Concept Design $7995 + Developed Design $7995
The sustainable lifestyle block design is a mid-level service and step up from the basic design. Its great for people who want to consider their options and would like a bit more input and guidance from their designer. We spend more time assessing the site, including a separate base plan and sector analysis which shows the influences on your site and forms the basis of your design. There is more time spent researching and on idea generation, providing you with two concepts, so you can compare possibilities.
At the developed design end, we take your feedback, knit your ideas together, and you are presented with a final Master Layout Plan and or Planting Plan, specific to your needs. This plan includes additional detailing; fruit and nuts are specified by variety ie Apple Liberty on MM106 rootstock. You are provided with written Strategies and Recommendations specific to your site and vision, which covers how to implement your broard-scale Lifestyle Block design. There is also a complimentary one hour of mentoring included in this service.
Prices exclude: GST / Travel / Out of Region Charge
Concept Design $9995 + Developed Design $9995
The regenerative lifestyle block design is a high-end service suited to people who want to ensure they choose the best solution for themselves and their site, require more detail and would like to be led through the process. You receive the same as the sustainable service plus more time is allocated for discussion, research, meetings and ideation so that we can be thorough in the process. Three concepts are usually generated, so you can confidently know that a range of possibilities have been explored (this maybe important with a larger or difficult site or developing degraded pasture from scratch or where development options are open). A comprehensive site assessment is undertaken and we also include a solar map and written pros and cons of each concept.
At the developed design end, we take your feedback and knit your preferred ideas together to create a Preliminary Plan where there is opportunity for you and your ecological landscape designer to undertake any final tweaks. You are then presented with a final Regenerative Layout Plan and a separate Planting Plan and Specification(s), where details unique to your project such as water systems or 3-D drawings are applicable.
Key detailed information is included around infrastructure, shelter design, access, food production areas, suitable fruit and nut trees matched to the correct site, animal integration and approaches for healing the landscape. More in-depth written Strategies and Recommendations are provided to guide implementation (which we can help you with if desired). There is also two hours of complimentary mentoring included in this service.www.greenbridge.co.nz/contact-us/
Prices exclude: GST / Travel / Out of Region Charge
Other Services
Walk & Talk + Written Report. $495-895
This is an advisory service for those who do not require a full lifestyle block design. You may have an existing block that needs tweaking, trouble-shooting and or are after planting or general advice to head you in the right direction.
We come to your site and spend around an hour and a half with you, discuss your project, look at the site conditions and then come up with options and ideas that you can DIY yourself. This approach is sometimes all that’s needed to feel reassured by experts, that you are on the right path (or steer you clear of pitfalls). You then have the option for us to go away and write up a report for you (highly recommended), which captures these ideas, provides links, nurseries and references applicable to your lifestyle block project.
We also offer this service remotely (see next tab)
Prices exclude: GST / Travel / Out of Region Charg4
Chosen Design Service + Out of Region Charge $695-995
Across the motu (Aotearoa / New Zealand), from Northland to Stewart Island, Hokitika to the East coast, we offer out of region services, where travel is prohibitive due to cost or accessibility by electric vehicle. For remote advisory or design services we recommend having an initial chat via phone or video call, to discuss your project with us and ensure the best fit or you and your vision. Costs are usually the above design fee (for which ever level of service you choose), plus an out of region charge to cover additional prep and research.
This service is great for the ‘Walk and Talk’ advisory service and the ‘Basic Lifestyle Block’ design. The Sustainable and Regenerative levels of services are also possible depending on the site, your needs and your designer.
Once you’re ready to move forward, you’ll have some prep to do, such as taking site photos and answering some preliminary questions. For larger or complex projects a drone flyover is often helpful, for up to date aerial photos and contour information. Either Bena or Kama (our two ecological designers) will set up a video meeting, take a project brief and if possible, do a remote walk around with you to look at the site conditions (we’ll even get you to dig a whole or two so we can do a visual soil assessment together!). Payment of a 50% deposit will book you into our schedule and allow us to make a start on your project.
Prices exclude: GST / Travel. Note: An out of region charge is not a travel charge, where we physically visit site.
$595 – $895 Pre-Purchase Appraisal (+ take away notes or written report). Buying land is a big investment, how do you know the right one? Pre-Purchase Appraisals outline the potential and pitfalls of a property before you buy. We help you consider the site holistically and ensure it matches your vision. Greenbridge provides expert, independent advice to help you make the best decision.
$1,995 – $3,995 For-Sale Appraisal. Has your property been on the market for awhile? Are you looking for good kiatiaki of the property? Or are you wanting the best sale price? Many buyers struggle to visualise the potential development of a site. For-Sale Appraisals provide a powerful marketing tool, that outlines the regenerative and creative vision of your property to potential buyers, often resulting in a multi-buyer situation.
$ POA Crop Research Appraisal. Are you considering a cottatge food industry or income from your land? A Crop-Research Appraisal outlines what your property can grow and the income generation potential. The appraisal includes a summary of site conditions and where data is available may include sunshine and chilling hours, ground moisture conditions, visual soil assessment and water resources onsite. This information is used to narrow down the list of potential crops, consider added value and path to market. Details about likely income (per ha) is included where information is available.
Prices exclude: GST / Travel / Out of Region Charge
Installing Your Lifestyle Block Design
Are you are looking for your whole project to be taken care of?
Great design is not something that stops on paper. A large part of the value Greenbridge brings to your project is in this instal phase; by engaging us to project manage your install, the continuity of your projects intent is maintained, we get the best results and effectively manage costs.
Greenbridge specialises in installing lifestyle block plantings, food-scapes, and regenerative animal infrastructure, which require specific knowledge and care. We have installed landscapes from coastal environments to the mountain’s ring plane, so we know what plants and materials do best. We have become experts at pulling together the best team of contractors, products and suppliers needed to implement your unique lifestyle block. From shelter-belts, living fences and controlled graze plantings, fire-woodlots and high-value forestry to raised veggie beds, hot houses, chook coops, orchards and food forests, decks and fencing; we can show you your options around non-toxic and low carbon footprint materials. We also know the best nurseries to source plants specific to your project needs.
Have a chat to us about our install process and costs – we’d love to help your regenerative vision come to fruition!
Book a free one
hour meeting
Let’s talk about your sustainability goals and how we can help.
