Kirsty Wraight, left, and David Wraight started building the smaller 104sqm homes in September because of a lack of available land in Marlborough.

With available land in Marlborough in short supply, builder David Wraight decided to downsize.

But now his ready-made homes, built in a warehouse near Renwick, are too small for the few places new homes are going up - subdivisions.

Wraight is finding out the hard way that covenants are often set in stone.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF David Wraight's larger villa-style homes are not allowed in many subdivisions because of the style.

Wraight tried to get his 104-square metre transportable homes into the Marlborough District Council-owned Boulevard Park on Taylor subdivision when it was first being built, but said he was denied because of the style.

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One of the covenants at Boulevard Park on Taylor did not allow homes to have decorative historical windows and door frames.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF A standard home in the Boulevard Park on Taylor subdivision.

David Wraight started building the 104sqm homes from a warehouse near Renwick in September after years spent creating larger villa-style homes.

After struggling to sell his villa-style homes due to a lack of available land in the region, he decided to build smaller homes that could be transported to a particular site.

Wraight also contacted the developers at Omaka Landing, on New Renwick Rd, to see if his homes would be allowed there.

SUPPLIED Decorative historical windows and door frames are not allowed in the Boulevard Park on Taylor subdivision.

"At the moment I'm asking to see if I can get into Omaka ... Whether they can split a section in two and put a couple of smaller ones on there ... I'm not trying to be a pessimist but I would say it will come back as a 'no' because they just don't like to see something different," Wraight said.

Harcourts business owner and Omaka Landing developer Mark Davis said Wraight's 104sqm homes were too small for the sections and the minimum size dwelling on the properties was 145sqm.

"The reason David Wraight is having a little trouble at Omaka is because of the covenants. There is a minimum build size and his houses are a bit small," he said.

SCOTT HAMMOND/STUFF The 104sqm homes take about three months to build; six weeks to build and six weeks to paint.

Wraight had not yet contacted the developer of Blenheim's other new subdivision, Rose Manor about getting his smaller homes in there.

Wraight had completely finished two of the ready-made homes, and was working on a third.

By building the homes off-site, he said he saved a lot on travel time, keeping the cost of his smaller homes at $225,000.

Wraight said it also meant buyers could check out what they were buying before they bought it, rather than worrying about how the home might turn out.

"If you were to get a builder tomorrow, you might stress for six months if that builder is going to do a good job for you ... The thing is here you can come and visualise it, you can see it," he said.

He was hoping to sell his 104sqm homes to interested buyers around the country.

The Marlborough District Council declined to comment.

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