A Lower Hutt homeowner believes he may end up “pretty much bankrupt” after a huge slip left his house uninhabitable during Monday’s storm. 

The landslide in Stokes Valley came as wild weather and damage smashed the Wellington region, leaving fallen trees and power outages plagueing many parts of the district, particularly Hutt Valley. 

“I’m going to walk out of this pretty much bankrupt,” said owner Aaron Pahl, after meeting the council at the property yesterday. 

Aaron Pahl has owned the home for eight years. Photo / Supplied 

More land had dropped from under the home since the initial slip, with the house “hanging on by a thread”. 

Now, he faces the option of retaining wall costs, or demolition costs - both reaching about $300,000. 

The family started a GiveaLittle page to raise funds to help them through the financial burden of the disaster. 

On Monday morning, Pahl noticed his lawn had dropped a metre and a half. 

When he started to hear cracking, he frantically yelled at his kids to get out of the house. 

“My gut just dropped,” he said. 

Pahl runs a painting business called Sublime Coating Limited. Photo / Sammy Carter 

It felt like slow motion for Pahl, watching the trees getting gradually shorter. 

Scaffolding, a garden shed, and back fence now sit piled at the end of the fresh dirt. 

His kids were distraught, with the youngest, 6, crying as the yard slipped away, he said. 

Halfway up the stairs to the road, Pahl realised he’d left his mother’s and dog’s ashes behind - both of whom died a few months ago - and ran back to get them. 

With family deaths and now the slip, the past six months had been heavy for the Pahl, saying he was being tested. 

Pahl, who runs painting company Sublime Coating, bought the home eight years ago as a fixer-upper. He had spent upwards of $140,000 on renovations, working on the house by hand with his kids. 

The house exterior hanging above the slip had a fresh coat of light blue paint, done by Pahl himself. 

The father could hear the ground cracking. Photo / Supplied 

He and his family have been staying with his father-in-law in Featherston since the slip, with painting work having to be put on pause. 

“I’m up shit’s creek without a paddle.” 

Insurance covers some of what the house is worth, but there’s still a gap left behind, leaving Pahl worried he’ll be back to his humble beginnings. 

Pahl was raised by a solo mother on the benefit, and had his first son at 19. 

He worked his “ass off”, started his painting business, and bought the home. 

Being a tradie himself, Pahl spent a lot of time hand renovating the home. Photo / Supplied 

Hutt City Council inspections by structural engineers determined the property would be deemed a dangerous building for six months. 

With the house first built in the 70s, Pahl described his home as beautiful, secluded, and surrounded by bush. 

Sammy Carter is a journalist for the New Zealand Herald covering news in the Wellington region. She has previously worked at the Rotorua Daily Post.