The bodies of two women, one believed to be Tisha Lowry who has been missing for almost a year, were discovered on Friday beneath the floor of the house in the suburb of Wainoni.
The second body was thought to be a 35-year-old woman who lived at the house.
Her 32-year-old husband, who reported her missing last weekend, has been charged with her murder.
One body was taken from the scene last night but police said the recovery of the second body may not happen until Monday as they had to dismantle part of the house.
A neighbour Shanita Araipu, once rented the house where the bodies were found from the alleged killer, whom she described to the Sunday Star-Times as "spooky".
Ms Araipu said the 32-year-old accused and his wife had bought the former state house three years ago, and had since divided their time between Christchurch and Taupo, where their three children were living in Child Youth and Family care.
The suspect had told her the children had been taken into care, and the couple had been attempting to regain custody.
Ms Araipu said the couple were both recovering alcoholics and unemployed.
She told the newspaper she had never seen or heard violence at the house, although last Saturday, the night before the woman was reported missing, she had heard loud banging noises at around 6pm.
The noises did not alarm her, though, because the man was constantly making alterations to his house.
In the past week, the man had been busy moving building materials in and out of the house.
Inquiry head Detective Inspector Tom Fitzgerald said police were building a profile of the couple, with a team of 26 officers plus specialist staff and scientists assigned to the investigation.
Formal identification of the bodies and a cause of death may take several days, but further charges were likely.
The accused man appeared in Christchurch District Court on Friday and his name and that of his dead wife were suppressed.
He was remanded in custody without plea to reappear next Friday.
Ms Lowry, 29, was last seen by her grandfather when she waved goodbye to him at the Bower Tavern in suburban New Brighton on September 25 last year.
She had lived two doors down from the house where the bodies were found.
Police spoke with more than 3000 people in their search for Ms Lowry, including the accused, but had no reason to suspect him at that time, Mr Fitzgerald said.
