Can I come and view your cabins?
Yes, you are welcome to come and view our cabins on site in Whangarei.
Viewing is available by appointment during business hours and often in evenings and weekends. Please contact us to organise.
How does delivery work?
We use a highly experienced delivery company to deliver our cabins anywhere in the north island of New Zealand. The cabin can often be delivered directly into position on your site using only the delivery trailer, but if required to get into a tricky spot the delivery company can use a small motorised cart. Alternatively, a local hiab or crane truck can be arranged to meet onsite to lift the cabin into position.
What do I need to do to get my site ready for delivery?
In order to help the delivery to run smoothly, you will need either a clear and level or near level site. You will need to make sure that there is a minimum clearance of 3.5meters wide and 3.5meters high through gateways overhangs and past objects in order to avoid damage to the cabin. You will also need to ensure that there's lead space to pivot etc. if need be.
Will I need council building and resource consent?
Building Consent:
All our cabins can be built onto road registered and warranted light trailers (3500kg rated) which just like a caravan are transported on the road behind a suitable vehicle. Due to this they are deemed as a vehicle which according to the building act even if lived in permanently, as long as its setup & kept in an easily movable state (eg no permanent attachments to the ground or structures, with an easily removable water supply, power and sewage/drainage connection, which we can supply) means they are exempt from the Building Act & do not require a building consent. You can find information explaining the distinction between a building and a vehicle on the MBIE website here & I have also copied the relevant sections of the building and transport act in this document here. A court case decision from February 2020 reaffirmed that Tiny homes are vehicles & no different from caravans. There is also a helpful decision tree located in Appendix B of the MBIE Determination 2016/011.
Local council views & understanding of these rules vary, and sometimes local district plans may overrule them. If you have any concerns, we recommend you talk to your local council. As this is still a relatively small market you may find your local council have not dealt with it before and thus may not know the rules themselves. In this case it may be of help to point them to any of the linked documents I have provided.
If you would like to gain clarity about how various regulations do and do not apply to tiny homes on wheels across the country we recommend that you become a member of the NZ Tiny House Association. The Association has been formed to represent members of the Tiny House community, with the aim to foster innovation, promote the growth of the tiny house movement in New Zealand, and empower people with information and resources to assist them while they are working with councils to apply for consent to live legally in tiny houses.
Resource Consent:
Resource Consent rules related to living in vehicles vary between councils and properties. If you have any concerns, we recommend you contact your local council and discuss it with them directly.
To get further understanding of the rules and perspective of some councils you can read this discussion paper written by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council & also this document written by Christchurch City Council.
How long does it take to build a cabin?
We often have standard models in stock so please contact us directly if you are looking for a ready to go option.
For built to order options, please contact us for lead times as they can vary depending on current workload.
How is the water connected?
Cold water can be supplied to the cabin by a 15mm black alkathene hose connected to an existing outside hose tap. Garden hoses cannot be used as they can be toxic.
Hot water is supplied to the cabin either by connecting to an existing hot water source in your house or by having a gas califont installed on the cabin. If a califont is required, you will need to get your local gas fitter to connect it once the unit gets to your site as they need to inspect it once the unit is in place.
How is the waste water dealt with?
There are two options to deal with the waste water.
Macerator
The most common and generally most straightforward option is to install a macerating system which mulches the solids into the liquids and pumps them through a flexible pipe to a sewage system.Hard Connection
If the placement of the unit has a higher elevation than an your sewage system the waste water may be gravity feed using drainage pipes.Composting Toilet
If there is no existing septic tank and you're not planning to get one installed we can install a composting toilet and the water from the shower, vanity and kitchen sink can be treated with a greywater treatment system.
How is the power connected?
All our cabins come with an electrical certificate.
There are two main ways to provide power to the cabin:
1. Connect to a dedicated caravan power socket (16 amps supply)
This is the most common option & the option which we recommend. For this option you will need a dedicated caravan power socket installed on your property. If you do not have one installed already, your local electrician can normally install one at a minimal cost. All our standard cabins are supplied with a 20 meter long heavy duty caravan lead which can be plugged directly into the caravan power socket.
This option can provide enough power to simultaneously run the following:
Cabin Lights
One high drain device (eg heater, microwave, toaster or jug)
Multiple medium drain devices (eg fridge, tv or computer)
Multiple small drain devices (cellphone charger, alarm clock)
Two high drain devices will likely pop the 16amp fuse for the caravan power socket.
2. Connect to a normal house hold power point (10 amps supply)
This is the simplest option as it does not require you to have a dedicated caravan power socket on your property, but it does not provide as much power to your cabin as a dedicated 16 amp caravan socket. Depending on your power requirements, it could mean regular resetting of the power breaker on the interface box when to many electrical devices are used at once.
This option is achieved by using an interface box between the supplied 20 meter caravan lead and a standard household power point in an existing building or on a builder’s pole/box.
This option can provide enough power to simultaneously run the following:
Cabin Lights
One high drain device (eg heater, microwave, toaster or jug)
One medium drain device (eg fridge, tv or computer)
Multiple small drain devices (cellphone charger, alarm clock)
Any extra medium or high drain devices will pop the 10amp fuse on the interface box.
How is internet connected?
In many cases, cabins are placed within wifi range of an existing house so no work is required.
Other options are:
Run a network cable through the floor of your cabin straight from an existing internet router in a nearby house. This can either be done by you, your local electrician or local IT handyman.
Get chorus or another provider to setup a fibre or landline connection to your cabin.
Get a wireless broadband connection from vodafone, spark, uber and many other internet suppliers.
Use cellphone internet.
Do you do rent to buy and what does it cost?
Sorry, we do not off rent to buy options.
How are your cabins built?
All of our cabins are built in our workshop in Whangarei by qualified and experienced tradesman using high-quality materials.
Do you do custom builds?
Yes, we will work with you to custom design a cabin to suit you. This can include joinery types, positions and sizes, internal walls, kitchen and bathroom layout, floor coverings, varnish, paint colours on cladding, lining, joinery, roofing & flashings and power point positions, lights, and lights switches. The only major restriction we have is keeping within our standard size range (4.2x2.4m, 4.2x2.7m, 6x2.7m, 8x2.7m, 8.4x2.7m & 9x2.7) in order to keep our cabins as cost-effective as and affordable as possible.
What building materials are used?
All our building materials are high quality and sourced from reputable suppliers.
Heres a list of some of the products we use:
Resene paints, stains, and varnishes.
Coloursteel roofing iron and flashings.
Vantage aluminium windows and doors.
Earthwool insulation to floor, walls & ceiling
Solid wood construction:
90x45mm H3.2 SG12 Floor Joists
70x45mm H1.2 SG8 Wall Framing
90x45mm H1.2 SG8 Roof Framing
H3.2 Grooved Plywood Cladding
18mm Plywood Flooring
High-Grade 9mm plywood lining to be painted or varnished
Certified electrical work
Can we provide any fittings for you to put in our cabin?
Yes, if you would like to provide your own fittings then we are happy to accommodate that. There will be a charge for our team to install these fittings for you.
