FAQs
1. Do you have a completed tiny house we can view?
Yes. Coming to our factory to view our tiny homes under construction is a great way to get ideas and discuss your ideas too! We can arrange for you to view our builds in progress at our factory in Millwater, Silverdale.
2. How long does it take to build a tiny home?
Once you have booked a build spot with us and paid the non-refundable deposit (deducted from your total build cost), it will generally take 14 weeks to build a complete home.
3. What size are your tiny homes?
Our most popular size is 8m long x 3m wide x 4.3m high meaning that under the NZ Transport Agency rules, they are classed as a load on a trailer and can be transported legally without requiring a pilot vehicle. We also have larger homes which need to be transported by a truck with a low loader trailer by the professionals and transferred back onto the custom trailer once on site.
4. What are the costs of a tiny home and payment plan?
Our homes start from $159,000 plus GST. The final price of your home will depend on the size and style of home you wish us to create for you. A fixed price contract will be determined before a build commences.
To hold a build spot, there is a fee of $6,500 including GST which is non-refundable and is deducted from the first instalment payment.
We have 4 instalment payments throughout the build process which consist of 40% on contract signing, 30% at framed stage, 20% at lock up (windows fitted) and the final 10% together with any variation costs prior to your tiny house leaving our factory.
5. Is the trailer registered and warranted?
Yes – all of our trailers are registered and warranted. They are custom made to allow for ease of future warrants meaning that once your tiny home is in place on the land, resting on its ground screws or blocks, you can remove the trailer from under the tiny house and place it back underneath once you have your new warrant.
6. How can I keep up to date with my build progress?
Once your build is underway with us, we keep you well informed and up to date with weekly progress photos or you are welcome to book a time to visit our factory and view the progress of your build.
7. Do you provide safety certificates for gas and electrical?
Yes, we use only licensed local electrician/plumber and certifications are issued on completion of their work. We provide these in your handover pack.
8. How is waste and grey water treated?
Our homes all come with a water inlet pipe and grey water outlet which gets connected to a tank once on site. Sewerage is dependant on the toilet selected. We recommend the Separett waterless dehydrating toilet or the Ecoash incinerating toilet. If you wish to have a plumbed-in toilet, you will need resource consent to connect to existing grey water systems and we suggest you check this with your local Council.
9. Can my tiny home be off grid?
Yes, our homes come solar-ready so you can choose to go off grid now or in the future. For more detailed information on how many panels you would require and cost involved, visit our local friends at AA Solar https://aasolar.co.nz/.
10. Will I need Council building/resource consent?
This year (2021) MBIE (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment) have released a Tiny House Guidance document to assist in determining if your tiny house is a vehicle or a building or both. The flowchart they developed is very helpful in determining if your home is a vehicle or building. If your tiny house is a vehicle and MOVABLE it is exempt from the Building Act 2004. Resource consent will depend on whether you are plumbing into Council grey water systems and again we recommend it is best to contact your local Council to get all the information you require with regards to this.
11. How are the tiny homes built?
Our homes are built using high quality and lightweight building materials we have researched and source from different suppliers in NZ. See our ‘Build Process’ page for more detailed information.
12. Do you offer delivery?
Delivery of your tiny home on wheels is not included in your tiny home purchase but we assist in putting you in touch with delivery companies. We can deliver Nationwide.
13. Do you offer a warranty?
Yes, all of our products and appliances come with the manufacturer’s warranties and we offer a three year warranty on the workmanship of your tiny home and five years on the structural components. These warranty conditions are also documented in our build contract and terms of trade.
14. What electrical and gas connections are provided?
We use either a standard 16 or 32 amp caravan plug depending on the number of appliances for external electricity connection. We also cater for appliances that use both 12 and 240 volts. For gas, we cater for LPG bottles for heating and cooking (hobs) located at the front of the trailer.
15. Who is responsible for site preparation?
It is the sole responsibility of the customer to ensure the site upon which the tiny home is to be delivered is accessible, suitable and prepared prior to delivery.
16. What site preparation is required before my tiny home is delivered?
Site preparation is crucial for your tiny home to be stable and level when on site. If you do not prepare your site properly, your home will not stay level and therefore may twist over time as the ground beneath moves.
Site preparation includes a compacted metal base for the wheels to be situated upon and in all four corners of the tiny home.
We deal with two companies who specialise in movable foundations – Stop Digging or Wildboar Footings. We provide these companies with floor plans of your tiny home to enable them to determine how many ground screws are required.
All anchor point connections on the tiny home need to be connected with chains into the ground screws or suitable piles into solid ground that the tiny home can be anchored to.
This ensures the tiny house will not move or tip over in floods and high winds.