What’s the difference? What needs consent?
“Cabins” generally do not come equipped with services (i.e toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities). They come as an open plan, or multi room space, with power points, lights, heating and data connections, easy to connect via temporary power cord or permanent connection. These structures can be set up on temporary foundations or installed as a permanent structure.
As of August 1st, 2020 New Zealand council consent rules have changed to allow cabins to be built up to 30m2 with no consent required (depending on site location and the inherent rules around compliance of the structure). The new building consent exemptions can be found here. Cabins are the easy option to add more space to your site and are perfect for a home office, sleepout, or small business.
Cube’s “Pod” Cabin Design
Cube builds and delivers cabins from 10m2 – 30m2 in as little as 2 weeks and can fully customize the interior and exterior colours and material to your specs. There’s generally no building consent required, and we have flexible rent, rent-to-own, and finance options available.
“Tiny Homes” are for those keen on having a kitchen & bathroom, which requires building consent, regardless of size. These are usually permanent installations and require connection to foundation, water, power, waste and sewer services. Cube offers 1 or 2 bedroom homes from 15m2 – 45m2 and can fully rearrange room layout, colours, fitout, and decking to your specs. Cube will manage the entire building process from design to handing over the keys. We build-to-order in as little as 5 weeks. Check out this link for a financing option that specializes in tiny spaces!
Cube’s “Ohau” Tiny Home Design
“Caravans” are your self-contained homes on wheels! Also known as campervans or RVs, these require wheels, and must be certified self-contained. To be approved self-contained, they must be able to handle wastewater without using ground water connections. These structures are impermanent and the most mobile option. It is important to note that if a caravan is used as a ‘dwelling’ it may be considered to be a ‘dwelling’ by local consent authorities and have the same compliance criteria applied to it.
Rather than try and find creative ways to circumvent compliance criteria, at Cube we embrace it! We know the rules and we ensure all our clients receive a product that meets the rules, allowing the owner to obtain finance, insurance and peace of mind knowing their investment is compliant. Contact us to build your next Tiny Home or Cabin!