At Absolute Tiny Houses NZ, we make Tiny PreFab Homes and Container Homes. There are some similarities and differences between shipping container homes and prefabricated cabins worth mentioning.
Both container homes and cabins use the small form factor approach to home building, and both represent a shift away from traditional construction techniques. People have used both to adopt a more minimalistic lifestyle and drastically reduce their living costs.
If you’re looking for a budget entry point into the housing market, you have come to the right place. We specialise in 20ft Container Homes. If 20ft is a tad small for you, we can discuss how to fit your needs into a 40ft container.
Container homes are just what they sound like – houses made from steel shipping containers. At Absolute Tiny Houses we use ‘single trip’ shipping containers rather than tired, battered world cruisers, that are decommissioned at the end of their useful life.
Because containers are modular, container homes can range anywhere from a modest one container home to multi-story micro-apartment complexes made of hundreds of containers and everything in between. Many people have built clever combinations reminiscent of a Lego masterpiece! Some have been featured in the TV series Grand Designs. At Absolute Tiny Houses we build single container homes or small homes using combinations.
If you’ve been looking for container homes in NZ, you will discover that people choose container houses for many reasons. Our 20ft container home is the cheapest home we offer. They are a great starting point to build from.
Container homes in NZ emerged around 2010. Presumably, the idea evolved from the construction and mining sectors which use shipping containers to build working offices and accommodation for fly-in/fly-out workers.
The early days of container homes in NZ saw very basic homes being built. They have evolved with people’s expectations and budgets. A simple container home is a great start to owning your own home. More complex designs may involve engaging a structural engineer to sign off on the structural changes, plans, welding, and reinforcements. This is required when doors and windows are cut into the corrugated steel sides, or the containers are welded together to create larger open spaces.
Container homes in NZ are now only limited by your imagination and budget.
For many, the solid steel structure has an appeal for sturdiness and longevity. While others appreciate the more traditional construction of our cabins. Both are finished professionally using quality BRANZ approved materials and with our close attention to detail.
Container homes and cabins offer their benefits and challenges.
The standout advantage of Container Homes is the structural integrity and functionality of the modular format that provides the opportunity to stack and cantilever containers to create a unique design and open spaces. To learn more about the advantages of container homes, jump onto our blog post. https://absolutetinyhouses.co.nz/blog/7-benefits-of-container-homes/
The single biggest challenge with Container homes that are NZ based is condensation. The corrugated walls of the container require attention to minimise naturally occurring condensation in our humid New Zealand climate.
One final consideration when thinking about container homes is that they are restricted to standard shipping container sizes. Unless of course, you have the budget to do some serious cutting and welding. It typically means that if you are changing size, then the containers are shipped to the site and then cut and welded on site. This then shifts construction from our workshop to a site build and can be subject to weather conditions and delays.
The standout advantage of our PreFab Cabins is the certainty we provide our clients with our fixed price build. They tell us it gives them peace of mind. The certainty comes from a combination of reasons. We have been doing this for a while now. We build in our workshop free from weather influences that impact site builds.
Like container homes, cabins are restricted in size. However, the size restriction is not that of the standard build of containers, it is what can be transported by road. This makes our cabins slightly larger than the single container home.
The biggest challenge with prefab homes is… Well, there are not any challenges. Perhaps deciding on the floor plan.
We do have budget conscious, fixed price base designs for single container homes. People who are seeking a container home build, and then planning to take advantage of the modular nature of container homes may need to be careful with their budgeting as joined and stacked container homes can end up costing more than you would expect. Michael is happy to bounce designs around with you before indicating the price.
If you are thinking about building a container home, give Michael a call so that he can better understand your needs and work out a price for you. Your call will be a free, no obligation call.
Refer to the above pricing calculator, select which size you think best meets your needs, and the calculator will give you our pricing for the essential container homes. If you want a deluxe fit out, give Michael a call. If you want to create a Lego masterpiece give Michael a call.
It takes approximately 2.5 months from contract signing and receiving the deposit.
It depends on your design and intentions. If you go for the basic container homes, absolutely. A container home is cheaper than a traditional build. If you seek to balance it on a rock over a creek, amazing, Love it. However, the cost of the engineers and equipment to make it logistically possible will need to be quoted.
In a nutshell, a container home is built from a single use shipping container. The structural frame and dimensions already exist. From there we start with the external structural changes, doors, windows etc before moving on to the insulation, internal cladding and fit out. With prefab cabins, we build from scratch, the frame and then the walls before moving on to the remainder of the build. Each have their pros and cons. For more information, check out the paragraph above titled ‘Containers vs Cabins’. From there you could read the following blog posts.
https://absolutetinyhouses.co.nz/blog/7-benefits-of-container-homes/
https://absolutetinyhouses.co.nz/blog/6-benefits-of-prefab-houses/
Yes you can. We encourage you to customise your shipping container house. In doing so you will transform it to your home. When you talk with Michael about your vision, you will explore the design, layouts and customisations.
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