Deluxe One Bed
The Project
The Deluxe One Bedroom (with Kitchen & Ensuite) is a 10.4 x 3m self-contained portable building that is constructed on skids. It is primarily constructed out of structurally insulated panels (SIPs) made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) sandwiched between two layers of steel. As you might have gathered from the name, these panels create both the structure of the building and provide its insulation. It has an iron roof on top and steel framing for the floor. All windows and doors are double glazed. The building is fully wired and plumbed and comes with gas and electrical certificates.
Entry to the building is through ranch sliders on the front that open onto the kitchen/dining area, with the bedroom to the left and the living area and bathroom to the right. The bedroom, kitchen, and living room are all about equal sizes, dividing the space into three areas. The kitchen comes with a 4 hob stovetop, rangehood, and a breakfast bar. The bathroom includes a toilet with macerator pump, 900mm x 900mm shower, and a vanity unit. A small deck and an awning overhanging the glass sliding door are also included.
Low Cost
These units are low cost for a few key reasons. They are small, which means less labour and fewer materials are required to construct them, resulting in the company being able to offer them at a lower cost. The manner in which the houses are constructed also keeps costs down, because they are prefabricated and very much standardized. Though there are additional options available (each bumping the price up) all units are 3m wide and only vary in length. This repeatability results in faster builds as people come proficient in particular areas, standardized material usage, and a more reliable building process with all of the kinks having been worked out. Under normal circumstances, it takes about 8 weeks from deposit to completion of a home.
Another reason that costs are able to be reduced is HouseMe’s output. They fabricate approximately 200 units per year, which makes them able to order materials in bulk and therefore at a better price.
HouseMe also has an in-house transport team, making them available to extend savings in shipping these units across the country.
About HouseMe
HouseMe has been around since 2011, having been established to fill a gap in the affordable housing industry. They currently have one of the largest, if not the largest, warehouse in New Zealand for building transportable homes. Originally, the company was mainly focused on fabricating and renting out units. Since ownership changed hands in 2017, they have been concentrating on selling their units. They do still provide rentals and have rent to buy schemes. This re-focus has brought their unit fabrication from around 50 units per year to around 200 units per year, shipping new units all over New Zealand.
Contact
To get in contact with HouseMe and to see what they have to offer, check out houseme.co.nz
