Cabin Kitset recommendations

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HamiltonJack

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#289675 22-Sep-2021 11:13

Hey all,

Have two teenagers and needing to give some space!

Was looking at the SheShed and also the Trade Tested Cabins.

Any advice on kitset builds please? Ideal size is approx 12 - 15 SQM e.g. 4.5 x 3.2 or similar.

I feel a pre-built kitset is going to be easier to build plus doesn't need consent. If I build myself, I'm worried getting the timber will be a major headache plus consent issues.

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#2782060 22-Sep-2021 11:17

10m2 is pretty much the magic number for getting totally under consent requirements,

For anything bigger you are still likely to need a resource consent in many locations, - especially in a built up area.

A pre built cabin will avoid building permit concerns, but you should probably ring you local council and ask what the rules are

tieke

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#2782113 22-Sep-2021 12:42

wellygary:

10m2 is pretty much the magic number for getting totally under consent requirements,

I thought that if it was an appropriate kitset it just had to be under 30m2 as long as it is further than its height from a boundary, as per this this exemption page.

olivernz

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#2782115 22-Sep-2021 12:48

tieke:

wellygary:

10m2 is pretty much the magic number for getting totally under consent requirements,

I thought that if it was an appropriate kitset it just had to be under 30m2 as long as it is further than its height from a boundary, as per this this exemption page.

Building consent != Resource consent

Reanalyse

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Ultimate Geek

#2782118 22-Sep-2021 12:56

We purchased a Trade Tested Melanie 2.8 by 2.8 m. Quality is great. Note you have to use timber preservative as wood is untreated. Delivered exactly when requested

But - we paid for a kitset assembly company to assemble it and it took three men working hard for three days to fully assemble. The roof especially was hard for them.

If doing it yourself beware of this.

We consider it a great addition

Hope that helps

tchart

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#2782123 22-Sep-2021 13:05

My office is a 10m2 Trade Tested Palmako cabin and its pretty good actually (been up 2 years now). The smaller ones dont have double glazing though. Only recommendation I'd give is to not use their roofing material or buy the shingles. Get a proper roof - we used corrugated sheets.

We also had another delivered recently (20m2) which is a job for summer. This one has thicker walls and double glazing. This one will be a rumpus for the teenagers.

Trade Tested now supply the necessary engineer signed papers so its all above board (up to 30m2) and my understand is the same as @tieke that any kitset with the correct papers does not require building consent. You do still require building consent if its over a certain height or has a loft.

Regarding resource consent;

A resource consent is formal approval from your council to do something that they haven't clearly identified in their plan as either permitted or prohibited.

Hence as long as you arent erecting a cabin right on the boundary or too close to the house etc then you shouldnt require a resource consent. If you are in an urban area there are certain rules that are well documented and available from your council. If its not a second dwelling on the property then it should be permitted.

There was a post on here recently where someone built a shed during the lockdown, someone dobbed him in, it was too close to the neighbours fence and I believe he was told to take it down. So best check the rules for your council.

tchart

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#2782125 22-Sep-2021 13:08

Reanalyse:

We purchased a Trade Tested Melanie 2.8 by 2.8 m. Quality is great.

Yeah best to stick with the square ones if you want an easy build. The foundation for ours took longer than the build of the shed. We had it up minus the roof within one day. All done by day 2.

Bit surprised that 3 "qualified" people took 3 days to put yours together.

HamiltonJack

41 posts

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#2782150 22-Sep-2021 14:11

Thanks GZ team

Thanks for the advice about consent.

Resource Consent: I already checked here that my local Auckland Council says I'm OK for resource consent.

Building Consent: The reason I'm considering the Trade Tested or She Sheds is because if under 30 SQM and signed off by Master Builder, this exemption page says you're fine.

Now that's cleared up...

@tchart - thanks for sharing. I am considering this one

RE Trade Tested cabin - yes, I was considering adding my own roofing iron.

Did you add your own insulation?

Did you add any additional windows?

What foundation did you end up going with?

Do you think "untreated" is OK for NZ conditions? What did you use to treat it with ?

Also surprised to hear @Reanalyse build taking so long !

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Reanalyse

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Ultimate Geek

#2782175 22-Sep-2021 15:17

HamiltonJack:

Thanks GZ team

Thanks for the advice about consent.

Resource Consent: I already checked here that my local Auckland Council says I'm OK for resource consent.

Building Consent: The reason I'm considering the Trade Tested or She Sheds is because if under 30 SQM and signed off by Master Builder, this exemption page says you're fine.

--

Now that's cleared up...

@tchart - thanks for sharing. I am considering this one

RE Trade Tested cabin - yes, I was considering adding my own roofing iron.

Did you add your own insulation?

Did you add any additional windows?

What foundation did you end up going with?

Do you think "untreated" is OK for NZ conditions? What did you use to treat it with ?

Also surprised to hear @Reanalyse build taking so long !

Not sure what took so long, just pleased I had a fixed price quote :-)

No insulation, not really needed as we have found that in winter the cabin stays nice and warm due to thicker walls and size.In summer may need to have all doors and windows open.

No additional windows, more than enough glass as it is.

Foundations were probably overkill - to earthquake proof level as replacing an old and lower deck as part of the process .

Treatment was two coats of CD50x to make wood weather safe. stinks and kills any vegetation it falls on but does a good transparent sealing job.

Thanks and Regards

tchart

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#2782210 22-Sep-2021 15:55

HamiltonJack:

@tchart - thanks for sharing. I am considering this one

RE Trade Tested cabin - yes, I was considering adding my own roofing iron.

Did you add your own insulation?

Did you add any additional windows?

What foundation did you end up going with?

Do you think "untreated" is OK for NZ conditions? What did you use to treat it with ?

Nice choice, our new one is the bigger version of that one.

RE untreated - absolutely not OK, you must stain it or paint it otherwise it will rot. The wood is easily very pale and stains from grass, water etc. We have a "Palmako wendy house" too which is an outdoor house for our dogs. Its not as water tight as the cabins and there is staining from water getting in on the inside. We stained my office with cabots wood stain I think - its a grey colour that we got from Bunnings. I will do another coat this summer. Ive not decided whether we will paint or stain the new one. The stain looks a bit uneven in places but thats my fault. One of the very early reviews on Trade Tested was from this glamping place - https://www.tukiglamping.co.nz/gallery - they said they left it to weather naturally and it didnt look great but I just checked the gallery and they appear to have stained it.

RE foundation - my office is on a slope so its on poles with joists etc. The "high" side is less than 1m off the ground so its not too high. The new one will be on flat ground but I will probably build the same type of foundation but with square piles.

RE windows - not yet. The rear of the cabin faces the road so I put the door on the other side which faces out house.

RE insulation - partly, I put expol underneath after the first winter. There was a noticable difference. I should probably put some in the roof but I havent got round to it. With the roofing we put the bitumen (?) roof felt on the roof before we put the corrugated (colour-steel type) on so theres a bit of insulation. Depending on where you are situated the cabin can get quite hot - in summer mine can get up to 32+ degrees (but its in full sun).

RE roofing - just a note that my cabin has a gable type roof so the cross member beams go length ways so the corrugate could be screwed directly into the beams. With the mono pitch you will likley need some timber to go length ways to secure the roofing. That will also give you a gap for insulation.

I do also have a solar panel on the roof. While its not practical in winter I do run it off grid in summer using a solar generator.

I'm happy to send you some photos via PM if you want.

tchart

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#2782212 22-Sep-2021 15:57

Oh and #1 tip please please install the storm bracing.

Ive seen one of these cabins demolished by wind in the Wairarapa - they handnt installed the storm bracing. If you dont do that then there isnt much holding the roof down.

eonsim

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#2782243 22-Sep-2021 17:31

We put together a 3x3.3m loft cabin a couple of years ago before they relaxed the size rules: https://sanderscabins.co.nz/loft-cabins/ With the loft effectively have just under 18sqm, use the downstairs for an office and stuck a queen sized mattress upstairs.

Nice and solid, added a couple of extra windows on the side, indoor lining, plus double glazing and insulation to the standard design. Was pretty easy to install though lifting up the loft sections required several people. With everything except under floor insulation (on piles) it tends to stay 5+ degrees above ambient in the middle of winter with no heating or anybody in it.

neb

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#2782247 22-Sep-2021 17:43

wellygary:
10m2 is pretty much the magic number for getting totally under consent requirements,

It's actually been 30m2 since August 2020 provided you meet certain requirements, e.g. for a kitset like the OP mentioned it has to have been designed by a chartered engineer.

neb

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#2782254 22-Sep-2021 17:57

tchart:
RE untreated - absolutely not OK, you must stain it or paint it otherwise it will rot.

Is just a stain going to do much long-term if it's untreated? It gives some UV protection and some water protection, but if the timber itself is completely untreated... well, I wouldn't use it to start with, but if I did I'd go with a sealer and two topcoats of acrylic, and even then be nervous about rot in the areas I couldn't get at to paint first.

HamiltonJack

41 posts

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#2782282 22-Sep-2021 18:42

Thanks all. Would be keen to see some pics :-)

RE foundation, I will probably go with 450mm deep holes and h3 treated house piles

RE Untreated - that is the scary part. I contacted EuroHomes who also sell the Norwegian Spruce cabins, their rather puzzling reply was that European timber homes don't need to be treated. They didn't elaborate when I asked them.

I believe She Sheds NZ have all of their timber pressure treated so I am not sure why TT don't do this (or everyone !) However, I don't like the She Sheds price or the selection of cabins.

I have contacted Trade Tested [have so far waited 3 days for a reply 😭 to see if they could offer pressure treated variation. I looked on the Palmeko site and it appears they do offer this service (scroll down to pressure treatment section)

Ideally, pressure treatment would probably give an extra 5 - 10 years. Staining or using CD50x does sound fine, but as @neb points out, you'll never get it deep into the wood - plus it would take ages!

neb

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#2782290 22-Sep-2021 19:14

HamiltonJack:
Ideally, pressure treatment would probably give an extra 5 - 10 years. Staining or using CD50x does sound fine, but as @neb points out, you'll never get it deep into the wood - plus it would take ages!

You could also create pseudo-treated timber with Metalex but since that's oil-based you'd then have to use oil-based topcoats which is a pain, unless you can find an oil-based primer that'll take an acrylic topcoat.

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