The build story

The house that comes to you.

Every home we make is built in our Raglan workshop and driven to your section. Here’s what actually happens between the order going in and the truck rolling up.

SHS tiny home lifted into position by a Hiab crane on a customer site

SHS home being loaded onto a truck as it leaves the Raglan workshop

Why not built on your section?

Everything under one roof.

A traditional home spends 12–18 months on your section — subcontractors coming and going, weather delays, cost creep, materials sitting exposed. We take the whole thing indoors: same crew every day, materials on hand, quality checks at every stage. Weather stops mattering. The price stops moving. And when your home leaves Raglan, it’s ready to live in.

~50%

Less than traditional

Roughly half the cost of a stick-built home.

100%

Built indoors

Weather stops mattering.

The build process

How your home takes shape.

Click through each stage to see what happens.

01 · The chassis

Every build starts on a structural steel chassis, cut and welded in-house. Outrigger arms for crane lifts, transport-rated tie-downs, and a steel sub-floor frame ready for the panels above.

02 · Walls, roof and joinery

Insulated structural panels go up next to form the walls and roof, fixed straight to the base. On Economy builds the panels arrive ready-finished, so the shell is complete as they go up. Passive builds are then wrapped, battened and clad, with roofing layered over the top and the interior lining painted for its finish. Windows and doors are fitted as the shell takes shape — weather-tight in weeks, not months.

SHS home base showing the chassis and cladding line

01 · The chassis

Finished SHS build showing insulated panel walls and roof

02 · Walls, roof and joinery

Interior of a tiny home with fitted kitchen and flooring

03 · Flooring and fitout

Finished tiny home interior with open-plan kitchen and living

04 · Wall finishes and fit-off

SHS tiny home loaded on a flatbed truck for delivery

05 · Delivered to your gate

From order to keys

A clear, step-by-step process.

From your first enquiry through to landing on your site, every build follows the same simple path. Here’s what happens at each stage.

Come visit

You’re welcome to visit the workshop at any stage. Most customers come at the 50% mark to see their build taking shape — just get in touch to book ahead.

1
Get in touch
Quiz, call, or contact form. We talk through what you need.
2
Confirm the build
Size, layout, options, finish. Fixed price locked in.
3
Book the workshop
Deposit paid. Your build slots into the schedule.
4
Workshop build
Under cover, one crew, no weather delays. Come visit.
5
Delivered and landed
Trucked to your gate, set down, connected to services.

Close-up of an SHS home showing the corrugated Coloursteel® cladding

NZ-made materials

Sourced here. Serviceable here.

We source NZ-first wherever we can. When something needs replacing in five or ten years, NZ-sourced parts mean local supply, local trades who know the products, and no offshore shipping delays.

Every material picked because we can service it locally, source replacement parts, and count on it holding up in NZ conditions.

Metalcraft insulated Coloursteel® EPS panels
100mm insulated structural panels made by Metalcraft in NZ, arriving pre-lined on both sides with factory-painted Coloursteel® — ribbed on the exterior, matching flat lining on the interior. The panels interlock straight into the final finish, inside and out.
Coloursteel® finish
The same Pacific Steel weather-tested finish used across NZ homes. Available in 29 factory-painted colours you can pick from at no extra cost.
NZ steel chassis
Galvanised steel sourced through NZ merchants, cut and welded in our Raglan workshop.
NZ-sourced joinery
Kitchen and bathroom joinery from NZ suppliers. Fixtures from established NZ distributors — locally serviceable.

One more decision

Economy or Passive?

Every SHS home comes in one of two build styles. The build style is how much insulation and thermal performance you build in — which changes how comfortable the home feels year-round, and how much you spend running it.

Standard build

Economy

Our everyday build — warm, dry and ready to live in, priced to be the accessible choice. This is what most SHS homes go out as.

Panel system: Insulated Coloursteel® EPS panels
Insulation: Solid insulation throughout — warm and dry all year
Windows: Double-glazed aluminium joinery as standard
Sealing & air: Draught-sealed and weather-tight
Running cost: Low
Best for: Long-term living at an accessible price
Available on: Tiny homes, transportable homes and cabins

Learn about Economy builds

Premium

Enhanced thermal performance

Passive

Borrowed from the international passive house standard — thicker insulation, tighter sealing and high-performance joinery so the home holds its temperature naturally. Upfront cost is higher; running costs are dramatically lower.

Panel system: Insulated OSP sandwich panel system
Insulation: 2–3× the insulation in walls, ceilings and floors
Windows: Double or triple-glazed high-performance joinery
Sealing & air: Air-tight, with heat-recovery ventilation for fresh air
Running cost: Up to 75–90% less heating energy
Best for: Long-term living where comfort and low bills matter most
Available on: Tiny homes and transportable homes