The short answer
A tiny home is a self-contained dwelling - kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living space - built to be lived in full-time. A cabin is a single-room (or twin-room) extension to your existing property - a sleepout, home office, granny flat, or guest room - that usually doesn't have its own kitchen and bathroom.
In our range: tiny homes are 6m to 16m and start at $47,500. Cabins are 4.5×3 to 8×3 and start at $35,990.
How to pick: 4 questions
Answer these and the right choice usually emerges:
- Will someone live in it as their primary home? → Tiny home.
- Is it for a granny flat (i.e. self-contained - kitchen + bathroom)? → Tiny home. (Cabins don't include either.)
- Is it extending an existing house as a sleepout, home office, or teen retreat? → Cabin.
- Are you trying to avoid consent? → Cabin under 10 m² (sleepout, office) - tiny homes almost always need consent.
Consent implications
Cabins under 10 m² without plumbing or cooking typically don't need building consent in NZ. Tiny homes, because they have plumbing and sleeping accommodation, almost always do. This is one of the biggest practical differences - the consent path for a small backyard cabin is fast and cheap; for a tiny home it's a full minor dwelling consent.
Pricing comparison
Cabins start around $35,990 (4.5×3) and run up to $80,250 (8×3 twin with bathroom). Tiny homes start at $47,500 (6m studio) and go up to $171,350+ for a 16m three-or-four-bedroom build (larger configurations are POA). For the price of a high-spec cabin, you can get an entry tiny home - but you're getting full living capability with the tiny home, not just an extension.