The Prefab Home People

Norma, owner and founder of Able Spaces, first got into the construction industry by chance in 2011. She was given the opportunity to recover a dormant demolition company with a business partner and take it to Christchurch to help with the post-earthquake recovery. Together they rapidly grew the business, and this is where her love of wearing steel cap boots and hi-vis started.

Norma’s background is varied to say the least but was mainly in the corporate world. From studying Human Resources at Massey University, to working in Finance in Sydney, doing random jobs while travelling through Europe and South America then getting into HR and payroll when back in New Zealand. Norma also worked as an Account Manager with Trade Me Jobs, then as an Executive Assistance for the CEO and Head of Sales at PropertyIQ, studied and worked for herself as a Personal and Business Coach, before being a Management Consultant focusing on process improvement. All this before her husband presented her with an opportunity to get into demolition, which Norma grabbed with both hands and ran with it. The rest is history.

When the business partnership came to an end, Norma sought a new opportunity for innovation and entered into a licence agreement to produce a range of portable, prefab homes in 2015. Here, she quickly learnt the limitations of working under a license agreement. Restricted to the licensor’s standard designs and specifications, there was little freedom to explore new layouts, approaches and materials. Deciding to go at it alone and focus on a nationwide need, Norma terminated her license agreement and Able Spaces prefab homes began.

We aim to change the way housing is built in New Zealand.

With major issues in the current housing environment, we believe transportable, prefab homes are part of a bigger solution. Too many Kiwis live in poverty, in some cases eight people in a two-bedroom home. Prices have skyrocketed over the past decade, making house ownership less obtainable for everyday New Zealanders’. As the income gap continues to increase, there is no system in place to replenish the current housing market.

We believe transportable, prefab homes are part of the solution.

While the Government is implementing timely initiatives, site-built homes are not constructed quickly enough to keep up with demand. With a growing population AND not enough homes, transportable prefab homes are an effective alternative. Constructed efficiently in a workshop setting, transportable homes are an affordable, sustainable solution to New Zealand’s housing crisis.

Every New Zealander deserves a warm, healthy, affordable home.

We believe in a future where every Kiwi can access an affordable, sustainable, liveable home. In an industry where textbook approaches are the norm, we’re here to bring a fresh perspective. Our team is driven by innovation, seeking ways to continuously improve our prefab homes. We give back to our local community because there is no greater reward than making someone’s day.

Owned by a woman, Able Spaces is proud to stand out in a male dominated industry. Service is at the forefront of who we are, as each client deserves their dream home! Clients deal with us directly, so you won’t deal with middlemen or chain of confusing communication. While many competitors offer standard portable home designs that cannot be altered, we build to order. With a range of designs for inspiration, we work alongside our customers to make their vision a reality.