Deidre Hendrickson and her partner had been living in a caravan for three years. They loved their rural lifestyle but felt it was time to upgrade their accommodation. Staying on their lifestyle block was a priority, so they began exploring options for new builds, focusing on prefab, transportable and tiny homes.
Initial Contact/First Impressions
“There weren’t a lot of tiny homes around at that stage (6-7 years ago). I didn’t want us to be just about tripping over each other, passing each other in those narrow, tiny homes,” Deidre explained. “When we found the Able Spaces website and looked at their transportable homes, we liked them straight away, because they were a lot wider.”
“The first meeting with Norma was amazing. We came over from Nelson to Wellington and she picked us up from the airport! She took us out to her workshop (in Stokes Valley at that time). There were a couple of homes being made onsite and we walked through them and really liked what we saw. They seemed very well insulated as well.”
Important Considerations
“We changed a few things from the initial drawings including changing the position of the bathroom so we could access it from one side and not from the kitchen as well. We also chose vinyl rather than carpet as we’re on a lifestyle block and we’re always in our gumboots. Plus we chose to put in a fireplace – I didn’t want heat pumps.”
Norma made the process easy. “She was so lovely to talk with and she listed to what I wanted.”
“It was to be my forever home and it is. I got married here and my business came after. I do wildflower turf (it’s like ready lawn). We have a deck which is 3m wide and the length of the house and as soon as I step out onto that deck I can hear the hum of the bees and see the wildflowers. It’s a lovely feeling to come home. Every day when I come home, I think how much I love my home.”
Navigating Challenges
“Working with Norma was seamless. No problems at all from Norma. Plain sailing all the way. No hiccups. The only challenge was the Tasman District Council. They’re a nightmare to deal with. Our transportable home was already consented for Hutt City Council but we still needed consent here in Nelson to put the home on piles. Norma dealt with the Tasman District Council (TDC) so we didn’t have to. She made everything so easy for us, taking all the stress away. We left it in her hands and she just made it happen. We didn’t have to worry at all. She’s good at what she does and she knows how to handle councils. I could just leave it in her hands. It was great.”
“Here’s a comparison: we’ve got quite a bit of land on our rural property and we had people wanting to put a tiny house on here but I tell you, their house is not a measure on ours. They had a lot of problems along the way with the company and the person they were dealing with, who wasn’t very receptive and ticked a lot of people off. It took a year to get consent for that tiny house on our property. That’s what puts people off here – dealing with the council, so having Norma’s help was invaluable.”
Photos of Deidre's home (AS077) staged, before leaving Able Spaces.
The transportable home travelled from Able Spaces in Upper Hutt to its new site half-way to Motueka, travelling through Blenheim, St Arnaud, Nelson and Richmond (as it was too high to go over the Pelorus Bridge)]
“I was so excited waiting for it to arrive!” exlaimed Deidre.
How Would You Rate Them?
"10 out of 10 all the way. We’ve had no problems whatsoever and it’s so low maintenance. It’s been well worth it. There’s no repainting or wallpapering needed and everything can easily be wiped over. Our home is so easy to keep clean. Who doesn’t want a new home? I love it and I’m so satisfied. It’s warm and it’s my first home ever that I have had that I felt was mine. I love it just as much now as I did the day it arrived.”
“While it’s only one bedroom, there’s plenty of room and we just love it. I have a gift shop here and I do crafts as well. The gift shop is out in the paddock but my crafts are inside my home. I love the layout. Everything fits and it just works.”
A Community Curiosity
The home has sparked interest among passersby. “People call in off the street – you don’t even know them – they call in and ask if they can have a look at our home. There’s a lot of interest here in what we have. They come inside and we hear, “Oh my god, we love it!” Random people call in all the time!”
