Cabins offer low-cost housing option

Scotts Landing inventor Warren Agnew is known as the man behind of Black Trakka – a device to help track and eliminate rodents – and TankVac, a vacuum cleaner for water tanks.

But his latest venture aims to help provide some relief in the wake of astronomical housing costs.

Warren was a former electorate chairman for the Labour Party for many years and one of the issues that most concerned him was the inability of people on low incomes – especially single mothers – to secure adequate housing.

Warren’s new company, Plus One Cabins, aims to take the pressure off by making cabins that can add an extra room at low cost to an otherwise crowded home.

He points out that structures under 10 square metres are not subject to building consent requirements, further reducing costs.

Warren says while there are other cabins on the market, he considers they are outrageously priced, suffer from shoddy construction and are poorly insulated.

Existing cabins can typically cost $18,000 and while Warren has yet to fix a price for a Plus One Cabin he anticipates they will be extremely competitive.

The Plus One Cabin will be made of treated timber, a galvanised iron roof, and feature aluminium joinery, carpet, curtains, power points and double glazing and double insulation.

Warren sees the emphasis on insulation as critical. Often people put caravans on their section to use as an extra room, but they can be pretty cold.

“There will be no shivering out in the cabin,” he says.