A Collection of Tiny Homes – Auckland, New Zealand

Ecospace is a tiny home build company creating sustainable, bespoke designs using Abodo timber cladding.

Project details

Builders: GBARR Construction / Ecospace (Auckland) and Irving Builders (Christchurch)

Product: Vulcan Cladding (WB10 Profile) in Protector – Nero

Vulcan Cladding (WB12 Profile) in Protector – Patina

Vulcan Primed Cladding (AW62 Profile)

Photography credit: Johnny Goose, Isabella Hurley and Gavin Barr

Location: New Zealand

Filling a growing demand for sustainable, off-grid living, Ecospace creates bespoke tiny houses for clients around the country, with many of them featuring Abodo timber.

As New Zealanders search for new ways of living amid skyrocketing property prices, and with many aiming for greater self-sufficiency and a closer relationship with nature, tiny homes have become increasingly popular.

Creating high quality, custom-designed prefab minor dwellings, cabins, and tiny homes - Ecospace owner Gavin Barr holds tight to the sustainability aspect of the movement towards compact living.

“We choose to use products that are not only sustainable and eco conscious in the production stages, but also ensure we are providing warm, energy efficient, healthy homes that perform over the lifetime of the building,” he says.

“Using good quality New Zealand-made products fits with this ethos, and our tikanga principles. Specifying products like Abodo for our cladding is a great point of difference that we are proud to represent with our Ecospace homes.”

Piha Tironui

Sitting on a sloped site under a Pohutukawa tree canopy on Auckland’s wild west coast, stands a collection of three cabins catering to the simple pleasures of surfer life, with their dark finish merging beautifully with the black sand beach below.

Piha was hard hit by the ravages of torrential rain that flooded Auckland in early 2023, with many houses in the area condemned due to the damage.

Standing up against this level of potential exposure means building tough, with materials that can withstand the elements. When approached to create a series of cabins for this site by a surf-loving couple, Gavin chose Vulcan Cladding in Protector – Nero for its longevity and hardiness through any weather.

Vulcan Cladding in Protector – Nero

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“We love working with Abodo, love how it looks, and the sustainability benefits were especially essential for this site being in a protected Significant Ecological Area zone.

Piha Tironui, Auckland

Oasis in the Heads

Gavin’s own home in Mangawhai Heads is a case in point. Dubbed ‘Oasis in the Heads’, the home is made up of a collection of structures positioned around a central outdoor enclave, with a firepit and plenty of space for the extended family to spread out and enjoy the Northland sun.

The first to be built here was a 26m2 tiny home clad in Vulcan Cladding (WB10 Profile) in Protector – Nero.

Ecospace Tiny Homes Vulcan Timbers Oasis in the heads Abodo Wood 05

Photography credit: Johnny Goose

Waiheke Cabin

Clad in the same Vulcan Cladding in Protector – Nero is another Ecospace ‘Waiheke’ cabin, which also includes a dual shipping container repurposed to provide extra bedrooms for the family.

“My favourite of the coatings is Nero,” says Gavin. “I just love the deep black colour. It blends well with the WB10 and WB12 Profile that we use a lot, and is a nice contrast to the Structural Insulated Panel (SIPs) panel and dark colour choices in the home. We do tend to have a black / white internal theme with most of our builds, so Nero works well with the black fixtures and fittings.”

Ecospace Tiny Homes Vulcan Timbers Waiheke Cabin Abodo Wood 01

Photography credit: Johnny Goose

Rakiura Tiny Home

Moving to the other end of the country, Ecospace’s Rakiura design is a compact 6m x 2.9m space that manages to fit a bedroom loft, lounge, kitchen and bathroom, as well as off-grid components, which allow all necessary utilities to run in any location.

“The design brief from our client was to replicate his existing, high performance, energy efficient home built from SIPs, in a way that would allow him to easily move it across the South Island with the changing location of his new role,” explains Gavin.

The Rakiura is clad in Vulcan Cladding (WB12 Profile) finished in Protector – Patina, which provides it with a warm look that is in keeping with the tussocked landscapes of the South Island.

Due to the thermal modification process Vulcan undergoes in manufacturing, this choice also provides a good deal of longevity for the structure, which is sure to encounter some extreme weather.

Ecospace Tiny Homes Vulcan Timbers Rakiura Protector Patina Abodo Wood 08

Photography credit: Isabella Hurley

Ecospace offers a variety of Abodo profiles for their clients to choose from, with the most popular profile being Vulcan Cladding WB10 Profile 138x20mm, and the most common finish being Protector – Nero. Recent exceptions to this rule include a pool house Kelmarna Cabin in Auckland, which used Abodo’s Vulcan Primed Bevelback profile, and Abodo’s Ohinewai office, which takes the aesthetic further with Vulcan interior panelling.

In terms of the build process, Gavin, a professional builder as well as business owner, appreciates the malleability and strength of the Vulcan product.

“My team shares the same views - when we first started using the product, we were amazed at how dense it was to work with compared to other finishing timbers such as cedar. It’s so nice to work with and very strong. There’s nothing like getting to the end of a long run of wall and looking back at the sleek lines especially if it’s already had its factory coat.”