No plumbing
No bathroom, toilet, shower or kitchen sink. Nothing connects to your wastewater or water supply. Just a plug into a standard outdoor socket.
Delivering across Christchurch, Rolleston, Rangiora and wider Canterbury. Auckland coming soon.
More room for your family, without the extension.
A self-contained studio cabin, delivered and set up in your backyard. Room for an adult child, a parent, visiting whānau or a proper home office — in weeks, not months, and without the build.
8 arriving in September in Christchurch. Next batch won't be until December.
- From
- $159/wk
- Footprint
- 13m²
Delivered across Ōtautahi Christchurch
Auckland — waitlist openHow it works
Four steps from enquiry to keys in hand.
No site works, no builders, no council paperwork. Just extra room where you need it.
- 01
Choose your cabin
One thoughtfully designed 13m² studio with everything you need. No configurator overwhelm.
- 02
Check availability
Share your suburb and intended use. We confirm delivery windows and site access within 24 hours.
- 03
We deliver & set up
Wheeled onto your section, levelled and plugged in. You unlock the door and move in.
- 04
Flexible from month three
Three-month minimum, then week-to-week. Extend, shorten, or end the rental — you decide.
The Cabin
Small footprint. Big room to breathe.
Dark charcoal timber-look cladding, black aluminium framing, and a full-height sliding glass door. Fully insulated with 75mm EPS panels in the walls and 50mm in the roof and floor, double-glazed with Australian-made windows and doors, and built on a solid galvanised steel structure. Considered inside and out, so it feels like part of the home — not a temporary shed.
11.5m² is about the size of a standard single garage, or a generous bedroom. It takes a queen bed, a wardrobe and a desk with room to move.
- Queen bed zone
- Dedicated desk zone
- Wardrobe storage
- 4 power outlets + USB throughout
- Sliding glass door
- 13m² footprint
- Smoke alarm fitted
- Caravan plug lead — fits standard NZ socket
- 75mm EPS wall insulation, 50mm roof & floor
- Double-glazed Australian windows & doors
- Fully NZ-compliant wiring
- Solid galvanised steel structure
Floor plan
Every centimetre earns its place.
Hover or tap a zone to see dimensions.
Overall
5.94 × 2.26m
Internal
11.5m²
Opening
1.94 × 2.28m
NO CONSENT REQUIRED
No council. No consent. No six-month wait.
This is the part most people don't believe until we explain it. Here's exactly why it's true.
So it stays a trailer
The cabin is permanently mounted on a road-legal trailer chassis and never fixed to the ground. Under the Building Act that makes it a vehicle, not a building.
So there's no consent
No building consent, no development contributions, no wastewater application, no council processing time. It arrives, it levels, you use it.
The trade-off, stated plainly
A bathroom or kitchenette would turn the cabin into a self-contained dwelling — and that means consent, contributions and months of waiting. We chose the version you can have in weeks. Most people are extending a house that already has a bathroom thirty seconds away.
Body corporate, covenant or rental property? Those can have their own rules — we'll help you check before you commit.
THE ALTERNATIVES
What else were you considering?
Four ways to solve the same problem. Only one of them is reversible.
Build an extension
- Typical cost
- $80,000–$150,000+
- Timeline
- 6–12 months
- Consent needed
- Yes
- Reversible
- No
Build a granny flat
- Typical cost
- $120,000–$250,000
- Timeline
- 9–18 months
- Consent needed
- Yes
- Reversible
- No
Buy a cabin outright
- Typical cost
- $30,000–$60,000
- Timeline
- 8–16 weeks
- Consent needed
- Sometimes
- Reversible
- Resale risk
Rent a RoomDrop®
- Typical cost
- $159 per week
- Timeline
- within a few hours
- Consent needed
- No
- Reversible
- Yes, anytime
Figures are indicative Canterbury ranges for comparison only. Your quotes will vary.
Use cases
Built for the way Kiwi families actually live.
More households are stretching to fit more people. RoomDrop® gives everyone a bit of breathing room — without touching the main house.
More NZ families than ever are living multi-generationally — up 27% in the last decade, and 34.5% of families with children now include an adult child at home.
Source: Stats NZ, 2023 Census.
FamilyExtended & multi-generational living
An adult child staying longer, an elderly parent who needs their own space, whānau home for a season. A private, self-contained room of their own — steps from the main house.
WorkHome office or home-based business
A quiet, separate workspace ten steps from the back door. No commute, no kids on the Zoom call, and a clear line between work and home.
HouseholdTeen or guest space
Give a teenager their own room and get the family lounge back — or keep it ready for visiting family and friends.
Pricing
Simple weekly rent. No surprises.
One transparent rate covers the cabin, delivery, setup and ongoing support. Stay flexible for as long as you need it.
Serving Ōtautahi Christchurch now. Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland opening soon.
The RoomDrop® cabin
From$159/ week
Prices include GST. Power runs off your own supply via a plug lead into a standard outdoor socket — you'll see it on your normal power bill. Three-month minimum, then week-to-week with four weeks notice either way.
- Delivery, levelling & setup
- 3-month minimum, then week-to-week
- No building consent required
- Servicing & support included
- Christchurch metro area
- Fully insured & compliant
What you pay to get started
First week's rent$159
Refundable bond$350
Delivery & setup$0 — free for the founding fleet
To get started$509
The bond comes back to you when the cabin goes home. Collection is included — we don't charge you to end the rental. Delivery & setup is free for the founding fleet (first 8 cabins), then $350 for everyone after.
Delivered & loved
Move-in ready, from the moment the trailer levels.
Built by
— one of NZ's highest-rated portable home suppliers, with over 110 five-star reviews and warehouses in Christchurch and Auckland.
— one of NZ's highest-rated portable home suppliers, with over 110 five-star reviews and warehouses in Christchurch and Auckland.Customer reviews coming as our first cabins go out.
FAQ
Answers, before you ask.
Still curious about something? Drop us a line and we'll get back to you the same day.
Visit us
Find us in Belfast
Our Christchurch warehouse and display cabin. Come see the cabin in person before you book.
Showroom & warehouse
26 Frank Coxon Road
Belfast, Christchurch 8051
- Open by appointment
Book a viewing through the enquiry form - Easy driveway access for trailer deliveries and pickups
- hi@roomdrop.co.nz
Enquire
Check availability in your suburb.
Tell us a little about where you are and what you'd use the cabin for. We'll come back with delivery windows and next steps within one working day.
- · No obligation — we'll just answer your questions.
- · First-in access as Auckland opens up.
- · Same-day reply, real humans.