Sleepout
Our sleepouts are 'Built Tough' - strong, relocatable and made to last the test of time in the toughest conditions.
Designed to exceed NZ building code standards, our sleepout cabins are made in New Zealand with heavy duty NZ timber framing and quality materials.
Great 1-room designs for sleepouts, holiday cabins, relocatable offices or studios.
What is a kitset sleepout?
A sleepout is a common addition to many New Zealand households, constructed as a single, free-standing structure separate from the main house and often used as - you guessed it - an extra bedroom, though they’re just as often converted into hobby rooms, storage, teenage havens, man caves, entertainment spaces or she sheds.
Sleepouts are practically an icon of New Zealand architecture, and make it so anyone with an extra bit of suitable land can instantly add some additional living space to their home.
At Outpost Buildings, we’ve taken the traditional sleepout design and improved it, making them tougher, stronger, more comfortable, easier (and faster) to build, and even made them portable.
Our sleepout designs come as flatpack kitsets. That means that everything you need to construct one comes in the pack, including the framing, cladding, even the nails. All you’ll need are some basic tools. You can either build these sleepouts yourself for basic designs, or hire a builder to knock them together for you (recommended for our more advanced designs).
This means no need to worry about finding the right builder, dealing with designs, handling complex consents or pouring concrete for a permanent foundation. These sleepouts can be put on pretty much any piece of flat land without the need of earthworks or expensive foundations.
We even handle the shipping for you, taking your kitset sleepout to your nearest Toll transport depot for free, and then on to your door on a hiab truck for an extra charge, if necessary.
No matter whether you need a new bedroom for the kids or grandparents, or if you simply want a place to get away from the stresses of life, our kitsets offer a fantastic, affordable solution.
The benefits of a kitset sleepout
Here are just a few of the reasons why:
'Built Tough'
Tough, durable, long-lasting: we build our kitset sleepouts to stand against the weather and the test of time in equal measure, ensuring you can enjoy your extra bedroom (or hobby room, or entertaining space) for many years to come.
We do this through our choice of materials, which are all sourced from New Zealand suppliers. Sustainably grown New Zealand timber makes up the core of our kitsets which, after appropriate staining or painting, can stand firm against the worst weather conditions that New Zealand has to offer. On the roof, we use ZINCALUME or Colorsteel corrugated iron cladding, which is both tough and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.
Customisable
A sleepout won’t always remain a sleepout. When kids move out, boarders move on, or the room otherwise isn’t being used as a traditional sleepout anymore, you don’t want it to just become wasted space.
That’s why we’ve designed our sleepouts to be fully customisable and suitable for a wide range of different uses. They can be converted into workshops, play rooms, even garden sheds and portable offices simply by adding some shelving and storage, or by removing or replacing the walls and doors.
This is why we choose to use timber for our kitsets: all you need to add, remove or otherwise customise your build is some basic tools. A very different story to if you had to deal with a sleepout made with metal or plastic. You can even convert it into a different kind of lifestyle shed with a little bit of work.
You can also add insulation, wiring or plumbing to your sleepout after it’s built. Our designs don’t need these to function, but it’s a good way to keep the sleepout comfortable. Note that this may affect your need for consent, so double check your local laws and the NZ building code before proceeding.
NZ Made
We buy our materials from New Zealand suppliers and we do all our kitset manufacturing right here in Aotearoa. We love our country, and want to support our fellow Kiwi businesses, but we also want to make sure that you get a sleepout that’s designed and built with New Zealand conditions in mind, from top to bottom.
How do we do that? With New Zealand materials wherever possible, including sustainably grown New Zealand pine. This not only ensures you get a suitable sleepout for your needs, but also that you get a generally high-quality product at the end of your construction. You’re building in New Zealand - why wouldn’t you buy from New Zealand too?
Portable
We think that you should never have to compromise with your sleepout - not even after it’s built. That’s why we’ve designed all our kitsets to be relocatable, allowing you to move it where you want, when you want, with a minimum of fuss.
We mount our sleepouts on tough timber skids that allow them to be dragged short distances or, for longer distances or larger sleepouts, lifted onto a hiab truck.
This means that, should you move home, you can bring your sleepout with you. And if you don’t want to bring it along? An extra bedroom always adds extra value to a home, and a portable sleepout can be sold to another owner at a different property just as easily as bringing it along to your new place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need consent for a sleepout?
These days, sleepouts are much easier to construct than in previous years, requiring less paperwork due to recent exemptions for consent made in August 2020. Our kitset sleepouts are included in these exemptions, so there’s a good chance you won’t need consent to build one of our sleepouts.
However, it’s still important to check with your local council and the New Zealand building code to figure out whether you’ll need consent or not. You can ask your preferred builder or one of our helpful team members, and we’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
Remember that our sleepouts are made with materials that meet or exceed the requirements set out by the Building Code. It makes getting consent that much easier!
What are our sleepouts made from?
All of our kitsets are built here in New Zealand, from materials sourced from New Zealand wherever possible. This includes sustainably grown New Zealand pine, chosen for its strength, flexibility, natural insulation and toughness and used as the core of our kitset framing.
Depending on your sleepout style, you can expect to find:
Durable timber frames, engineer designed for strength
Treated timber bearers (skid base)
Ply board & batten exterior wall siding
Treated ply flooring
Interior ply wall lining
Complete kitset pack including hardware/fixings
We construct our sleepouts from tough, durable materials, designed with the conditions of New Zealand and the needs of New Zealanders in mind.
Whatever your budget, get in touch with us and we’re sure we can find a suitable solution to suit your needs.