Holiday Kit House Anyone?

In a country that is obsessed with over-sized MaMansions with a minimum of 4x2 (bedrooms/baths that is ) plus triple garaging, built in brick or stone, an innovative New Zealand company may have their work cut out to convince Australians to buy a modest, prefabricated wood and aluminum "bach" - that's a holiday home to you and I.

Batchkit is marketing their module homes which can be built in 12 weeks in Perth - a typical house built in Perth these days takes more like 12 months to build. The Batchkit is made of predominantly plantation pine and aluminum cladding which are pre-cut in NZ and then shipped in a container.

The kits range from a modest 1-bedroom which an be used as a granny flat or "guest pavilion" all the way up to the top of the line 3 bed 2 bath which combines a guest pavilion with the 2-bed version - all under the same roof line. The house can grow with the owner over time, which is an attractive option and feature full-length cavity sliding glass doors and louvers which can provide great cross-ventilation without the need for air-conditioning. 3bed/2 bathroom will retail for under $400,000 complete with the client's choice of the 4 kitchen options available.

The full spec is:

• 3 double bedrooms with full height built in wardrobes.
• Kitchen including hotplate, oven, rangehood and dishwasher. Living Dining area.
• 2 bathrooms with toilet, shower, vanity.
• Plumbing for laundry appliances

Both pavilions are joined by a breezeway under the main roof with deck and recessed sliding glass panels at both ends.

Sounds too good for a holiday home to me - I'd live in it all year around!