It seems society these days is all about convenience. We take away our coffee and our food, so why not our home? Melanie Whiting sat down with local builder and owner of Coolibah Cabins, Paul Freckleton to discover how you can do just that. Pictures: Louise Barker
WHEN home builder Coolibah Cabins opened in Red Cliffs six years ago, they built 10 transportable buildings in the first year.
This year, they’re predicted to build up to 90, ranging from granny flats to relocatable homes, park cabins and offices.
“At the moment, our business structure is about 50 per cent sold locally,” Coolibah Cabins owner Paul Freckleton says.
“The ones we sell locally are for two main demographics – an older couple looking for that granny flat to put in the back of their daughter or son’s property, or the young couple that wants to get out of the downward spiral of the rental market.”
So why are transportable homes and granny flats becoming more popular?
According to Paul, it’s because they’re quicker and cheaper to build.
A majority of the transportable buildings are built at the Coolibah Cabins site in Red Cliffs, with a granny flat having an eight-week build time and a house around 12 weeks.
The economics of building in a central location means the company can streamline its supply chain and control any occupational health and safety issues.
“In general, we cost probably 25 to 30 per cent cheaper than a house built on site,” Paul says.
It usually takes them 48 hours to deliver a building and connect it up to all the essential services such as electricity and water.
But perhaps one of the biggest selling points of a transportable home is the convenience – if you’re sick of the neighbours or just looking for a change of scenery, you can take your home with you.
Coolibah Cabins also offers of a buyback scheme when it comes time to move on from a transportable home.
“We always tell people, once you’re finished using the building and if you want to get rid of it, work out what you want and we’ll buy it back off you,” Paul says.
“We can sell it to the next customer very quick.
“That’s the whole purpose of a transportable home – it’s not something that is set in stone.”
