Need Farm Worker Housing For Your Rural Operation?

Here’s how one couple built their prefab farmhouse with Advance Build

Margot Denford and her husband knew they wanted to build a new house on their rural North Island farm. But they weren’t sure how they would manage the demands of the project. 

At the time, they were living on Auckland’s North Shore during the week - so couldn’t be onsite to oversee builders and tradespeople. Besides, they didn’t want to ‘pay for builders and tradesmen coming and going’ to their property each day.

A simpler path to rural building

That’s when a friend suggested looking at prefabricated transportable homes. Advance Build quickly stood out for its ability to plan, build, construct and manage the entire project from start to finish. 

‘We didn’t have the time or experience to project manage a new build,’ Margot explains. ‘We visited the Advance Build showhome in Warkworth and decided it was what we wanted.’

Read more about Margot’s experience here.

What rural owners want from farm accommodation

Like Margot, today’s rural owners are increasingly looking for high-quality, long-lasting accommodation. Whether it’s for themselves, workers or managers, many are steering away from makeshift or temporary housing.

Typically, rural property owners want:

• Long-term, permanent onsite housing
• Homes that are well-built and durable
• Low-stress, turnkey solutions.

However, these rural building projects often involve extra challenges along the way. 

What hurdles do rural owners face when it comes to farm accommodation?

Some of the most common challenges of rural building projects include:

• Site access and transport limitations
• Construction logistics
• Costs and extended build timelines
• A lack of local trades.

The good news for anyone building in a rural location? Prefab helps solve these issues. 

Why are rural owners choosing prefab?

For farms and rural setups, prefabricated housing offers a practical alternative to traditional onsite builds. Homes are constructed in a controlled factory environment, then delivered to site for installation and connection to services. 

Prefab housing means you can:

• Avoid daily travel costs for onsite builders and trades 
• Minimise weather-related delays and onsite disruption
• Comply with rising compliance and building performance standards
• Enjoy predictable timelines and cost-certainty.

What about delivery and installation?

Delivering, installing and connecting your new home is easy - as long as you have a team who is accustomed to rural environments. 

During Margot’s project, Advance Build carefully planned the route before delivery to ensure there were no surprises on the day. 

‘Everything went smoothly and was very efficiently organised by Advance,’ recalls Margot. ‘The trucks negotiated the narrow lanes and access to our house site through two gates and up the paddock.

‘An inspection had been done prior…to check the route, so they were well organised on the day. Just some last minute chopping of a few tree branches!’

 ‘All we needed to buy ourselves was a fridge/freezer, washing machine and window blinds. Advance Build did the rest!’

Margot and her husband opted for a fully customised Oasis 3 home. She says planning her new prefab farm home was straightforward and enjoyable.

‘We got some good ideas from [the Advance Build] brochure and, together with the sales team, made adjustments to the design in terms of size, layout and number of rooms. We chose the paint colours, tiles, flooring, lighting, kitchen appliances and vanities and were able to upgrade certain features like the kitchen bench top and taps.’

Project highlights

• Home built entirely in Advance Build’s weathertight factory
• Customised layout, finishes and fittings
• Delivered in two sections to Margot’s North Island farm
• Route inspection completed ahead of delivery
• Minimal onsite disruption
• Fixed-factory pricing.

‘We enjoy living in a beautiful rural setting in our house by Advance Build.’

How Advance Build can support your rural build

Planning a rural farm house? Talk to Advance Build today. 

Since 2008, they have provided Kiwis with fully prefabricated, transportable homes that are:

• Designed specifically for rural and farm environments
• True turnkey solutions
• Suitable for farm workers, managers and rural owner-occupiers.

Learn more about Margot’s rural building project here or explore Advance Build’s farm accommodation range here. 

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