Big Ideas, Real Impact.

Raumati Kāpiti Coast – Case Study

Project Overview

This project involved the construction of a discreet, self-contained tiny house located at the rear of an existing residential property in Raumati. The client’s goal was to create a separate, independent dwelling to generate long-term secondary rental income, while maintaining privacy, low visual impact, and harmony with the existing property and surrounding environment.

The project required full site creation, access development, earthworks, construction, and finishing — with the majority of works delivered in-house by Keen Builders.

Earth Works

this was a highly constrained site with significant access limitations:
No direct vehicle access to the rear of the property
Dense, overgrown vegetation throughout the rear section
Tight working space
No existing formation for construction
All site access had to be created from scratch.

Foundation

All earthworks were carried out in-house by Keen Builders.
Full vegetation removal and site clearing
Creating site access through the property
Excavation using a 1.7-tonne digger due to restricted access
Track dumping and track wheelbarrow removal of spoil
Rib raft slab foundation In house by Keen Builders

Framing

All framing was built on-site
Construction sequencing was carefully staged due to limited site storage
Construction of a small retaining wall to manage height changes between the two properties

Design & Build Process

This project followed a true design-and-build delivery model.

We sat down together with the client early in the process and worked collaboratively through every design and finishing decision — ensuring the tiny house functioned well, looked cohesive, and delivered long-term durability as a air-bnb rental asset.

The process included: