Absolutely! We’ve designed our cabins so that they can be taken fully off-grid.

We recommend installing a solar power generation system that is separate from the cabin. This will give you maximum flexibility in achieving the best position for the PV panels. It will also allow you to use house batteries and to provide electrical power to any other structures on your site, independent of your cabin.

Building consent and resource consent are two separate and unrelated documents. Below we present a short summary that will help you understand the difference.

Building Consent

A building consent confirms that proposed building work complies with the Building Code. Councils grant building consent applications when they are confident your proposed work will meet the requirements of the Building Code.

Because our cabins are under 30m² they do not require a building consent. Rest assured though that they are built to last. In fact wherever possible we aim to exceed Building Code requirements.

Resource Consent

A resource consent is a written decision from your Council about something that may affect the environment or your community. It is a formal approval to do something that the Council hasn’t clearly identified in their plan as either permitted or prohibited.

Because planning regulations differ from district to district it is best to discuss this with your local council.

Our cabins are prefabricated and delivered to your site as a completed dwelling. Delivery access is therefore most important.

However, we are not delivery experts That’s why our order process allows for a feasibility study to decide if delivery is possible or not. We do this together with a specialist house moving contractor. A crane will be required to unload the cabin and to accurately place it on the foundation.

If your site is extremely remote or access is very difficult then we may not be able to deliver.

We have designed for and recommend using the StopDigging foundation system.

It is a fast, easy to install system that doesn’t require any concrete. It is easy to remove at end of life or when you want to relocate the cabin. The system doesn’t require any digging and has minimum disturbance on the ground.

Installation is a straight forward process where a cane takes the cabin off the transport truck and places it on the foundation.

Once the cabin has been positioned it is then secured to the foundation.

There are two types of wastewater: blackwater and greywater.

Blackwater is wastewater which may contain human waste, such as water which comes from your toilet or bidet. It cannot be recycled for health reasons and must be discharged into the mains sewage system or into an on-site sewage treatment system. Since all Bento cains are equipped with composting toilets there is no blackwater to deal with.

Greywater is wastewater from baths, showers, hand basins and kitchen sinks. Recycling greywater is a good idea because:

• it will reduce your reliance on the mains water supply system

• it reduces demand on the mains water supply in your area

• reduces the load on sewerage systems including on-site treatment systems

• provides a garden water supply, reducing demand on other sources of water

Greywater cannot be used for cooking, bathing, brushing teeth, swimming or drinking. Greywater from kitchen sinks, in particular, is not suitable for recycling without additional treatment due to increased risk of contamination.

There are two main ways to deal with greywater on your site:

• Discharge it into your existing wastewater plumbing system.

• Install a greywater recycling system.
  
  We can provide, as an option, a greywater processing system.

Either way you will need to talk to your local council to ensure that you comply with regulations.

We encourage you to read the Water and Waste.

The Grey Water Recycling article published by BRANZ is another excellent resource.

All Bento cabins come as standard with a low maintenance, waterless composting toilet.

A composting toilet breaks down human waste and other added organic material by an aerobic process in the same way that garden compost is made. The end product should be an odourless, soil-like humus that can be buried on-site.

A waterless composting toilet is used in the same way as a traditional flush toilet but instead of flushing clean drinkin water to dispose of your waste you simply cover it with a handful of natural material such as sawdust from untreated timber.

Here are the top reasons why we advocate for the use of composting toilets:

Waterless — a waterless toilet will save annually tens of thousands of litres of clean, drinking water from being flushed down the loo. [reference]

No smell — because the toilet uses a mechanical ventilation system there is actually less odour than in a standard flushing toilet.

Low maintenance — 2 people full-time use requires containers to be changed on average only every 3 months (this will vary with use).

Waste reducing — raw waste is reduced by over 90%, leaving behind nutrient rich, hygienically safe compost for disposal.

For more information visit level.org.nz

Because we use SIPs as our primary structural component our cabins are highly insulated and airtight.

Each cabin comes with an energy efficient heat recovery ventilation system.

We’re confident that you will be comfortable all year round without the need for any extra heating. However, should you feel the need for extra warmth then a small, energy-efficient electric space heater will be more than enough.