A challenge to build the most spacious cabin possible while still small enough to avoid council red tape has spawned a new Northland business venture.
The Tube Room started from a discussion between builder Mark Christiansen and businessman Mark Blakelock, who wanted to put some cabins on his Puketona Rd property but didn't want to go through the building consent process.
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Christiansen, who is also a former building consents manager, took up the challenge and designed a tubular room the pair say is easy to build, maximises space, and is flexible enough to be used as a childen's sleepout, office, workers' bunkroom, studio or campground cabin.
Because the floor area is less than 10sq m, in most circumstances it doesn't need a building consent, while the curved walls means it has a volume 25 per cent greater than a straight-walled building of the same floor size.