FAQ
Straight answers, before you ask.
Everything buyers ask us about cost, the build, the practical details and how to buy safely. If your question is not here, ask us directly and a real person will answer.
Cost and payment
Tiny Living homes start from R426 349. The Luxury + Premium three-bedroom builds run from R1 049 000 to R2 620 000. White Box DIY shells start from R246 800. All prices exclude VAT and delivery. Your own number depends on the size and the finishes you choose, and you get it as one fixed price in writing before any work starts.
We design your home with you and agree every layout choice, finish and fitting. Then we quote one number in writing. That is the number you pay. Barring any unforeseen obstacles, the price remains the price. If you change the design later, we re-quote first, so the price is always agreed before the work is done.
You pay nothing until you have approved the design and the fixed price. The deposit and the payment schedule are set out in your agreement before you sign, so you know exactly what is due and when, in writing.
Yes. We currently offer financing over 3 to 10 years through our finance partner, so you can spread the cost instead of paying everything up front. Normal mortgage financing is coming soon, so you will also be able to buy the way you would a bricks and mortar home. Link coming soon.
Not yet, but it is coming. We are setting up normal mortgage financing so you can buy a container home the same way you would buy any other house. Link coming soon.
Three things, on any build. Connecting utilities to the home (electricity, water and sewage), council fees where approvals are needed, and any site-specific access or preparation work. We tell you which apply to your site before you sign, and we guide you on all of them.
The build
Most homes are complete in 2 to 3 months from the day you approve the design and price. Larger homes take longer. Building off-site is what makes that possible. Your home goes up in a controlled workshop, not on your land in the weather.
At our manufacturing depots in the Western Cape and Gauteng. You are welcome to visit your home while it is being built. From the depots we deliver across South and Southern Africa.
Yes, and we encourage it before the build starts. The design consultation exists so the home is right before anything is built. Changes after you have approved the design are re-quoted first, so the price stays agreed.
Yes. Container homes are modular. Extra rooms or whole units can be added later, far more easily than extending a brick house. Many owners start with one unit and grow the home as their needs or budget grow.
Yes. Offices, site facilities, guest accommodation and other commercial conversions, built the same way as our homes. Off-site, to a fixed price, with a delivery date.
The practical stuff
25 years and more when maintained, the same as a conventional house. The steel is treated, insulated and clad, and we build to NHBRC standards. These are homes to live in for decades, not temporary structures.
No. The containers are Corten steel, which is made to resist the weather, and we add protective coatings and cladding on top. Rust is a risk on a neglected bare shipping container, not on a finished, maintained home.
No. Every home is insulated to SANS standards, with an R 3.78 rating in the ceiling and R 2.90 in the walls, plus double glazing. An optional full roof structure over the unit reduces heat further and extends the home's lifespan. The bare steel box you may be picturing is not what you receive.
Yes, but a simple one. Homes sit on engineered pier foundations, concrete blocks of roughly 50cm, which we cast on your site before delivery. There is minimal excavation and no months-long construction on your land.
It varies by municipality, and in most cases yes, the same as any home. We assist with the approvals, and our architect partner prepares council-ready plans. You are not left to work it out alone.
Yes. A container home can be lifted and relocated if you move or sell the land. It is one of the quiet advantages of building this way.
Trust and safety
The NHBRC is the National Home Builders Registration Council. Registration is a legal requirement for anyone building homes in South Africa, and it exists to protect you, the buyer. Most fly-by-night operations cannot meet it. Ask any builder you are considering for their registration, including us.
Four rules. Verify the company's registration details before you engage. Never pay against a quote sent from a gmail or yahoo address. View your container in person and mark it before you pay anything. And treat a price that looks too cheap as the scam it almost always is. A real builder will pass all four checks without flinching.
Yes. Every build on our site is a real delivered home, shown as the render beside the photo of the finished home. Our Google reviews are from real owners, and if you want to talk to one, ask us and we will arrange it.
Ask us anything else.
Question not here? Contact us and a real person will answer.