Hire a Hut was built on a simple belief: extra space should be warm, well made and something to be proud of. Josh and Chantelle started this business because they’d seen too many portable cabins that didn’t live up to that, and they knew Kiwis deserved better.

Why we started building better cabins

Hire a Hut started with a simple problem. Josh had been building and supplying portable cabins to rental companies around Northland since 2016, and he knew some cabins were cold, poorly finished and not built to last.

Chantelle brought something different to the table. A background in banking and insurance gave her an eye for systems and process, the kind most trade businesses never get. Together, they saw a gap in the market. There was demand for cabins that were built properly, to the same standard as a new home, at a price that made sense for everyday Kiwis.

In 2020, Josh and Chantelle launched Hire a Hut, offering cabin hire and cabin sales directly to customers rather than supplying wholesale. They brought every part of the process in house, manufacturing cabins right here in Whangarei, employing local tradespeople and sourcing materials from local businesses. Quality and service stayed firmly in their hands, from the first cut of timber to final handover.

Every Hire a Hut cabin is built to code (NZS 3604) by Licensed Building Practitioners, exceeds the Healthy Homes insulation standard, meets H1 energy efficiency, and is designed by a licensed draughtsman. Whether it’s a sleepout, granny flat, home office or minor dwelling, our cabins are designed to work hard for New Zealand families and businesses. Since launching, Hire a Hut has reached customers from Wellington to Kaitaia, with a strong base across Northland and Auckland.

The name itself has a personal history. Chantelle’s grandparents had a granny flat at the end of her grandfather’s workshop that the whole family simply called ‘the Hut’. Over the years it became somewhere family members stayed while getting back on their feet or saving for a home of their own, a place of warmth, safety and belonging. That feeling is what Josh and Chantelle set out to build into every portable cabin that leaves their yard.