Cabins Provide Comfort

Four young apprentices in Lower Hutt are busy building small wooden cabins that will be used to provide temporary accommodation for Ryhaven Trust families.

Construction is taking place under the supervision of an experienced builder who is teaching these young upstarts useful skills to help them gain a building qualification. The assessment includes a residential component and building the cabins helps the students to meet criteria. The guys are seeing the job through from start to finish and there's certainly a sense of satisfaction when the cabins are complete.

Whilst the majority of these structures will be used as temporary accommodation (when repair work is being carried out on family's main home) in some situations, where overcrowding is a problem, the cabins will be installed permanently. Two teenage brothers in Porirua, currently sharing a cabin, have remarked how warm they are during winter months.

These photos document the process of installing a cabin on a section. It’s a tricky process and impressive to watch! First, the cabin must be transported on the back of a truck, then lifted over the boundary fence with a crane and finally, set up with utilities.

These cabins are meeting a real need for families in our community and help take the pressure off whilst homes are being repaired.