Kanga Room Systems
Austin-based Kanga Room Systems offers prefab small-scale buildings ranging from a small 8×8 shed to a larger 16×18 cabin or guesthouse, starting around $5,900. The company offers one of the more affordable options on the market and can be added on to over time with a bathroom, kitchenette, porches, and additional rooms. The three styles available are modern, bungalow and country cottage.
The structure can be placed on a concrete slab or built on out on pier and beam foundations to work around structures needing plumbing. The kit arrives as panelized pieces with the floors, walls and roof separated out and the company estimates that “a skilled construction crew” would take three days or less to assemble one of the structures.
The designs are beautiful and modern as opposed to their counterparts that we have seen that often look kitschy and outdated and are a good way to add an office to any home, or a small guesthouse, pool house, children’s or teen’s private space, or an art studio.
The model Kanga Room is set up in Austin at the Farmer’s Market on Burnet Road, the perfect place given their culture of sustainability and their encouragement of people to take part in smart living.
Photo gallery of Kanga Room Systems
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Sara S.
January 16, 2015 at 2:41 pm
I know these are beautiful buildings, but do yourself a favor and AVOID this company. The work is shoddy, not done on time, and the sub-contractors Mr. Ellis uses barely know what they are doing.
Pros: externally beautiful buildings. This design could be recreated by any decent carpenter though.
Cons: Almost too many to list. Most importantly – I asked Mr. Ellis to come out and see the poor workmanship (he was never on-site) and he declined. Getting to the details: Skid base was just plopped on top of ground, 22 inch rise to the floor; Poor framing (using badly warped wood); shoddy workmanship (at least 10% of the nails missed the framing and are sticking out into the interior of the shed; Poor paint job (said he would use Sherwin Williams paint, had to send guys back to Waco when they showed up with Behr; still didn’t use right type of SW paint that I requested; and still, in the end, I could see the primer in many spots).
While Mr. Ellis was never quick to return phone calls or emails (and I was very understanding since he has a young family), he literally emailed and texted multiple times a day for several days in a row in order to get the final payment. I was able to get some of the cost knocked off, but seriously, find a carpenter or contractor that doesn’t sub out. You’ll get the same beautiful shed and support a talented, but dying craft.