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Transportable Home Delivery: Will the Truck Reach Your Site?
In most cases, yes. Leisurecom has been building homes and trucking them out to sites since 1999, onto farms, steep coastal sections, tight suburban driveways and even Waiheke Island by barge, so a site that looks tricky usually has a way in. What changes from one job to the next is how the home gets there: the route, the transporter, the set-down point and whether a crane joins in for the last stretch. This guide explains how transportable home delivery works and what to check on your own section first.
How is a transportable home delivered?
Your home is trucked from our Cambridge factory on a house transporter and reversed onto piles already driven into the ground. In March 2026 we delivered a 143 m² home to Kerepehi this way: the transporter reversed it over three rows of timber piles that were waiting for it, so the onsite team could get straight into fixing off and connecting services. A home on the back of a truck is an overdimension load, so the trip runs under the NZ Transport Agency's rules on routes, pilot vehicles and permits, and our planning for every transportable home delivery starts well before the truck leaves Cambridge. Larger homes can travel in two pieces and be joined on site, which is how we delivered a 220 m² two-piece family home in Tauranga. Our team runs the whole move, so you're never the one ringing round for a house mover, a pilot vehicle, a pile crew and a drainlayer. If you'd like the detail on why we use three rows of piles, it's in how our homes are built.
Will the truck fit down my driveway?
Usually it will, but the width at the gate, the tightest corner, the slope, soft ground, low branches and overhead lines all shape the plan. Our first delivery of 2025 went to Hawke's Bay, where the home worked its way through a tight suburban street and down a narrow driveway before a crane lifted it into place. At Whiritoa in April 2025, a 134 m² three-bedroom home came in along winding back roads, under trees and through tight spots, then needed a careful tow up a steep final stretch to reach its platform. Both sites looked hard on paper, and both homes arrived in one piece because the access was properly planned. That's why we talk through your access with you before anything is locked in. Our trucks and install crews are set up for tricky terrain, and we'll guide you on site access and foundation prep from the first conversation.
When does a crane come in?
A crane comes in when the transporter can't reach the piles. That usually means a steep bank or a narrow gap between the road and the building platform. At Whangamatā we craned a home into position on tricky terrain, a job our team still holds up as an incredibly technical one done well. Cranage is worked out and priced in your onsite quote, which covers every onsite trade and job needed to finish the home, so it's known before delivery day rather than discovered on it.
Can you deliver to an island or a remote site?
Yes. We've taken homes to Waiheke Island by barge from Kopu, and by road to remote spots like Mahanga on the Mahia Peninsula. Waiheke is known for tricky builds and steep landscapes, and our homes go from the Cambridge factory to the barge at Kopu, across to the island and into place with a crane. On the Mahia Peninsula, Reece Jones put it simply: "We had a house built and trucked to Mahanga on the Mahia peninsula. We were very happy with the whole process and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them." For island and remote jobs, the barge, the road in and the set-down point are all planned before anything is confirmed.
What needs to be ready before delivery day?
Before the truck comes, your onsite permit needs to be issued, the piles driven, and a clear, firm path from the road to the platform. Placing a home on your land is building work that needs consent from your local council, and building.govt.nz explains when consent applies. On our ready-built homes, the published timeline allows roughly four to six weeks for that onsite permit. The piles go in before the home arrives, so on the day the transporter can reverse straight over them. Soft ground needs a plan too, and when we delivered a bespoke 134 m² home to a soft site near Gisborne in August 2026, the approach, the set-down point and the timing were all worked out in advance, so the home rolled on at 6am and was in position before smoko.
What should I check on my section before I call?
Check the gate, the tightest corner, the slope, anything overhead and anything soft, then take a few photos.
How wide the narrowest point is between the road and your building platform, including the gate.
The tightest corner a long truck would have to get around.
The slope and surface of the driveway, whether it's seal, gravel, grass or clay.
Power or phone lines overhead, and low branches along the way in.
Any bridge, culvert or soft patch the truck would need to cross.
Where a crane could set up if the truck can't reach the platform.
A few photos from the road and from the building platform, plus your site plan if you have one.
FAQs
Does transportable home delivery cost extra?
Your home comes with a guaranteed fixed price, delivered to the gate. Everything on your side of the gate, such as the piles, cranage if your site needs it, service connections and decks, is priced in the onsite quote, which we prepare before anything moves so you can see the whole cost up front. That way the delivery plan and the cost of the site work are settled together instead of being added on as the job goes. If you're comparing builders, check whether each price includes delivery to your gate, because a lower number that leaves the transport out isn't really lower. Our guide to transportable home prices breaks down what sits on top of the build cost.
How long does delivery day take?
For a single-piece home it's often done in a day. Our 120 m² Sahara 3 for Whangamatā was loaded at the factory and sited on its piles in under 24 hours, and the 134 m² home we delivered near Gisborne in August 2026 rolled onto site at 6am and was in position by mid-morning. Two-piece homes take longer because both halves have to be placed and joined, and island deliveries add the barge crossing. Once the home is on its piles, allow roughly three to four weeks for services, connections, decks and the final Code Compliance Certificate on a ready-built home. We'll map out your own delivery day with you once the access is clear.
What if my section is on a slope?
A slope changes the plan, but it rarely rules a home out. At Whiritoa the last stretch to the building platform was a steep climb, and the home was carefully towed up the incline into position. On the Coromandel, sloping coastal sections and narrow seaside access are common, and some of those sites need a crane. The piles are driven before delivery day and set so the home sits level, which lets the transporter reverse straight on. Send us photos and your site plan early and we'll tell you what your slope means for the delivery.
Do you deliver to my area?
We deliver right across the North Island from our factory in Cambridge, with regular runs across the Waikato and into Auckland, Northland, the Bay of Plenty, the Coromandel, Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Manawatū and the Wellington region, and our homes have gone as far as Waiheke Island by barge. If you're in Hawke's Bay, you can walk through a finished home at our Napier show home at 45 Pandora Road. Our page on the regions we deliver to lists recent builds and delivery notes for each area, including Auckland and Manawatū.
Can I see a home before it's delivered?
Yes, and we'd encourage it. You can walk through finished homes at our Cambridge factory on Hannon Road, where our ready-built homes for sale sit in the yard, or at our Napier show home at 45 Pandora Road. Seeing the finish up close is the quickest way to judge the quality, and it's a good chance to talk through your site and your delivery with the team in person. Call 07 823 5951 to book a time.
Transportable Designs for Kiwi Terrain
Our trucks and install crews are equipped for tricky terrain, and we’ll guide you on everything from site access to foundation prep.
Our House Plans
Find the design that ticks all the boxes
The team behind your Leisurecom home
Leisurecom’s team supports clients right through the process, from selecting a suitable plan through to the final stages that help make the home practical, comfortable, and ready for handover.
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