AAVA Living · Habitable Auxiliary Homes

A home for the people who matter.

Designed as a fully habitable space, AAVA Living creates high-performance additional accommodation in the garden — with the comfort, efficiency and technology of a modern home.

For adult children finding their footing. For parents who want independence and proximity in the same decision. For families who need room to change shape without leaving the address they love.

Range
32–45 m²
Planning route
Planning Class 3A
Designed around
NZEB requirements
Occupancy
Auxiliary to the principal house
An AAVA Living auxiliary home at dusk, warm interior light behind a long run of glazing, with a timber deck and mature planting. Placeholder imagery
Who it is for

Independence and proximity, at the same time.

Adult children

A first home with its own front door, without leaving the family site.

Elderly parents

Level access, warmth and simplicity, close enough to matter.

Multigenerational living

Three generations, one site, and space that works for all of them.

Family accommodation

Room for family who stay for a season rather than a weekend.

Long-term flexibility

A space that changes role as the household changes shape.

A calmer decision

An alternative to moving house when the house is otherwise right.

The range

Two formats. Both fully habitable.

AAVA Living sits between 32 and 45 m² — enough for a proper living space, a separate bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen, without dominating the garden it sits in.

One-bedroom 32 m²

8.0 × 4.0 m. Open-plan living and kitchen, a separate double bedroom and a bathroom. The efficient format.

Extended 45 m²

9.0 × 5.0 m or 7.5 × 6.0 m. A generous living space, larger bedroom and storage — or two bedrooms where the layout allows.

Final dimensions, layout and orientation are confirmed after site qualification and are subject to site-specific eligibility and compliance.

The intended system

Built like a house, because it is one.

AAVA Living uses a light-steel shell completed in Ireland, with the envelope and services designed together rather than sequentially.

  • External wall insulation150 mm mineral wool
  • RoofWarm roof construction
  • AirtightnessDesigned below 5 m³/hr/m²
  • HeatingHeat pump
  • VentilationMVHR — mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
  • Solar2–3 kWp photovoltaic array
  • GlazingTriple glazed throughout
  • ControlsSmart heating, lighting and ventilation on one interface
  • FinishesPremium internal finishes from a considered palette
These are design specifications and the intended system — not guaranteed performance outcomes. Where technically appropriate, the product is designed around NZEB requirements. We do not claim a specific BER or energy performance rating until it has been independently calculated and verified for your project.
Inside an AAVA Living home at dusk, looking out through a full-height sliding screen to a planted garden. Placeholder imagery
A detail of the external cladding and window reveal on an AAVA Living home. Placeholder imagery
Planning & regulations

An auxiliary dwelling, not an independent one.

Designed as a Planning Class 3A auxiliary dwelling, subject to site-specific eligibility and compliance.

A Class 3A dwelling is used in conjunction with the principal house on the site. It is not an independent dwelling: it cannot be sold, subdivided or let as a separate property, and it remains tied to the main house.

Because AAVA Living is habitable, it is designed to meet the applicable Building Regulations requirements in full. Planning and Building Regulations are assessed separately.

Important: Site-specific conditions apply, including Article 9 restrictions, boundaries, private open space, site access, existing structures and intended use. AAVA's website provides general guidance and does not constitute legal, planning or building-control advice.
Understand the planning & regulations

Start with the site.

Eligibility for an auxiliary dwelling depends on your site. We will tell you what is realistic before you commit to a design.