The Ark

This has garnered a fair bit of interest. Coll has an acute allergy to council rules and he had a nasty flare-up when he wanted to build a sleep-out that was bigger than the standard 10m². He was quoted the costs for the consent process and reeled back in horror.

Armed with the knowledge that a floating or otherwise movable home did not incur the same expensive red tape, he built an ark, a beautifullydesigned, nautical-styled cabin complete with mezzanine sleeping platform, galley and heads, that rests on wheels and has pontoons. No consent necessary.

“The Ark is on the move right now,” says Coll. He’s built four this year and has a waiting list. This is a no-smell composting loo, attractively housed in a tall, plasticmoulded tank, a no-flush, no-power alternative to the hideous ‘long drop’. The deluxe option includes a rainwater collection tank, guttering, hand basin and foot pump. Liquids are processed via a single bin containing bark that can be planted with either native grasses or other specific plants which work as filters via transpiration and evaporation. Tiger worms in the waste digester under the loo seat break down solid material. It was so successful Coll sold the business in 2012 to drainlayer Anita Grant (www.compostingtoilet.co.nz).