How to choose a tiny home builder — without getting burned
The short answer
The building industry has had a brutal couple of years — insolvencies well up, and household names collapsing mid-project with customers' money gone.
In a category full of small builders taking large deposits, "will they still be here when my home's finished?" is the most reasonable question you can ask. Here's how to actually check — five questions, and what a good answer to each one sounds like.
Hold every builder to this list. Us included.
The questions that separate real builders from risky ones.
None of these is rude to ask. A builder who bristles at any of them has told you something useful.
- 01
Can I visit the factory?
A builder with a real workshop you can walk into is a very different risk to one that is a website and a deposit account. Ask to come at a normal working hour, not a scheduled open day.
Our answer. You can visit ours in Chelsea Heights, Tuesday to Friday, 7am to 5pm. There is usually a demo home on the floor.
- 02
Can I talk to owners who have lived in one for years?
Not a testimonial on a page — actual owners, living in the home, well past delivery. Anyone can produce a happy quote from handover day.
Our answer. Owners who have been living in their homes full-time for 18 months and more — in their own words, not ours. Read the owner stories
- 03
How are payments staged?
Large money upfront with everything paid before completion is the pattern that leaves people stranded when a builder fails. Ask how each payment maps to a build milestone you can see.
Our answer. Ask us for the payment schedule before you commit to anything — it maps to build stages, and we will walk you through it line by line.
- 04
Is there a named person accountable?
"The team" is not a name. Ask who is responsible for your build, and what happens if they leave.
Our answer. You will deal with Hayden and the same people from first visit to delivery.
- 05
What is the warranty, and who honours it?
Ask what is covered, for how long, and — the question people forget — what happens to it if the business changes hands.
Our answer. Ask us and we will put the terms in writing before you pay anything.
The part we can't write ourselves.
On-time and on-budget delivery is the thing our owners mention most — including onto steep, tight and awkward sites.
We've been living full-time in our house from Micro Homes Group for a year and a half now… From the very beginning, Hayden and his team were fantastic.
Delivered on budget and within the stated time frame… a tight installation location proved no issue.
The other two things worth checking.
Can you live in one full-time?
Sort the legality question out before the builder question — it's the one that decides whether you buy at all.
Our process, stage by stage
What happens between the first visit and the day it's craned into place.
About this page. Last reviewed 2026-07-20. Warranty terms, payment staging and who you'll deal with are all things you should have in writing before you pay anything — ours included. Ask us for them.
Come and stand in the factory before you commit to anyone.
Walk through a finished MicroHome, meet the people who'd build yours, and ask us the five questions to our faces.
or call 0429 461 659