A Tauranga house builder says he can ship a house from Tauranga to Christchurch – and compete in the post-earthquake market.

Tauranga house builder Chris Brauchli in one of his company's container houses.

Chris Brauchli told a Tauranga City Council committee meeting this week that Christchurch home buyers have no idea how much their builders are cashing in during the post-earthquakes housing boom.

'Do you have any idea how much Christchurch builders are overcharging now – it's like you wouldn't believe,” says Chris.

His company Earthcube makes homes out of containers – and Chris says he can ship a five bedroom container home of 162 m2, costing $320,000, to Christchurch for $20,000.

Chris says his container homes are not cheap. The low emission insulation and materials are all sourced outside the normal New Zealand building supply channels.

'We have had a number of people fly up to meet with us,” says Chris after the meeting. 'They just think it will be really cheap to build with containers. But by the time you have done all the things you have got to do, to do it properly; it's not the cheapest way to do it.”

'Sometimes it totally saves money, other times it just doesn't.”

Containers stack, span and cantilever for free, so some, otherwise expensive, engineering is free. 'But there is no way there are going to be curved walls or anything that doesn't fit the container Lego block style,” says Chris.

'So it's got its place, that's what I'm saying. The really big shock is so many people think this is going to be cheap. And we've had several companies start-up, trying to copy our idea and they have been really shocked to realise its not cheap.

'It can be cheaper in some cases; and it can definitely be better quality there's no doubt about that, because of the amazing strength you are working with. The quality comes from great design. You take that Lego block and do something really interesting with it.”

Another hurdle for Christchurch home builders is the $60,000 the city council requires them to spend on footings to combat liquefaction. In Tauranga footings cost $15,000-$20,000, says Chris.

In Rarotonga, and in other parts of New Zealand, the containers have been rested on piles.

'Unfortunately, Christchurch is going through a very big overhaul of its thinking, there are so many things they learning about liquefaction right now,” says Chris.

'For instance, the one we are doing down at Woodend Beach, there is a problem with flood plain as well as liquefaction – and that gets really expensive.

'The ones we are doing up in Cashmere, where it's rocky hillside, they are actually easier to work with. Because rock is rock and you don't have liquefaction problems.”