Frequently Asked Questions

This is very country/region specific and also depends on the model of KODA you’ve chosen. In several countries – as in Estonia –  you may not need a planning/building permission for houses under 20 sq/m, as long as it is in a buildable area and not too close to plot borders. That is why KODA Loft Micro is designed to be as comfortable as the other KODA houses with just 19.96 sq/m of gross buildable area, whilst still featuring all you need –  a kitchenette, a shower room, storage space, a separate sleeping area and a lounge area. For most KODAs in most countries you would still need a building permit, and we give our best to provide the customers with the most relevant documentation and drawings required for your application. Kodasema bears no liability for the accuracy of this information in your location.

Yes, an increasing number of banks are supporting clients in financing their KODAs whether for permanent living or for a rental venture. For those of you looking into this option: it has been important to reference that KODA is a factory-made house that can be fastened to foundations. Banks seem to question financing movable houses, houses-on-wheels or light-structured tiny houses. You may want to clarify the classification of your KODA as a permanent modular house, without wheels. It is equally important that KODAs are certified by Ü-Mark – (BMF in Germany, KIWA Inspecta in Finland), and built for year-round living. All materials and components used in the production of KODA are CE certified and of highest quality, we use passive house triple-glazed windows and have excellent U values in our KODA walls, ceilings and floors.

By the way – in Estonia, you can even lease a KODA just as you would lease a car, making the process much faster and simpler.

For our clients in the US, we can do even better than just shipping – you can have your KODA built in the US by our licensee Big Sun Modular. For Canada: our representative for Canada is based in NY, and Brian would be happy to talk you through all the details of shipping your KODA to Canada. Both US and Canadian enquiries can be addressed to sales@bigsunmodular.io. For all other destinations, please contact us via sales@kodasema.com.

Kodasema HQ is located in Tallinn, Estonia with a network of showrooms and hotels in multiple countries in Europe such as Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and for other countries see here. In addition to that, we have sales representatives and partners in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, and the US. KODA houses are produced in Estonia in our own in-house factory and for large-scale orders in co-operation with Estonian house construction factory Harmet. For the Americas, our licensee is Big Sun Modular.

The delivery time is approximately 5 months as of receipt of prepayment. Occasionally we may have 1 or 2 KODAs in stock that can be delivered faster though – do ask! For the EU, a transportation or road permit is required and this may take 1-5 weeks depending on the country. KODAs are delivered as whole and are oversized cargo usually on low-bed trucks. 

There is no assembly on site. KODAs are delivered turn-key. If the site has been prepared as required and connections to utilities are available, it shouldn’t take more than a day to have the KODA ready for living. Connecting the house to utilities is up to the customer to arrange locally with the help of a local contractor. 

 

It may be possible to visit privately owned KODAs in Northern Germany. You are very welcome to contact our sales partner in Frankfurt – who can occasionally arrange visits to some of the privately owned KODAs. Another option – in case you are able to travel a bit further – is to book a visit to see the two KODA Loft Extended houses at the Eco-Cabins showroom at IJmuiden in the Netherlands.

Theoretically, if you have access to an aerial crane or heavy lift / construction helicopter, but it would very likely make the shipping costs excessively high. However, regular trucks/lorries do the job of delivering your KODAs just fine, provided there are suitable roads. You’ll also need to make sure there’s room at the destination for a crane to lift your KODA off the truck to the right spot. 

We do make KODA floats – so you could place your KODA in a freshwater-harbour or on a lake. But to make a KODA entirely oceanside-suitable would require swapping some materials – so there would be extra costs involved. We do love challenges, so please contact us at sales@kodasema.com if you have plans for KODAs near an ocean.

All European KODAs come with electric underfloor heating. There are two heating zones in the KODA – the bathroom and the living room, with two separate thermostats. Clients can also opt for adding a heat pump by Nilan  (Combi HVAC – heating, ventilation, air conditioning) or Olimpia Splendid (Unico R system) as extra equipment.

You’ll receive a region-specific most up to date price list as soon as you fill out the form at the footer of our webpage here: https://kodasema.com

We have several! You can take a peek at some of the walkthroughs on our YouTube page and if there’s something specific you’d like to take a look at before placing your order, write to us at sales@kodasema.com and we’ll see if we can arrange a special virtual tour for you or alternatively provide more photos.

All KODA models come fitted with a shower, vanity sink and a toilet. An integrated washing machine is available as an add-on in KODA Loft. There is a designated space for washing machine and dryer in the KODA Loft Extended. These can be fitted locally.

Yes, it’s theoretically possible. But we’d only approach this case-by-case, as what is possible and what isn’t would be heavily determined by the location – both because of building regulations and site conditions. You need to involve a local architect and an engineer to be a project manager and contact between us and the local government institution. Extra costs are involved for custom solutions by Kodasema. 

Every KODA house has a tiny front terrace for enjoying the outdoors – this is what we suggest using. If you are still adamant for a roof solution, there are several aspects to take into account. Yes, any KODA structure is strong enough for a roof terrace, but it would need to be separately designed, and installed on location post-delivery. Also, in some countries, an added roof terrace might impact getting the building permit, i.e. you  must ensure  that the proposed solution complies with building physics, especially regarding moisture and load. Covering a flat roof may not be allowed in some regions. The most important issue with an added roof terrace would be to make sure no holes are drilled into the roof and to make sure rainwater can flow freely off the roof as originally designed.

Building houses that can be transported in whole is what the KODA brand has always been built around. All your KODAs have been designed specifically to endure shipping by both road and sea. We also use the same transport partners wherever possible, to ensure they have the necessary expertise for moving large-scale shipments of entire houses. Read more on how we wrap your KODAs to make sure they arrive in excellent condition. CMR insurance is included in case of DAP (delivered at place) conditions.

The KODAs in Australia and in the Americas are produced and shipped locally.

KODA models are not off-grid by design, but you can add some off-grid elements on your own. 

Solar panels are fragile in transport and would add to the height of the house while making KODA transport very complex and costly. So any solar panels would have to be installed on location, post-shipping. We suggest finding a local service provider for solar panels, as this would also make maintenance easier. Should you plan for solar panels, we’re happy to arrange relevant cabling to be built in during construction, at added cost. 

Regarding water purification, our affiliate company Spacedrip is developing an enclosed water purification system, so you are welcome to contact them directly for a personalized offer.

Yes, we can add side windows for all models of KODA at an added cost. Please mention this when placing the order and we can share further information on the possible options.

Yes, without any problems.

The expected life span of a KODA is prescribed by law while depending on the nature of your project, maintenance and care. 

If you choose timber cladding for the facade – yes. You can also choose metal cladding for instance.

No, they are not. Our standard is warm white LEDs, which can also be dimmed.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Registers are country or region specific. Please contact your responsible register to get a rating. Living in such a small footprint house like a KODA – on minimum viable space – is already saving energy. We consume less, when we live on a smaller space – e.g. compare a 260sqm house with a 26sqm house – it is evident that the difference in energy consumption is big. Additionally, KODA has excellent U-values rated between 0,13-0,16(sqmK) with 0,033 mineral wool and triple glazed passive house windows as well as timber construction that absorbs CO2.

Energy rating calculations can be conducted according to specific location – what kind of climate conditions are relevant and in case of interest can be ordered by the client locally.

Factory built off-site houses are another way of leaving a small footprint as is the simplified installation of the volumetric modular house.

Read more about KODA sustainability >>>

The outer walls have a rated sound reduction index against external noise of approximately 40 db. Project specific ratings and certifications are for the developer to perform.

Some aspects are universal – ie, from the point of view of your KODA, there would need to be at least 1 m on every side for maneuvering, aside from cases where you place several KODAs side-by-side, building a larger block of houses (see the hanova rental development in Hannover, Germany). But the best and most precise assessment regarding space for the crane will always be given by your locally hired crane operator, it will depend on the site and the KODA model you’ve chosen and the crane that the operator will be using. KODAs can weigh from 6 tonnes for KODA Micro to 15 tonnes for KODA Loft Extended. PS – this might be a good time to mention that the road leading to your location needs to be at least 4.5 m wide for your KODA to travel to its future destination. As with any issue: if this does not answer your questions, feel free to get in touch with us at sales@kodasema.com.

 

We use high quality 48mm thick triple-glazed windows with wooden frames, which are produced here in Estonia by Viking Window – an internationally renowned window and door company with 25 years of experience in Estonia, the Nordics, the UK, Ireland and Japan. The windows have completed thorough testings and certifications in Europe as well as USA. The glass used for KODA windows is tempered as well as UV-protected. The wooden door is supplied with the top quality, internationally well-known Assa Abloy handle and lock also via Viking Window, making the whole package well compatible for KODAs.

 

KODAs are delivered fully turn-key, with a built-in kitchen and installed sanitary equipment. There is no assembly on site other than connecting your KODA to the mains: electricity, water and sewage. KODAs are wrapped in protective heat-shrinkable HEAT³ EasyPack™, loaded onto trailers / low-bed trucks, and depending on your location, either driven to their destination or shipped with ferries and reloaded once more to the trailers. The costs obviously also depend on your exact location and distance from our manufacturing locations. Our logistics and transport partners have plenty of experience shipping. We’ll be happy to arrange for a more precise transport cost quote, depending on your desired end destination.

 

Measurements of each KODA can be found in the fact sheets of each KODA model under the products category on our website. Generally we do not allow adjustments in the planning especially for a single house order in order to be scalable in production.

The calculation principles may vary from region to region. We recommend taking input from Kodasema energy efficiency orientational values document available upon request and contacting your local certified building physicist who can give you a formal opinion based on your location and site.

That's all the FAQs for now

But if there's a question you didn’t find an answer to, let us know and we’ll get back to you!