After years of discussions around the potential use of modular homes as a tool to ease the shortage of housing in Ireland, it seems like we’re shortly going to see one of the first large-scale applications of the construction method.
Earlier this week, it was disclosed that eight sites have been identified by the Office of Public Works as potential locations for up to 500 modular homes, which would be used, in the short term at least, as temporary homes for Ukrainian refugees.
The goal is to buy the “very good quality” modular homes from Irish suppliers, and have them on site in as little as 16 weeks.
Longer term, the homes could form part of the overall Irish housing supply.
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Modern modular
It’s not the first time modular housing has been used to address housing needs. Dublin City Council, for example, has used modular homes to help meet the needs of its social housing list in sites such as Poppintree in Ballymun
The advantages of such an approach are clear. Once a site is serviced, delivery and assembly of such units happen fast.
Homes can be assembled, on site, in as little as four hours, while the process also produces considerably less waste than conventional building.
Cavan-based Modular Homes Ireland, for example, says it can install a pair of semi-detached houses in a day, at about four hours a house, and about 90 per cent completed.
Moreover, while modular homes previously may have had a less than robust reputation in the past when they were built more as prefab type units, construction standards have risen considerably.
The homes being considered for Ukrainian refugees, for example, are understood to have longevity of about 40-60 years.
It’s also a move that is gaining pace internationally. In the UK, for example, low-cost furniture giant Ikea is taking its flat-pack approach to building houses, and has been tasked with building about 400 affordable modular homes across Worthing, Bristol and Peacehaven.
And modular housing is not just to meet basic housing needs; proponents like German luxury prefabricated homes manufacturer Huf Haus target homeowners at the upper end of the scale – although the costs for such a home tend to be hefty, at about €1 million-plus for a home and site.
Costs
And its not just a Huf Haus that costs.
One stumbling block to date of a wider implementation of the modular approach has been the expense of building this way. While it might seem counter-intuitive, constructing a home via a modular approach can in fact cost considerably more than a traditional approach.
The aforementioned units at Poppintree for example, cost almost €200,000 each – excluding the cost of land – back in 2016.
But this is changing.
Last year, the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said that modular construction costs are close to becoming cheaper for house building than conventional on-site methods.
And building large-scale house developments can keep these costs lower; the CIF has said that such projects are best suited to developments of at least 100 or more dwellings.
With more than 100 Irish businesses now supplying the modular building industry, the success or otherwise of the upcoming project to house Ukrainian refugees could yet spur similar projects across the country.
