Unique modular houses are set to arrive in Cumbria next week (Monday 25th).
Royal Drive, in Egremont, consists of 26 homes that are a mixture of two and three bedrooms, with each one being delivered and installed in the space of 24 hours.
The new development is being created by Home Group, one of the UK’s largest housing associations, in collaboration with local company Ashcroft and ilke Homes, an industry leader in offsite modular manufacturing.
David Armstrong, Senior Delivery Manager at Home Group, said: “Seeing these modular homes arrive on the back of a large transporter will be quite a spectacle for the local community.
“Modular represents a more environmentally friendly and quicker way of creating housing, with the final product being a higher quality home for our customers.
“Thanks to being built in a controlled environment the process isn’t affected by external factors, such as bad weather, which would normally delay construction – particularly in Cumbria.
“ilke Homes bring a wealth of experience and specialist knowledge to a project like this, so we’re confident in both the houses themselves and the process by which they’re being delivered.”
Similar to how cars are built, ilke’s homes are created along a production line which allows the offsite manufacturer to cut delivery times in half and ensure quality control at various stages of the construction process.
The factory-built homes, which are due to arrive on site on Monday 25th November, are all backed by the same NHBC Build Mark warranty that traditional homes offer.
More than 300,000 homes per year are needed to meet current housing demand, yet only 163,000 were built in 2017/18. The UK is facing a major skills shortage in the UK as well as a shortage of materials.
Shelter’s social housing commission estimates that three million new social homes are needed over the next 20 years to help solve the housing crisis. Modern methods of construction and modular offer a high quality and sustainable solution to problem.
Dave Sheridan, Executive Chairman at ilke Homes, said: “Collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial if we’re to deliver the homes our country so desperately needs. The power of such partnerships, like the one we’ve established with Home Group, will afford the industry the ability to build high-quality, sustainable homes at pace.
“Modular is only at the beginning of its already momentous journey, but for the industry to reach new heights, partnerships must be encouraged and embraced.”
Home Group has already utilised modular in other areas of the country, including Gateshead Innovation Village where they are researching different construction types to better understand their advantages versus traditional builds.
The homes at Royal Drive will be transported from ilke Homes’ factory on the back of a heavy goods vehicle and installed in a day, minimising noise and disruption for the local community.
Once on-site, each module of the home – split into ground, first floor and second floor – is then craned into place. The house, which is already finished internally, is then connected to the groundworks and services.
