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Will modular construction continue to grow?
Yes of course! As more mortgage lenders and building authorities get used to modular construction, this will help its growth as developer confidence in the process will increase. As the demand increases innovation is forced on many fronts such as;
- Flexibility of home designs
- Costs will become even more competitive
- More factories
Currently the construction industry is suffering from a skills shortage to deliver onsite, as the older generations of builders retire, we will be met with a big shortage in the industry. This will allow for a natural progression into Modular Construction. Other factors such as price increases and material shortages are forcing developers and self builders to explore modular construction.
How are modular buildings constructed?
It is more appropriate to look at modular buildings as a construction process rather than a different type of building.
Modular buildings are a natural evolution of a traditionally built home, built in a weather controlled environment, using the aid of computers and machines and finally assembled onsite, this process thoroughly controls the quality of the end product.
Do modular homes last longer than tradtionally built buildings?
Yes, absolutely Yes if not longer. The buildings are designed to the same building regulations & standards as a traditionally built home.
The crucial difference with a modular building is, what was designed is what will be built. Not how the builder read the drawing outside on a scaffolding on a cold blistery winter morning. 10 year Structural warranties are available for modular buildings and most modular factories will give you a structural guarantee of up to 20 years.
How does the cost compare with a traditional building?
Although construction costs are always almost generally the same between the two types of construction. The cost of a modular building ends up cheaper than a traditional building for many reasons. Some reasons below;
- Fixed design upfront means fixed costs, often onsite changes drives up construction costs
- Pre ordered materials to a factory mitigates against any price increases
- Loss of materials onsite
- Lack of adequate site coordination increases costs
- Human error & re works due to builder or design errors
Is this not a new untested method of construction?
Nope, the first noted prefabricated building was in 1670, shipped from England to the US.
During the gold rush of 1849 over 500 prefabricated homes were shipped from New York to California. Prefabricated homes are heavily relied on in the commercial construction sector to deliver from modular McDonalds drive throughs to high rise flats by Mace Construction. Over 15,000 homes are delivered in the UK each year using Modular construction and that figure is rising fast!