In timely fashion, Modular Living’s modular home at Stockport, Greater Manchester has been developed just as Housing Minister, Grant Shapps, announced the release of enough land to build 100,000 homes by 2015, providing support to the millions on social housing waiting lists.
A ground breaking sustainable project, which is the result of three years research and development, Modular Living’s new home will help fill a gap in the social housing market and do so in a way that will lower energy bills and help reduce fuel poverty, with predicted annual costs of £500 for total energy use.
Modular Living’s one storey, two bedroom home was designed by RGP Architects and built with help and expertise from North West suppliers, including Cheshire-based Spectus Window Systems, in order to minimise fuel costs, reduce CO2 emissions and support the local economy.
Commenting on the need to increase the supply of affordable housing, Cliff Walsingham from Modular Living said: “In the social housing sector demand far exceeds supply and we believe it is a problem that can be addressed with the production of high quality, energy efficient, factory built modular homes.
“Our demonstration home is a robust, high performance building that can be manufactured quickly and has many energy efficient features, including PVC-U windows and doors from Spectus. As well as being exceptionally cost effective and easy to maintain, they can provide U-Values as low as 0.8W/(m²K).”
Modular Living’s manufacture of a dry construction home in a controlled factory environment, without the delays caused by poor weather conditions, offers many benefits such as quicker build times and improved quality.
To ensure minimal maintenance in the future, fit and forget technology is installed throughout the demonstration house, including seven windows and two doors fabricated by Mold’s Snowdonia with Spectus’ Elite 70 PVC-U profile. A mix of side hung casement windows with middle fixed panels, floor to ceiling windows and unique top hung windows with false panel bottoms were used, all of which were sealed with ISO-Chemie’s ISO-BLOCO One expanding foam tape to make the building airtight and prevent heat escaping through the structure.
Cliff continues: “Spectus as the preferred supplier was able to meet all of our window criteria and Snowdonia invested much time and skill in achieving an aesthetically pleasing window that could provide low U-Values. The Elite 70 PVC-U profile is ideal because it is low maintenance and unlike timber, it does not need painting so we are able to keep costs down. In addition to this, BRE states that PVC-U has a lifespan of 35 years so the windows will only need replacing once in the building’s 65 year life time.”
Modular Living’s home meets Level Four of the Code for Sustainable Homes thanks not only to the installation of Spectus windows, but also other energy efficiency measures such as a heat exchange unit and the use of high quality insulating building materials including increased loft insulation. The external walls of the house are constructed from structural insulated panels (SIPs) and the large panels used means there is a tighter building envelope and fewer joints through which air leakage can occur, giving the building structure a high insulation value. The exterior has been fitted with pre-assembled brick panels and rendered panels, which can be provided in a wide choice of colours and finishes to suit any local environment.
At 22 tonnes, the house is almost half the weight of a standard house and can be transported to site by lorry. Its lighter structure means it can be lifted by crane onto prepared shallower foundations, saving on labour and material costs.
Cliff explains: “Our new home is primarily aimed at older people, so all the doors can accommodate wheelchairs. We’ve incorporated a panel in the wall between bedroom one and the main bathroom that can be easily removed and a hoist can be installed between the bedroom and the bathroom. These measures mean an elderly or disabled person can stay in their home for longer.”
Spectus’ Peter Colclough concludes: “We’re extremely proud to be involved in this project, which has been years in the making and a steep learning curve for all involved. For Cliff and his business partner John Sayer, the project has been labour of love but the results are amazing and the potential is limitless.
“The speed with which this kind of home can be built and occupied will be a huge advantage to housing associations and councils. This property will have an LABC warranty, which widens the market for the house as it can be bought on a mortgage that allows housing associations to offer shared equity. The outlook is very exciting indeed.”
