星空传媒

It has just sold two modular houses on the open market, and both buyers have paid a price of around 10% higher than for a comparable conventionally-built house.

The homebuyers have paid a premium for new homes that were 85% made in a factory, are built from steel modules and offer performance benefits over conventional homes. Sunley developed the houses with manufacturer The Elliott Group to trial factory-build technology.

"We were expecting a premium for the houses because they had big benefits over a conventional house," said Anne Fendi, sales and marketing director with Sunley. The housebuilder's marketing literature for the houses highlighted such benefits as improved sound insulation and high energy efficiency, with a potential 20% saving on energy bills.

The housebuilder developed the two houses in the midst of conventionally-built homes at its flagship Port Regent site, on the marina at Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne. The Elliott Group manufactured one of the standard housetypes there, a 1212 sq ft four-bed Magellan.

The first factory-built home was made from 12 room modules, six on each floor, and came with a modular roof and garage. The steel-framed modules were clad externally in a cementitious panel and finished in cut-down bricks to give a conventional-looking exterior.

The second was an identical housetype but with more complex details, including a bay window and external render, and was made from just four room modules.

Both homes were valued by the Halifax, and carry a Zurich 星空传媒 Guarantees warranty. The Elliott Group has also produced a user-guide for buyers.

Sunley found benefits in build time and quality. "Skills shortages are so great that housebuilders will have to look at factory build and timber frame," said Fendi.