Take a video walk through of the first pre-built homes to be used in Shropshire
The first ever development of pre-built homes ever to be built in Shropshire will be installed this month.
The modular homes will be used as social housing in a pilot scheme, to see whether they can be used on more developments in future.
Wrekin Housing Trust, which is one of the largest social housing providers in the West Midlands, has commissioned the installation of four two-bedroom homes at its Gordon Road development in Trench, Telford.
The development will test build speed, the quality of the homes and how satisfied the first residents are with the homes, before the trust decides whether to use more of the factory built homes in the future.
Modular homes, sometimes referred to as factory built, are buildings that are constructed off-site.
Once completed, each of the 70sq m houses will be transported by lorry to Gordon Road for installation.
Then they will be lifted in to place by crane, and it will be just days before the homes would be ready for people to move in.
The buildings have been designed to be of a high quality and will be just like a traditional home.
On the ground floor, each building will have a living room to the front of the property, modern kitchen and dining area, as well as a toilet.
Upstairs, there’s a master bedroom, a second bedroom, along with a bathroom.
Outside there’s an off-road parking space and a small garden to the front, with a larger garden to the rear.
David Hall, from The Wrekin Housing Trust, said: “We are very excited about the creation of these innovatively designed houses.
"They will be high quality buildings with a 60-year life cycle, similar to that of traditional bricks and mortar buildings, as well as insurance backed warranty.
“We decided to invest in modular homes because there are so many benefits to them, including being energy efficient, cost-effective, and typically up to 70 per cent quicker to both build and install than a traditional house.”
The installation of these modular homes is part of the wider development of social housing at the Gordon Road site by The Wrekin Housing Trust.
The entire development will feature a total of 31 properties, made up of four one-bed properties, 25 two-bedroom properties, one three-bedroom property and one four-bedroom property.
