Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
SHIFT TO A SMARTER SPACE
Global interest in the trend for unconventional, modular housing is growing and set to rocket in the future
THE FIXATION with unconventional housing trends – whether it is decking out a bus or camper van for permanent living or following the tiny house movement – has caught the imagination of people throughout the world.
These homes and how they are designed are so intriguing that reality television programmes and YouTube channels exploring them are raking in viewers.
Modular housing is also becoming “a thing”, even here in South Africa, where Dirk Coetser, director and architect at A4AC Architects, says the idea of living in such a home is becoming “more popular by the day”.
However, the number of inquiries so far outnumbers the actual investment in the houses.
“There is a lot of interest in these homes, but not yet many people willing to buy them. Since 2014 we have constructed and designed four. Most of these are in Gauteng as transport over a distance greater than 50km can be costly.”
All the modular homes built by the company are one-bedroom units, some with a small kitchenette and bathroom.
Designer and founder of Inizio Homes, Philip Nel, may only have built “a percentage” of the 180 to 200 modular homes he has designed over the past decade, but those that are completed are now lived in “all over South Africa”. The majority, he says, is in the Western Cape and Gauteng.
These homes are custom-designed and built “from the ground up” to suit clients’ needs, but cognisance has to be taken of the site on which they are to be erected. There is, of course, no restriction in terms of area or location, and if a site is remote or has difficult conditions like bad soil or a steep gradient, he says it can make more sense than a traditional building.
While the number of modular homes in South Africa is relatively small, Alicia Kalil from Berman-Kalil Housing Concepts says compared to when the company started out four and a half years ago, the movement has gained traction.
In addition to having built more than 14 such homes, it has also completed conversions such as ablutions, medical facilities, classrooms, retail/ bar units and offices. The homes are situated throughout the country in areas that include Bot River, Fisherhaven, Pringle Bay, Betty’s Bay, Fish Hoek, Suurbraak, Redelinghuys, Grahamstown, Stellenbosch and Tzaneen, Kalil says.
Homes range in size from small bachelor units to those with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The biggest challenge designers and architects of these homes face is the price. Coetser says creating small modular structures that are compliant with regulations makes it “fairly expensive”.
“You can easily build a brick and mortar structure for the same price. But you cannot move that structure in the future, whereas a modular structure can be moved to a new location.”
The Mamelodi Pod, designed by the company, costs about R40 000, and container units range from R109 000 to R275 000.
Delivery within the Gauteng area ranges from R5 000 to R15 000.
“The purchase price is the biggest expense.” Kalil says.
Standard units could cost R7 500/ m² and go up to R10 000/m² for more luxury finishes, roofing or exterior cladding.