Building company puts its vote behind prefab houses

BUILDING prefabricated houses is the best option for the country, says a construction company.
David Cusick, the general manager of Rhodes PNG, said despite PNG’s mountainous terrain with no access to some parts of the country, “transporting prefabricated homes from the factory to the actual building site will not be a big problem and is much more cheaper compared to building on site”.
“Prefabrication is a modern building technique where large components of a house like walls are built in a factory, and then transported and assembled in the actual building site,” he said.
“Prefabricated houses are hugely popular in Europe and North America.
“Asia and the Pacific are slowly catching up as more people become aware of the advantages they offer.
“Studies have shown that a prefabricated house is usually 40 to 50 per cent cheaper than its traditional counterpart.
“The short time it takes to assemble a prefabricated house means that you don’t need to pay for expensive labour over a long period of time.
“You don’t need a qualified builder to assemble your prefabricated home.
“This is a real benefit because there is a shortage of qualified builders in Australia.
“Qualified builders are also very expensive.
“Assembling a home yourself without unskilled workers is another way to save money, and having a modern home more affordable.”
Cusick said it was also easier to maintain high construction standards with prefabrication.
“Mostly, construction takes place in a factory floor, which is a quality-controlled environment,” he said.
“That way, it is much easier to control the quality of prefabricated homes.
“In a controlled environment, it is much easier for construction managers to supervise and monitor the work.
“In building a structure with many parts, this is critical.”
Cusick said there are 12 companies that provide prefabricated homes in PNG.
“Having a range of providers to choose from is good as competition often drive prices down,” he said.
Despite a recent economic slowdown, industry experts are bullish that prefabricated homes will find a good market in the country.