Karm Homes Embraces MMC with Bungalow Build
Lying South of the market town of Blandford Forum in Dorset, sits the small village of Charlton Marshall. Surrounded by picturesque countryside, there’s plenty to do and see in this charming market town, and with a thriving community it a superb location for those looking for a rural place to live.
Karm Homes specialise in building new, affordable housing in Dorset and Hampshire, and settled on the quaint Charlton Marshall to develop two chalet style properties, built using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and choosing Roofspace Solutions as a partner in the development.
These two new bungalows are being built using the i-Roof™ and i-House™ solutions, allowing for a speedier build which, when complete, will give the new owners additional valuable living space using our innovative room-in-roof solution.
These quaint bungalows comprise three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large parking area and countryside views from the front doorstep. Located on a spacious plot, these two homes prove that MMC isn’t just limited to use in large-scale housing developments.
A comprehensive package
Roofspace Solutions i-House™ and i-Roof™ products are designed to work seamlessly together, and Karm Homes opted to take advantage of both solutions to construct these two three-bedroom bungalows.
Normal installation procedures had to be altered for the installation of the two i-House™ plots. Typically, when working on a large site, the Roofspace Solutions installations team would stay on-site at all times, moving between plots as scaffolding is installed.
As this was a much smaller build which was tight on space, once the ground floor elements had been laid, the team had to leave site while the scaffolding and brickwork were erected, before returning to install the ground floor cassettes and finally, i-Roof™.
Working together to deliver the best
At Roofspace Solutions, we pride ourselves on offering a collaborative approach, always working closely alongside the customer to ensure the best possible result is delivered.
While Karm Homes had their own architect, the team at Roofspace Solutions worked with them to optimise the i-House™ system, to ensure it would work within the space provided.
A collaborative approach is essential and so we always work together with the customer to tackle any issues that may arise throughout the build. In this project, limited space in the plots meant it was difficult to get the crane on-site to install the i-House™ elements. However, our site manager Adam Potts produced a detailed lift plan to ensure all health and safety procedures were adhered to, and that the local community wasn’t disrupted.
We worked closely with the team at Karm Homes to strategically plan the deliveries to site, to ensure all local roads continued operating as normal, with no blockages and no damage from delivery trucks.
Feeling the benefit
By working with Roofspace Solutions and opting for the full housing package, Karm Homes were able to feel the full benefit of using MMC. Benefitting from a build which saves up to 40% time compared to traditional building methods, these two bungalows were able to be completed in 12 working days, ready for follow-on trades to complete their work. As such, Karm Homes have estimated that they are three weeks ahead of where they expected to be, with occupation estimated to be in Spring/early Summer 2024.
Martin Keenes, founder of Karm Homes, said of working with Roofspace Solutions: “As repeat customers of Roofspace Solutions, it shows how strongly we believe in them as a company and their products.
There are many Modern Methods of Construction, but their method ticks all our boxes. We get a masonry product with factory produced floors and roofs, all craned into place in a few days. From start to finish the communications are excellent, the design process is easy and the installation teams are responsive and proficient, meaning we get a complete watertight shell in just one week!
The cleanliness of the site and the reduced waste is a huge bonus for anyone wishing to improve their eco credentials. This is the company to use for fast and efficient MMC.”
Graeme Reed, OSS Installations Director who is overseeing the project for Roofspace Solutions, said: “Combining i-Roof™ and i-House™ makes for the ideal MMC solution for house builders and developers who want to save time and money without compromising on the quality of the build. We were pleased to help Karm Homes explore using MMC and its benefits, such as reduced environmental impact and enhanced on and off-site safety.”
Accelerate your next build
If you’d like to discover how Roofspace Solutions can help with your next build, contact us today:
By phone: 01789 768 000
