Housing developer The Hill Group has added a larger size to its prefabricated modular micro homes.
The DuoHaus is like the factory-made SoloHaus but has an extra four square metres of space, to make it big enough for a couple to share.
SoloHaus and DuoHaus homes are built from steel in Shrewsbury by Volumetric Modular Ltd, of which Hill is 50% owner along with Darren Richards. They arrive on site fully furnished with a kitchen, living and dining area, bedroom and bathroom – and can be transported on a lorry. They are designed to have a minimum 60-year lifespan and construction warranty.
They can be used in either a single storey or two-storey arrangement, with minimal groundworks, needing only electric, water and waste connections. They have integrated cabling for broadband and TV and a single air source heat pump provides warmth for six homes.
The DuoHaus units have 28 square metres of available living space, compared to 24 square metres in the SoloHaus. The width of the two designs is the same and a DuoHaus unit can be installed in configurations alongside SoloHaus homes.
Hill has sold 134 SoloHaus units to private clients since the launch two years ago and chief executive Andy Hill has donated 200 units through his charitable foundation to provide temporary living for those in need.
The development of the DuoHaus is intended to offer more flexibility to local authorities in supporting those in need of homes. Like SoloHaus, DuoHaus are relocatable, easy to install and secure. They are designed to Future Homes Standards and exceed building regulations for energy efficiency and sound insulation, Hill says.
Andy Hill said: “With the launch of DuoHaus we are expanding the options that local authorities have available to them in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society. In developing this technology we have learned that allowing people to have somewhere to live with dignity while they rebuild their lives is a crucial part of their journey, and with this new product couples who are affected by lack of housing supply will be able to co-habit as they begin that process.”
Operations director Trevor Richards said: “DuoHaus builds upon the same technology platform as SoloHaus, utilising a very high degree of standardisation and component interoperability, meaning that we can maintain optimal levels of manufacturing efficiency and follow the same module assembly principles both in the factory and onsite.”
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