Building a home: modular homes can help to ease rural housing crisis

Planning requirements for modular homes could be removed under plans announced by Minister of State for Housing, John Cummins who believes garden homes offer a practical measure to tackle the housing crisis.

The Waterford TD is seeking Government support for plans to remove the planning requirement for modular homes no bigger than 40m2, in a bid to offer younger adults alternative accommodation to their parents’ homes. Minister Cummins also believes the measure would benefit older people who want to downsize from bigger properties.

Currently, people can build 40m2 extensions to their homes without the need for planning permission. However, residential structures independent of existing dwellings, regardless of size, require permission under planning laws.

A modular home consists of sections, or modules, that are built off-site from the planned location of the building and then are delivered and finished on-site.

It must meet the same building regulations and codes as more traditional homes and under existing legislation, requires planning permission regardless of size.

Minister Cummins believes his proposal is a “common sense, practical measure that would give younger and older persons the option to live independently of the family home while retaining the support of the family network”.

He concedes the plan isn’t suitable in every part of the country and it will come with conditions, but given that he has only just started consultation with every other Government department, before seeking the public’s views, any changes to the rules are still some way off.

Those in need of housing cannot afford to wait and many people in rural Ireland are considering their options when it comes to modular homes, which are quicker and cheaper to install than a traditional house build.

Forty year mortgage

One such couple are Jennifer O’Neill and her partner Kevin*, who are in their early 30s and living in the west of Ireland.

With no desire to saddle themselves with a 40-year mortgage, they looked at a range of housing options for a site next door to Jennifer’s parents’ house on the Galway/Roscommon border.

Having researched mobile homes, log cabins and modular homes, the couple opted to go down the modular home route, moving in to the house almost two years ago.

They say they have never looked back.

Speaking to Irish Country Living, Jennifer explains that seeing her friends struggle with massive monthly mortgage repayments was a big factor in their decision to opt out of the traditional property market.

“We saw our friends struggling with huge mortgages and rents and were determined we weren’t going down that road. We are still young and want to live our lives without sacrificing holidays or the nicer things in life just to meet a mortgage repayment,” she says.

“We looked into mobile homes which were coming in at a minimum of €40,000 and log cabins, which we discovered took a lot of maintenance, so we researched modular homes and made a list of pros and cons for each.

Neighbours

“We also made the decision to approach each of our neighbours to explain what we were doing so that we had the support of our local community. And they were all so lovely and were genuinely delighted we weren’t going down the road of borrowing huge money to afford a home.”

Jennifer’s parents were relieved that their decision to put down roots removed the prospect of the couple emigrating.

“My parents were delighted we weren’t heading off on a plane somewhere, which is what so many people our age are forced to do because they can’t see a future which sees them owning their own home here in Ireland,” adds Jennifer.

“We had space beside Mam and Dad’s bungalow so when we had found the right modular home, we pushed ahead and broke ground in August 2022. The frame of the house was installed in October, it went up in a day, and we’d have been in much quicker had we not been delayed by our electrician.”

The couple moved in to their spacious, two-bed home in February 2023 and estimate the total build cost them €75,000.

“We are very lucky in that Kevin was able to do most of the work once the structure of the house was in place. He can turn his hand to most things, so the only thing we needed tradespeople for was the electrics and the plastering.

“My uncle is a carpenter so he was able to help us with the slabbing, so we put in extra insulation and the house is so warm. We also got through storm Éowyn without any damage when next door Mam and Dad lost roof tiles. Having the shell of the house to work with meant we could customise it by leaving the vaulted ceilings in place and going bigger on the kitchen without a utility room. We love the space we’ve created. It’s home.”

Not a magic fix

Jennifer and Kevin had spent four and a half years living with her parents and are loving the freedom and space they now enjoy living a stone’s throw from their former home.

“You need your own front door no matter what age you are and while we all got on great it was hard, both for us and Mam and Dad,” says Jennifer.

“The long-term plan is probably for Mam and Dad to move in here further down the line and us to have their house but to be honest, I love our house so much I’m thinking of maybe extending it if and when we need more space. Even if Mam and Dad don’t know that just yet,” she says.

Housing needs

Sean Brett is the founder and chairman of Steeltech Sheds, a nationwide firm that manufactures and supplies modular homes across the island of Ireland.

He believes farmers and those with land in rural Ireland are perfectly placed to install modular homes to solve both the housing needs of their children and the staff they need throughout the year to support their businesses.

“We’ve been making steel sheds for the past 30 years and moved into modular homes eight years ago, which now accounts for 25% of our business,” he explains.

“We sold a three-bed home to a family in Co Cork recently whose son was getting married and wanted to keep living on the land he was farming.

“They were living close enough to a nearby village where he could have bought a traditional house, but he wanted to be on the farm so they went down the modular route which was a better fit for them.

“If the Government follows through on its plan to remove the planning permission requirement, with terms and conditions, then within two years you would see a significant difference in reducing the cost of rent in particular as it would increase the availability of housing units.

“While we supply and install the house frame, complete with composite panel insulation, roof, windows, and doors, it’s up to the client to secure the relevant planning permission, appoint a builder to install the base and fit out the house, and get an engineer to issue the certificate of compliance. We have five builders in Cork, Limerick and Galway that we recommend to clients, but all we supply is the steel frame of the house, the rest is up to them.

“Modular homes aren’t a magic fix for the housing crisis but they definitely have a place in the conversation.”

*Names have been changed.