# Forum Contacts & Links Estimating & Quoting  Panel system for homes

## Sapienreno

I haven't looked at this properly yet. I thought if something like this is so cheap there has to be something wrong with it.  
Kit home prices start about $20 000 and are all under $100 000. http://gmihomes.com.au/wp-content/up...-GMI-HOMES.pdf 
http://gmihomes.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Distributor-Opportunity.pdf
Does anyone know about the above kit homes? When I started reading it I thought it was written by people who weren't great with their English. The last paragraph on the third page is a shocker. It makes me wonder about the company. 
I think the pictures are computer generated. What would magnesium panels inside and out really look like? PVC skirting boards?  A Revolution in Modular Home Design

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## Bros

Pretty obvious it is an English translation from I suspect Chinese. 
I have no knowledge of the types of homes. 
Logan Modular Home have been around for long time and have seen the test of time.

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## cyclic

Like Bros, I know nothing about the homes or GMI except they are in Maryborough by the phone number, and I did not read everything in the links, however, keep in mind if the prices quoted are the kit price, you need to add delivery/excavation/foundations/slab/plumbing and drainage/electrical, and of course erection of the kit home as well as council fees etc, and also most of these kit home suppliers will not give up the engineering drawings/specifications for council approval until the kit has been paid for..

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## Uncle Bob

The Panellock website is a Wordpress jobby and with a Gmail address doesn't instil confidence with me.
Still the Kit homes could be alright, dunno.

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## Uncle Bob

Their site probably hasn't seen so much traffic   :Smilie:

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## Sapienreno

It is said SIP panels are the future of residential construction. In the U.S the polystyrene looks like it is sandwiched in plywood. Other systems include magnesium, but these had a few problems. Steel SIP panels look good.  https://vimeo.com/45507142  Insulated Panel Homes
The lack of an address had me dig a bit more. It looks like the company Prospect Builders has been liquidated. 
The Grantham design was about $100 000. Nice too. Quick construction. Sustainable. Living areas in centre of the house completely open up so ventilation goes right through.

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## joynz

It could be a bit tricky finding builders willing to work with SIPs.   
Owner Builder magazine, Sanctuary and Renew mag and the Alternative Technology Association  have been writing about SIPs for years.

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## Sapienreno

I know. Weird that it is taking so long to be a good alternative in Australia. They've been using them in the U.S for about 30 years. Europe has been using them for a long time too. The U.S base at the South Pole is built from SIP panels. It is hard to think of a worse climate. It is more fire proof, wind proof, earthquake proof than most 'sticks' buildings. They actually discuss SIP's vs Sticks in architectural and building magazines. The best part for Australia is being able to benefit from all the mistakes that would've been made in Europe and the U.S.

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## Bros

> It could be a bit tricky finding builders willing to work with SIPs.   
> Owner Builder magazine, Sanctuary and Renew mag and the Alternative Technology Association  have been writing about SIPs for years.

  Aren't these modular home aimed at the DIY market?

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## Sapienreno

No. Prefab is much more common overseas. 84% of homes in Sweden are prefab. In California Project Frog is moving from school construction to other commercial sectors. There is no compromise on quality, no cost over-runs, less construction time, and smarter buildings reducing the total cost of ownership over a lifetime. This is what i want. Actually, I probably want a flat pack smart and sustainable home. Imagine that! 
Take a look at Impresa House, a newly developed factory producing prefab homes here in Australia.  http://www.impresa.house/offsitedigital/ 
This is the future. They use your design, manufacture it in 1-3 days, and it is assembled on your site in 3-7 days. People will look back at the way we've been building homes and think of it as the 'dark ages.' What is unsustainable is the way the construction industry builds homes. Think about it.... how inefficient it is.  
Look at this. 8 star homes. Faster build, less wastage, millimetre perfect accuracy and precision, higher quality, fixed costs, accurate estimations, highest grade materials. http://andiamo.house/impresa-house.php    http://www.prefabaus.org.au/what-is-prefab/ 
Smart housing being driven by smart builders should be the norm. It is predicted that by 2027 at least 10% of new Australian homes will be prefabricated.   “Other industries are undergoing rapid change, and if the construction industry does not lead on the testing and adoption of innovation, then it’s quite possible that we will see other industries moving into construction or international construction companies flourishing here.”  Sweden, the home of flat-pack, is a global leader in prefabrication with an estimated 84 per cent of buildings being produced off-site. For example, Lindbacks, a 90-year-old company, uses a process called “screen to machine”. Wood is fed into giant machines and a wall is produced every 17 minutes, including windows and insulation. The company produces apartments, student housing and aged-care buildings at the rate of 20 units a week.  Portugal is producing sleek and elegant prefab homes. Architects are praising MIMA, a company producing sophisticated homes with clean lines that are marketed as “costing the same as a mid-range car”. Japan is a seasoned player in pre-fabricated housing with around 13 per cent of the construction being done this way. The US has a healthy industry ranging from micro-homes to large family homes. Modular multi-residential projects are rare but increasing.  However, does any of this compare with the family house in China that was said to be produced by a construction 3D printer in three hours, or the Shanghai company that claimed to produce 10 houses in 24 hours? ..................................................  ...
The following is from a 2016 report by the Construction Leadership Council in the U.K called "Modernise or die." It is a good read.  There are some early signs of manufacturing-led foreign corporates considering entering the UK market and overcoming traditional barriers
to market entry through use of pre-manufactured construction products as opposed to traditional construction methods.  
“There appears to be a general acceptance of failure and underperformance both by (the construction) industry itself but also begrudgingly by clients.”   Within the construction sector,market cyclicality and the pressure to efficiently match supply and demand are creating both significant  challenges and substantial opportunities. Smarter processes pioneered in other industries, such as aerospace and automotive; are now being adopted by some pioneers in the UK construction industry.  Laing O’Rourke is rethinking the way they design, engineer, construct and operate their buildings and infrastructure. They believe that construction and engineering must break away from traditional processes to evolve and deliver projects quicker,safer and more sustainably; to a higher quality, with greater certainty.   It is win-win for those in the construction industry and their clients. "building new capacity through new business models that embrace pre-manufactured techniques." ...................
"Australia’s construction industry is somewhat behind when it comes to prefabrication which is only in its infancy compared to countries in Europe, North America and Asia. The prefabricated building sector is a mere 3% in Australia, while in Sweden prefabricated modular housing makes up about 70% of its construction industry." 
"Australia’s construction sector has been dogged by rising costs, low productivity and a heavy reliance on traditional building methods. Australia lags behind countries in Europe, North America and Asia with a prefabricated building sector in its infancy. Currently, it a $4.5 billion sector, which is only 3% of a $150 billion construction industry. By comparison, Sweden’s prefabricated modular housing is about 70% of its construction industry." 
The development of a prefabricated building sector will enable:   Constructing up to 90% faster than traditional methodsReducing total costs by up to 50%Addressing shortage of affordable and end-user focused residential housingAchieving 100% re-use of componentry, recycle 80% of site wasteReducing transport, labour, and site preliminaries by 70%Expanding export opportunitiesSecuring and maintaining competitive advantage in global value chains

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## Sapienreno

The way they are developing this technology it is worth keeping an eye on it. The one bedroom versions can be used as granny flats or extensions to homes.
https://popuphomes.com.au/modular-homes-and-prices/
These have 6 star energy ratings. 6 hours to erect and 2 days to fit out and connect to services. They also have double glazing, standard in Europe. They have to pay more to get single glazed windows.  
I should have guessed....
Ikea Flat Pack Home Ikea launches $80,000 flat-pack DIY house | Daily Mail Online A small house thatâs big on space 
Aussie pop-up https://www.domain.com.au/advice/roa...160211-gmrwje/ 
This overseas one builds itself https://www.simplemost.com/pop-up-ho...ld-10-minutes/  
A French company's version https://vimeo.com/81180775 
They say this is a cabin, but it is the size of a home. Cheap Prefab Homes - DublDom Prefab Line

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## joynz

SIPS are not necessarily the same as 'prefab'.   
Also, beware the slick marketing campaigns!  Everything has pros and cons.

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## SilentButDeadly

Every cool room in the country is made from SIP. The trick with using them in housing is to avoid ending up with a house that looks like a cool room.  
It's also worth bearing in mind that designing a solution is typically more successful and cheaper than engineering a solution. SIP are an engineering solution...that requires appropriate design to get the greatest benefit on your site.

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## Sapienreno

http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/prefab-homes-moving-into-millionaires-row-20131226-iyd4w 
Prefab homes moving into millionaires row.  A couple of Aussie prefab companies here are focused on the high end of modular/prefab construction. 
I've also noticed the Japanese multinational Sekisui House purchased the contract building section of A.V Jennings several years ago. They have also gone into the U.S, Russia, and China. With Toyota they are the biggest manufacturer of 'industrialised homes' in Japan. They have a deal with the Qld gov to develop Ecco Ripley. They are also working with Lend Lease. It is thought they are going to develop their factory techniques here but these probably won't be chaper homes. Ecco Ripley house and land packages are about $800 000.

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## UseByDate

> Every cool room in the country is made from SIP. The trick with using them in housing is to avoid ending up with a house that looks like a cool room.  
> It's also worth bearing in mind that designing a solution is typically more successful and cheaper than engineering a solution. SIP are an engineering solution...that requires appropriate design to get the greatest benefit on your site.

  What is the difference between designing a solution and engineering a solution? Engineering encompasses design. Using your terminology; would you say a computer was designed or was engineered?

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## SilentButDeadly

> What is the difference between designing a solution and engineering a solution? Engineering encompasses design. Using your terminology; would you say a computer was designed or was engineered?

  Both. It is designed then engineered to suit the design. Same should be true with houses.  
But many people fixate on the components first and have them drive the design and engineering rather than on appropriate design and then material selection to suit the design and engineering

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