Diary of a Project Monitor January 2022
– Colin Ranshaw –
Last month was spent in the South West of the country as I rounded up for the year.
I was pleased to see that a site in Winchester that previously had problems sourcing plasterboard now has an abundance. This suggests that supply issues are continuing to improve across the industry. I’m hopeful that this trend continues into 2022.
Two other sites that stood out on my recent travels have the coast in common, making them very desirable. This is especially true as we embrace a new normal of working from home, driving demand for coastal locations through the roof as people look to strike the perfect work-life balance.
The first site of these two sites was in Hayle, Cornwall. A beautiful part of the country deserving of the very best a property can offer. This development of 24 terraced houses doesn’t disappoint. Set against the backdrop of a railway viaduct, every one of these two and three-bedroom homes has sold (minus the four that the developer is holding on to). This is an excellent result and testament to the quality and location of the build.
The second visit that stood out for me was a site in Bournemouth where four high specifications, three-bedroom homes have been built in a quadrangle format. This build caught my attention due to their decision to adopt the Modern Method of Construction (MMC), not something I see every day.
This is undoubtedly a more complex way of building, often requiring more scaffolding to brace the building and a degree of patience while the insulated concrete forms are set. However, the result is unbeatably warm, energy-efficient homes. It’s incredible to think that the humble polystyrene block can be used in this way. It got me thinking about alternative methods of working and how we are constantly improving efficiencies across the industry. I expect to see the use of such methods in more sites in the future as demand to cut energy bills increases over the next few years.