An Abuja-based firm, Messrs Just Fix It Synergy Nigeria Limited has called for the deployment of moveable homes in solving the nation’s housing problem.
The company’s Managing Director, Mr. Mekwunye Prince, said with the rapid rate at which moveable houses are manufactured, about 100 units in six months, it could be the answer to mass housing.
According to him, producing a unit of the houses takes about 21 days, while seven units can be produced in six weeks. Some of the unique features include solar installations.
The houses are built with a combination of shipping containers, insulated fibre cement board, Plaster of Paris (POP) finish for the interior and other eco-friendly materials that are sustainable. The residential houses come in varied designs such as studio apartments, large apartments and flats to duplex, for military, as well as paramilitary operations.
“Moveable houses are quick solutions to housing problem because in a short time, we mobilise more workforce and in less than six months, can produce up to a 100-units of houses. The idea is that you must have a piece of land that we can set up an apartment and whenever you don’t want to live there anymore, you dismantle and move it to another location.
“Whatever the client wants inside, we design it. We are proposing a low-income green city project, which is a small city with cabins, with each powered by solar, which would not be linked to electricity or generator. The more amenities required, the higher the cost,” he said.
Prince said: “Other firms build with laminated polystyrene boards, which are not strong, have high impact on the environment and may not last longer. But our homes are stronger and cheaper.
“We have built houses for the military. The cost of transportation is high, as we spent about N1.1million to transport them from Abuja to a customer in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State. From Abuja to Kaduna, we spent about N350, 000. But if we have high demand in certain regions, we will create clusters, for example in the South West to carry out all the production.”
“Last year, we built 38 houses for the military in Kaduna State, close to where there was a blast on the train track. We also built a police training school in Enugu State, another for Force CID in Abuja. We have also constructed seven units for an energy firm this year. About 47 units of such houses have been built,” he said.
On designs, he said: “You can have the room and toilet designed in 14 square metre spaces, while the 15 square metres will accommodate a room, toilet and small kitchen. A 40-footer comprises room, parlour, two-toilets and kitchen. There are also designs for a three/four bedroom duplex, bungalow and warehouse.
“It is as good as a house, the difference is that the users need to understand that it is a cabin and won’t have to pierce it. The design takes care of various space requirements for electronics, wardrobe, hanging of pictures and the owner don’t need to hit the walls. We have temporary locations for the built houses, so that we can easily move them where there is demand.
“The cost can vary from different parts of the country because the material can be cheaper in one location than the other. Where you have mass demand, the cost will definitely drop. The prices range between N3 and N30million,” he said.
