Filling the need for affordable housing was recently given a boost when the Nova Scotia Housing Authority moved four rather large pieces of a modular home through Springhill to its new home on Mechanic Street.
The structure will replace a duplex that was destroyed by fire in 2016.
“This new structure is a modular construction build, featuring four units, each comprising two bedrooms, with a special focus on accessibility for the ground floor units,” Emily Richardson of the housing authority said. “Designed with energy efficiency at the forefront, the building incorporates additional insulation in the crawl space, walls and attic. Heating and cooking will be facilitated by energy-efficient heat pumps, supplemented by electric baseboard heaters as backup sources.”
It's another example of housing development in the Municipality of Cumberland with municipal staff working with developers for upcoming projects on Robertson Avenue, Junction Road and Main Street in Springhill to fill a need for housing in the area.
Workers ease a section of a four-section duplex into place on Mechanic Street in Springhill.
Municipality of Cumberland Mayor Murray Scott said there is a lot of development taking place across the county.
“Last year was a banner year across the municipality with applications for rezoning and the issuing of building permits in areas where we haven’t seen development in a while,” the mayor said. “There is such a need for housing from one end of the municipality and staff are working very hard on making these things happen. I’m very excited to see this growth. There are a lot of great things happening.”
The mayor said he has spoken to a lot of developers who are showing great confidence in Cumberland County, adding there are many positive reasons for building homes.
The project on Mechanic Street represented the culmination of months of planning and preparation that included support from building officials and planning staff from the municipality, who assisted with permitting and the site plan approval process.
Site preparation and foundation work began in February, coinciding with construction of the four units at Kent Homes in Bouctouche, N.B. The four units arrived in Springhill in mid-April and were taken to the site on Mechanic Street by specialized trucks and lifted into place by a 250-tonne crane in a five-hour assembly process.
Richardson said the modular construction industry says prefabricated modular construction can reduce construction time by as much as 50 per cent over traditional construction methods. This is because fabrication is done simultaneously offsite while site preparation work is ongoing. Since it’s built indoors the process is independent of weather and includes streamlined planning, standardized components and integrated design that optimizes workflows.
Work at the site will continue over the next few weeks with interior and exterior finishing set to be complete in May and tenants able to move in around mid-June.