Project Description
MPH impresses Kirklees Council with their quality, standards and timescales achieved
The latest success story of MPH Building Systems is the installation of a brick slip pod extension to a family home in Ravensthorpe, West Yorkshire. Kirklees Council approached MPH to place a purpose-manufactured brick slip pod as an extension to the rear of the property, to act as a self-contained bedroom and bathroom facility. The pod was essential to enable the at home care of two brothers with special needs and to help to maintain their independence.
The brothers had become unable to access facilities and space within the existing family home to meet their basic needs, and therefore the family were unable to provide the care they required. This meant that healthcare professionals had to transport the brothers to alternative amenities to meet their needs, which was both costly and impractical.
MPH carried out a site visit and met the family, along with Suzan Roper, Senior Adaptations and Equipment Officer, and Ken Clarkson, Senior Surveyor of Strategic Housing for Kirklees. The necessity of the pod was apparent to the MPH team upon meeting the family and realising the frustration they have endured. Jonathan Hunt of MPH said, “maintaining the family unit and the at home care of these young men was of utmost importance”.
The site visit highlighted problems. With limited space available at the rear of the property, the first issue was the need to include two bedrooms. The in-house CAD design team at MPH overcame this obstacle and designed an appropriate facility incorporating two bedrooms and bathroom facilities.
The next challenge was the logistics of installing the pod in the rear garden of the property. With over 35 years’ experience of providing modular building solutions, MPH however used their skill and expertise to negotiate this without major difficulty. Using a 160 tonne crane to facilitate delivery and installation, the pod was lowered into position in the rear garden.
The entire project took only four weeks from planning consent through to completion. Foundations were laid at the site and the pod was prepared at the company’s purpose-built off-site factory prior to installation. Once on site, the pod was linked to both the existing central heating and electrical systems and was fully operational in just four days. Suzan Roper said, “we at Children’s Services are impressed by the quality and standard of the building and the timescale within which it was achieved”.
Compliant with the Disabled Discrimination Act and comprising a steel frame, the pod was finished externally with brick slips to complement the existing surroundings, whilst remaining environmentally friendly. Added to this, off-site preparation of the pod meant, importantly, that the family experienced very little disruption whilst works were ongoing.
This is the third such pod installation by MPH for Kirklees, and the versatility of using modular buildings means that they provide sustainability, are thermally efficient and cost-effective, with no compromise on quality. When no longer required, MPH can relocate the brick slip pod to a different property within the Council. As a result, the pods offer a far more flexible solution than traditional extensions or re-housing options, and, as Ken Clarkson explained, “the pods are probably slightly more expensive than building an extension, but the benefit is that they can be used again. In the long-term it will be more cost-effective than building extensions”.
The family were delighted with the extension to their home. Father, Mr Aslam, said, “I just want to thank everyone for what they have done. It will make life so much better for my two sons”. Suzan Roper added, “all the staff at MPH have been extremely efficient, approachable and professional with both family members and also professionals. The pod will make a huge difference to the quality of the lives of the two young men who will now be able to have more independence and access space and facilities that was not possible before”.