A number of our competitors are out in the market talking about the benefits of using a factory built pod which is then craned into place onto your existing home, as opposed to constructing the new second storey on site which is our preferred method.
Their main selling benefits for the pod or offsite construction method is..
- that there is less disruption to your existing home during the renovation process and you can stay in your house throughout the build
- as the pod is built indoors, there are no weather delays during construction so it will be quicker to construct and install the pod than build the second storey on site
- Because it is quicker to build off site, it will be a cheaper option than building on site
Having constructed more than 100 second storey inserts in his building career, Green-Shore Director and Site Supervisor Clint Shore offers below his observations/reservations about the off site or pod method.
Nothing is ever square…
…no matter how old or new your house is and how well it is constructed, things will not be square. So Clint has serious doubts about how something can be built externally and then be expected to fit perfectly onto your existing home without a serious amount of massaging once it is craned into place, so blowing out the total build time and quality of the external and internal finish
We construct our second storey inserts on site with you happily living through it…
The way we work is to scaffold your house and put in a ramp. The second storey is then constructed in its entirety and is made to measure while you happily go about your normal life “downstairs”. Every trade including the finishing trades accesses the new second storey externally. The very last thing that is installed is the new stairs which is the only time there is any major disruption to life downstairs.
We can build it quicker on site than they can build it off site and then install it…
From the day we start, usually within 8 weeks the scaffold is up, the floor frame is in, the walls and roof are in place, tiles or tin and gutters are complete and your new second storey is weather proof with all the internal works to follow eg gyprock, ceilings, electrical etc. Within another four weeks, we are normally totally finished and you are enjoying your newly expanded home. In that same time, Clint doubts that a pod can be constructed externally, craned into place and installed.
If you are considering putting a second storey on your current home….
…we encourage you to either talk to the many satisfied former clients that we have who can confirm the above process and outcome from both a speed and quality perspective or look at the testimonial section on our web site. A number of short time lapse videos of recent second storey constructions are also available on our Youtube channel. Alternatively, please feel free to look at the projects section of our website for more examples of recent second storey additions.