NHBC, the UK's leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes has welcomed two new panelised building systems to NHBC Accepts: LoCal Homes' ECO200 timber frame and Fusion Steel Framing's FusionX™ light gauge steel frame.
NHBC Accepts – endorsed by the Government's Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Champion Mark Farmer and recognised by Homes England and UK Finance – enables accelerated assessment of innovative systems used in homes covered by NHBC's Buildmark warranty, reducing the risk of project delays to the builder. Systems with the NHBC Accepts logo have been rigorously assessed and demonstrate, subject to appropriate design and installation, that they meet NHBC's robust standards, giving confidence to developers, investors, lenders and homeowners.
NHBC Technical Innovation Manager, Chris Hall said: "We know from feedback that once a system is given the NHBC Accepts green light this creates confidence in quality, long-term durability and traceability. We actively assess construction quality both on-site and offsite to verify each system is suitable and acceptable to meet the standards set to obtain our ten-year NHBC Buildmark warranty.
"With demands on the industry to increase the volume of new homes and the simultaneous challenges around materials and skills, we are The offsite industry has been shaken once again with the collapse of another major player in the housebuilding sector. After the demise of L&G Modular Homes in May, leading modular housebuilder ilke Homes entered administration in July with over 1,000 employees set to be made redundant. The Flaxby-based company had been looking to further fundraise or seek new buyers with ilke Homes reportedly offering potential buyers the company for £1, to enable it to complete its 4,200-home pipeline and retain its workforce. This did not materialise. Clare Kennedy, Joint Administrator and a Partner and Managing Director at AlixPartners, said: "This is an incredibly difficult time for all associated with ilke Homes, and in particular its employees, who have worked tirelessly alongside management over recent months to find a resolution. "With significant incremental investment the business returned to growth following the Covid pandemic, but then faced the challenges of unprecedented inflation and a lack of land supply linked to planning at a critical stage in the development of MMC. We are proud to be using our scale, expertise and knowledge of traditional house building to work with manufacturers to provide the confidence that innovative systems can meet and sometimes exceed the same high standards of quality and durability as traditionally built homes."
Even once accepted, NHBC's Innovation team continue to review quality through factory and site inspections and seek feedback from those working with the system on-site. This knowledge is shared with the owners to help continually improve their system.
Lee Cox, Technical Manager at LoCal Homes said: "We are proud to have our ECO200 system acknowledged and approved by NHBC under their NHBC Accepts Certification. We strive to develop our systems in innovative ways to meet the modern processes. As a result, despite a strong product and pipeline, the business has not been able to secure the further investment needed to take it forward. "Regrettably, this means the immediate closure of the manufacturing facility at Flaxby in North Yorkshire and all site activities will cease. As a result of this difficult decision the significant majority of the companies' 1,150 staff will be made redundant with a small number being retained to assist the administrators in winding up the companies' affairs. "Unfortunately, the market and economic headwinds have proven too strong to overcome… our focus now is on helping all stakeholders, employees, requirements and challenges of today's construction industry. We aim to give our clients reassurance of quality products and that the system design and manufacture meet current regulations and standards."
Mike Fairey, Managing Director at Fusion Steel Framing added: "We are delighted to receive endorsement from NHBC Accepts for our FusionX™ light gauge steel frame, as it provides the housebuilding industry with the confidence to utilise our high quality, rigorously tested offsite system within the construction of new homes. Also, importantly, homebuyers will have the assurance of purchasing a new home constructed to meet the exacting standards required to achieve a ten-year NHBC Buildmark warranty."
Source: www.nhbc.co.uk/accepts
