Renewal SA is exploring every opportunity to get more homes built sooner, with three affordable homes completed in just four months through a construction trial at Playford Alive.

South Australian family-owned builder Hickinbotham has put the finishing touches on the homes after committing to a fast-tracked program testing how build times could be reduced across a range of predesigned homes.

The homes were constructed using a mix of prefabricated modules, enabling the frames, external walls and roofs to be completed within one month. Traditional building methods and materials were then used to complete the homes through a tightly managed construction schedule.

The single-storey dwellings, which are part of Hickinbotham’s range of predesigned homes, were sold through HomeSeekerSA earlier this year.

Each of the homes have four bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, with a floorplan of about 180 square metres.

Speed of delivery is enabled through set floor plans with limited ability for variation, using mass produced layout modules.

Renewal SA’s Executive Director of Residential Projects and Assets Peter Gatsios said given the volume of new housing required across the state, it was critical to keep finding ways to speed up delivery without compromising quality.

Mr Gatsios said Renewal SA was acutely aware of how frustrating delays and long construction timeframes could be for purchasers and was focused on doing everything within its influence to get homes built sooner.

“We need to pull every lever available, from how we sequence works and work with builders to new construction methods and technologies that can help speed up delivery,” Mr Gatsios said.

“Just over three months ago we watched the foundations being poured, and now these homes are ready for people to move into.

“This trial is about working with industry to test different approaches, learn what works and identify where we can help remove barriers to faster housing delivery, without compromising quality.”

As part of the trial, Renewal SA worked with Hickinbotham to enable early access to the site within Playford Alive’s Eastern Precinct, allowing construction of the homes to progress while surrounding civil works continued, including water and electrical infrastructure, roads and paths.

Hickinbotham Group Managing Director Michael Hickinbotham said the company aimed to deliver more quality homes sooner and further build on existing construction guarantees.

“Hickinbotham’s standard is an industry-leading 24-week build-time guarantee, and we are continuously introducing innovations to reduce construction times further,” Mr Hickinbotham said.

“Our experience, scale and strong trade and supplier relationships give us a foundation to expand successful initiatives.”

Mr Hickinbotham said the trial, which he called a “nation leading achievement” provided an opportunity to test improvements that could benefit housing delivery more broadly across South Australia.

“By better coordinating land development and construction, eliminating unnecessary waiting and improving flow, we can significantly accelerate housing delivery,” he said.

Mr Gatsios said the quality of the finished homes and the builder’s ability to deliver an expedited construction program were encouraging, with potential for the approach to be expanded in the future.

The trial builds on two other recent Renewal SA initiatives exploring modern methods of construction across its residential projects to help speed up build times and deliver housing in areas where builder capacity is limited.

At Noarlunga, a range of homes are the first in the state to use modules built at 5North, a robotic manufacturing facility with the capacity to support the delivery of up to 3,000 homes per year.

At Edinburgh, five display homes were built in modules in construction yards before being transported by truck and reassembled on site, demonstrating the quality of transportable homes that could support increased housing delivery in regional areas where trade shortages are most acute.

“We will keep testing new approaches, working with industry and applying what we learn to help get more homes built sooner,” Mr Gatsios said.

Renewal SA has completed final fencing and landscaping at the three trial homes, and residents are expected to move in imminently.