Are prefabricated homes the solution to Canada’s housing crisis?

A local company building prefabricated homes says it could have the solution as Canada looks to build houses quickly. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

An Ottawa company says it can cut the conventional construction time of a family home in half with its prefabricated designs.

Ekobuilt unveiled its newest project in Dunrobin on Tuesday, showing off a bungalow style home that had its walls and roof put up in a matter of days.

“[Our] average house will take approximately four days to complete; weather-tight install from the day the truck shows up on site to the time the roof panels are installed,” said Ekobuilt founder and CEO Paul Kealey.

“It enables ultimately any builder, any company, any team of carpenters to produce up to ten times more houses per year compared to a conventional onsite construction.”

From pouring the foundation to getting a turnkey home, Kealey says Ekobuilt can have a home ready in six months, whereas the timeline for a conventional home construction is typically one year.

The prefabricated houses are put together using a series of 30 to 50 pieces – depending on the size of the home – that are made indoors at Ekobuilt’s Ottawa factory, before being shipped to the build site.

Kealey says, to date, Ekobuilt has constructed about two dozen homes in the Ottawa area and roughly 300 across North America.

It’s a concept the company and the local Member of Parliament believe could be the solution to Canada’s housing crisis.

“I’m advocating, as are others,” said Carleton Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy.

“We see the opportunity. It takes time for new industry practices to take foot. The power of the example of homes like this, what Ekobuilt is doing, eventually, that changes everything in the industry.”

“This is the kind of thinking that Canada needs right now,” added Kealey. “Build once, built properly, and built for the future.”

The company’s founder and CEO says the cost of one of Ekobuilt’s energy efficient, prefabricated homes – known as a passive home – is about 10 per cent more expensive than the conventional construction process.

Kealey says the home being built in Dunrobin costs approximately $350 per square foot; at 1,600 sq. ft., that’s a cost of $560,000, without the cost of purchasing the land.

But he adds that owners will see that money recouped through energy savings, due to the eco-friendly nature of the home.

“When you take a conventional home out of your electric bill and your gas bill, approximately 90 per cent of the energy goes towards heating and cooling. Where in a passive house, only about 10 per cent of the energy goes towards heating and cooling.”

“This is the house of now,” says Kealey, “and it represents a brighter, healthier and more resilient path forward for families and communities across Canada.”

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