Building Industry
30/09/2023

Could Prefab and Modular Construction Help the Housing Crisis?

It’s been reported that the ongoing housing crisis has driven rental property prices in Cork up by over 40% and made it more difficult than ever for young Irish families to buy their first home. For years now, Ireland’s building industry has faced challenges to keep abreast of growing demand leading to a massive deficit in housing.

Part of the issue is that the building industry has a massive labour shortage. What compounds this problem is that the industry, and planning authorities, are lagging behind the state of the art in modern construction processes and technologies. The traditional way of building a house requires more labour and longer construction time. The overall result is a greater cost for homebuyers and less output; Fewer houses can be built in the old way – and they cost a lot more. Brick and mortar walls take longer to build. And additional steps are required to insulate, install plumbing, and wire the interior.

How Modular Construction Could Help the Housing Crisis

Ireland could benefit from a move towards greater use of modular construction in homebuilding. Everything from structural steel frames, prefabricated walls and factory-finished flooring could all play a part in producing more affordable, comfortable and beautiful homes faster. Since mofastertion is partly done off-site in a factory, which means that construction of the building itself can take place in parallel with groundwork. This can greatly accelerate building times. Factory-built walls, windows, doors and roofs can all be built more sustainably, with reduced waste materials. The result could be more affordable, better-insulated living spaces with greater quality control under the tighter overwatch of a factory environment.

Are Prefab Homes ‘In Keeping with the Surroundings’?

Many prefab and modular home designs have a different aesthetic from traditional Irish brick-and-mortar homes. Most Irish houses were quickly built in the early to mid-20th century to provide affordable housing. Many were not built to be attractive. However, today, planning authorities are faced with a fresh challenge of maintaining certain design standards with modular homes whilst not hindering their rapid development to aid the housing crisis. 

Extension/Remodel|Renovation
13/08/2023

Interior Design Vs Interior Architecture

There’s a big difference between interior design and interior architecture. Both are fascinating areas to work in as they combine creative design and practical planning that can be stimulating and rewarding. But what is the difference exactly?

Interior Design Vs Interior Architecture

Interior Design is about building an atmosphere and tone in an already-built space. This is achieved through colour choices and selecting appropriate fixtures and decorations to create a space based on a theme. The theme will depend on the designer and the occupant’s wishes and can range from historic design concepts such as art deco, or modern ideas such as minimalism or other methods.

Interior architecture is more about the structure and redesigning an interior space. This is about creating concepts incorporating sustainable materials to remodel the space around the occupant’s behaviours and needs. It starts with listening to the homeowners’ needs. What do they want? How do they use their space? The interior design architectcreates an idea that utilises the space around the occupant’s needs. There can be lots of back and forth in this phase as the occupant is presented with ideas and has time to consider them, come back with their own thoughts and finalise an idea that best fits their lives. The final design will also incorporate specific materials to maximise light and passive heating.

What We Provide

We are both house designers and builders, a one-stop shop providing you with everything you need to remodel or extend your home. Our interior design architects can re-imagine your space around your needs. We have interior designers who can assist you in choosing quality fixtures, fittings and centrepieces. We can help you create a space with the right colours and finishes to inspire specific feelings. For example, to create a sense of open space in the kitchen or bringing a greater feeling of calm and quiet in the bedroom. We work with our clients to help them build their dream home. Even older buildings can be re-imagined in surprising and innovative ways. We help you break traditional Irish homes’ confines, opening them up for new possibilities—all while using the latest materials to maximise natural light and reduce your energy bills.

Join Our Team

Our team is growing. We’re always on the lookout for the best talent. If you are an interior design architect or designer and care deeply about providing quality work, we’d love to meet you.

Extension/Remodel|New Homes
10/06/2023

Labour Shortages are a Massive Opportunity for New Apprentices

In recent years, the shortage of apprentices has been well documented. With 63% of construction companies struggling to find skilled workers to help build homes. Ireland is currently suffering from a growing housing crisis. People are crying out for affordable housing and places to rent. Third-level qualifications are rightly considered an achievement worthy of respect. On the other hand, becoming an expert tradesman has traditionally been seen as an ‘unskilled’ profession. The irony is that the drop-off in the availability of skilled manual workers has shown just how skilled – and essential – they are in the community. 

Working in the Modern Construction Industry

The old stigma around manual work is fading fast. Forward-thinking companies such as Sigma Homes are at the forefront of dispelling the old-school approach. Sigma Homes, and other innovative companies, have rapidly modernised the construction industry. We look at new technologies, materials, systems and approaches. We engage in R&D and use highly effective management systems borrowed from the worlds of software development and mechanical engineering.

There are many reasons to take pride in what we do. It’s satisfying to work with an interdisciplinary team of intelligent,  highly skilled professionals who get great satisfaction from their work. We’re constantly looking at innovative new ways to design and implement homes. We constantly examine our processes and find more efficient and effective ways of delivering the best quality results.

Low Supply + High Demand = Great Opportunity for New Apprentices

Ireland is crying out for skilled manual workers. With high demand and a shortage of workers, there is an opportunity to earn more. In the past, third-level education almost always equated to higher pay. Today, many manual professionals are highly paid. If you’re a young person and you are looking to decide what to do with your future, from our own experience, we’d say to take everyone’s thoughts and opinions on board. And most importantly of all, listen to yourself. What interests you? We know that many people are best-suited to more academic roles, such as in biosciences. But there are also many brilliant, considerate people who love to work with their hands. To solve problems. To fix broken things.  Or to imagine something great and see it become a reality.

Uncategorized
05/05/2023

Tackling the Housing Crisis With Technology

With the Housing For All plan stating that we require 33,000 new homes per year. Could an increased focus on modern, efficient building practices help the Irish government and private construction companies tackle the housing crisis? Based on our own experience and results, we believe the answer to this is a resounding yes. 

Increasing Efficiency

Delays and miscommunications are not fun for anyone. Re-works cost organisations money and bad processes frustrate clients and employees. At Sigma Homes, we have spent years researching and refining our approach in order to increase building speed and quality. We have treated our processes like organic machines, where each of us composes a part. Every aspect of the work was explored. We sought out bottlenecks. What prevented us from delivering the best quality work faster? We looked at how our teams interacted and use technology to help with our processes and increase efficiency. 

Treat Construction Like Information Technology

We believe the Irish building industry can benefit massively from adopting modern design thinking approaches. Methodologies such as Six Sigma enable organisations to constantly improve their communication and construction methods, just as silicon valley companies like SpaceX and Tesla. Applying these principles across your business empowers every professional in your team to work more smoothly and efficiently. By coordinating more effectively with one another, you reduce delays and errors. This reduces frustrations both for your team and your client and results in much faster building times with far superior quality.

Building Industry
04/04/2023

Should the CAO Online System be Revamped to Allow Apprenticeships?

During Ireland’s most prosperous years, it was not plain to see, but now as we find ourselves knee-deep in a housing crisis, the enormous value of the construction industry is laid bare. Every individual in Ireland needs a place to call home. The construction industry is the backbone of our community and economy. It is what enables us to live fulfilling lives. Without basic living standards in place, we cannot progress.

The government’s Housing For All plan estimates that an average of 33,000 new homes must be provided annually until 2030 to support affordability for renters and buyers. However, the plan could fail to reach targets due to a shortage of skilled workers. SIPU’s Adrian Kane stated that Ireland needs a “serious and targeted recruitment campaign to attract skilled tradespeople and apprentices into local authorities without delay”.

Should the CAO Online System be Revamped to Allow Apprenticeships?

While over 83,000 individuals applied for placement through the CAO system in 2022, Core Research’s report, ‘Construction in Ireland 2022: Building a Workforce for the Future’, found that among 300 construction firms in Ireland, 189 had difficulty recruiting skilled workers. The three leading causes were a lack of career options, a negative perception of the construction industry and a large percentage of young people emigrating. The study reveals an enormous deficit of new workers in the construction industry.

Perhaps what is needed is a long-term plan to communicate the value of a career in construction. Construction expertise is becoming more scarce, with half of the firms in the report finding it difficult to find brick layers and plasterers and over a third finding it challenging to find carpenters.

Addressing the Image Problem

By putting apprenticeships in the CAO Online System, it helps it gain legitimacy and value in the hearts and minds of individuals considering a career path.

As countries became, more affluent and third-level education moved from a rare privilege to something accessible to all, professions in the construction industry fell out of favour. For example, a study by the National Association of Homebuilders in the US found that out of 2,000 young adults interviewed between 18-25, only 3% considered construction as a potential career path.

Perhaps to help communicate the importance of the building industry to our lives, construction firms can reach out to local school administrators. To explain the importance and need for skilled construction workers. To show what is exciting and rewarding about designing, creating and delivering homes to people in your community. By raising awareness of the industry’s real importance, we can change the hearts and minds of young people.

Visit Us at

Unit A4, Donnybrook Commercial Centre
Douglas, Cork

Contact Us

E: info@sigmahomes.ie
P: 021 4365866

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