Inside the company creating hundreds of futuristic homes in Coventry and West Midlands – Coventry Live

ModPods International will be delivering a number of houses to the city in partnership with Citizen Housing

A forward-thinking Warwickshire company is working to help solve a stark housing shortage across Coventry and the West Midlands. ModPods International is a leading innovator in the construction of modular homes offering houses that are 'affordable and sustainable in a third of the time when compared with traditional builds.

ModPods manufactures the homes at a 200,000 sq ft site in Stoneleigh and says they can be delivered for same-day occupancy. Each one is fabricated utilising hot and cold rolled steel and can be customised with sustainable, reusable technology in addition to the structure which has thermal properties that make them an environmentally sensible option.

Launched in 2019 by enterprising Coventry pair Pete Farrelly and Steve Smith, ModPods is working with local authorities across the Midlands to help solve the housing crisis. "It all started when Birmingham City Council approached Pete about six years ago and asked him to convert a shipping container into a house," Steve said.

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"That was something we decided we did not want to do, but we offered to go and develop them a modular house. That was delivered about four years ago and it was a great success. We have since gone on to deliver about 100 units to local authorities and housing associations."

ModPods will be delivering a number of homes in Coventry in partnership with Citizen Housing, with 24 properties in the first phase consisting of one-bedroomed bungalows, two-bedroom semi-detached houses and three-bedroom homes. All properties are currently under construction at the site ready for delivery in the coming weeks.

Steve said the company has seen exponential growth in recent times due to the number of homes required to support the 'housing crisis' in the UK. Around 300,000 new homes have to be built to get people off the streets and out of sheltered accommodation, he said.

"I think there are something like 10,000 families currently in sheltered accommodation, which has increased 350 per cent in the last decade, so there is a huge need for what we are doing," said Steve.

Steve and Pete are extremely passionate about training local talent as they both completed apprenticeships at the start of their careers. Both have invested heavily in their 'Training Academy' and currently have seven apprentices which will increase to 14 in the coming months.

ModPods has a strong order book and contracts with local authorities and housing associations and is looking to recruit staff as they expand. Steve said: "Our pipeline is potentially in excess of 250 million and we are investigating building a super-factory within the Coventry area to support that growth.

"We have currently identified a couple of 12-acre sites. This expansion would create a significant number of local jobs."

Jobs currently available include trainee and apprentice positions as well as skilled electricians, plumbers, boarders, bricklayers and carpenters. Applications can be sent to: info@modpodsinternational.com.

Take a look inside ModPods International below...

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Inside the company creating hundreds of futuristic homes in Coventry and West Midlands - Coventry Live