A construction company says concrete homes could help solve Canberra's housing crisis.
Canberra-based Rezicast Systems creates pre-fabricated homes that can be built on-site in 10 weeks after the walls are built in a factory.
The ground is prepared, wall panels and trusses are erected, and by day three, plumbing and electrical work begins. The slab is poured later.
The company's chief executive, Zoe Piper, said the short build time could resolve building delays in the territory and lead to cheaper construction costs. Lock-up can be reached in just ten days.
"It makes the build process a lot more streamlined," she said.
"The concrete doesn't need to do formwork; you can have permanent power on the site from day two or three, and you minimise the number of trades needed."
Tradespeople were able to triple their build volume because of the short construction times.
This created a cashflow-positive business because builders hit lockup earlier than invoices needed to be paid.
Jamie Fillingham built a house in Murrumbateman with Rezicast eight years ago when pre-casting was a little-known concept.
He said he chose that kind of build for its durability, ability to design its own floor plan and cut down wait times.
"It really cut down on the amount of materials. For the price we paid and what we got, it was extremely cheap," he said.
The house had proved to be a comfortable family home since.
"It is an easy place to live with good thermodynamics," Mr Fillingham said.
"We get comments constantly on how modern the house looks."
In the years since Mr Fillingham's home was built, modular and pre-cast builds have been touted as a way to solve Australia's regional housing crisis.
The territory government's population projections show Canberra needs 100,000 new homes by 2050, but it is struggling to meet its targets.
Concrete pre-cast homes are not as cheap to build as timber modular dwellings, which can cost as little as $250,000. But Ms Piper said the durability of concrete balanced out the cost.
"It is a far more solid build, so you won't get any of the settlement cracking you get with brick," she said.
"Construction ends up costing about the same as the traditional brick build.
"But people save a lot of money on construction loan interests."
She estimated buyers would save between $15,000 and $23,500 on interest for build loans when using pre-cast concrete.
Buyers would also save on rent if they needed to find a temporary place to live during the build.
"People don't need to sign a 12-month lease, which can make accommodation much easier to find and more economical," she said.
