Big Man Modular is leading the way in the design, build and installation of modern, energy-efficient homes. Based in Bandon, Co. Cork, the award-winning company is a one-stop shop which takes a collaborative approach to taking the stress out of house building.
Big Man Modular was founded by JP Simpson in 2018 as Big Man Tiny Homes. After working on many different projects at home and abroad, from bespoke cabins to large-scale housing projects, JP came to realise that attitudes to homes and lifestyles were changing. People now want a lot more freedom in their lives and don’t want to be weighed down by massive debts.
In 2021, Niall Lehane joined JP as a business partner, bringing with him over 25 years’ manufacturing leadership, and they rebranded to Big Man Modular. Niall is a strong believer that quality and efficiency go hand-in-hand, and this allows Big Man Modular to design, manufacture and supply energy-efficient, cost-effective and sustainable homes within timescales unheard of in traditionally built homes.
The company can work with you from initial design and planning all the way through to installing your new fully-furnished home. It offers full flexibility on designs, while being transparent on associated costs and tailoring everything in your new home around your needs. Big Man Modular gives you the option to buy your home at any stage of construction, allowing you to finish as a self-build should you wish.
Together, JP, Niall and their dynamic team have a perfect fit of skills and experience to create sustainable adaptable spaces that enhance lives. They have earned an enviable reputation for outstanding workmanship, attention to detail, value-for-money and a commitment to working closely with clients to deliver total satisfaction.
“Having happy customers is very important to us as they are the key to having a successful business,” JP says.
“Back in 2018, I saw a niche in the market for bespoke, turnkey builds. I wanted to give people the option of being able to custom-build their dream home and to change perceptions about modular builds. So I set up Big Man Tiny Homes which specialised in small builds up to 48 square metres. Since rebranding to Big Man Modular, however, we can build anything from 25 to 250 sq. m., from a two-bed house up to a hotel or nursing home.
“While it’s a misconception to say that modular homes are cheaper to build, they have many advantages over conventional homes, the biggest being that they are more energy efficient and take far less time to build. We can build a three-bedroom 1,000 sq. ft. home in eight weeks if we have all the materials to hand. We can also do without the need for a wet trade or concrete which means moisture isn’t an issue in our buildings.”
JP continues: “We can design, plan and install to the customer’s exact requirements. We can build a house in sections as and when you need it. We can also put up the shell of a building which is very appealing to the self-builder.
“We’re 100% transparent with our pricing. Everything is itemised to ensure the customer has control over what they’re spending. As a one-stop shop, we’re changing the whole ethos of what builders do. Furthermore, we only use products that have a minimum of a 20-year guarantee. Only the best products and materials are used in making a Big Man Modular building!”
There are many reasons to choose a modular home. Firstly, they are factory built, meaning the build time is significantly shorter than traditionally built homes. They are not affected by weather or daylight due to the controlled factory environment. The contractor spends a minimal amount of time on site, as little as a few hours in some cases.
In addition, Big Man Modular’s carefully selected materials and specific manufacturing processes guarantee ‘A’ rated homes. Modular homes also offer higher standard quality inspections than site-built homes and can be extended as your needs change. There is less waste manufacturing, hence more sustainable homes, while running costs are extremely low (the yearly cost of running a 120 sq. m. home is around €600) due to being almost passive houses.
Big Man Modular prides itself on the air tightness of its buildings. The test machine determines two results of particular interest – the n50 and the q50. The n50 is how the air permeability rate is expressed in air changes per hour (ac/h). It is the relationship between the total volume of air in m3 and how often leaks in the building envelope allow the air to exchange at 50 Pascals air pressure.
Typically, the mean n50 for a Big Man Modular building is 0.865 ac/h. The q50 is an expression of the amount of air leakage from the building in relation to the total exposed building area and is expressed in m3/hr/m2. The mean q50 for a typical Big Man Modular building is 0.62 m3/hr/m2.
Eight people are employed in the business which was the recipient of a Southern Star West Cork Business & Tourism Award in 2022. “Our system is non-labour intensive. Having said that, we plan to double our workforce in the coming years to cater for demand for our modular buildings. We have never been as busy,” JP explains.
Big Man Modular’s main suppliers are SIP Energy in Athenry, EQC (Euro Quality Cladding) in Naas, Duggan’s Steel, MTS in Wicklow, Cedral Cladding in Athy, Cork Builders Providers in Cork and Millboard in the UK. Transport / crane hire is provided nationwide by Nixon Haulage, Loftus Crane Hire, O’Donovan Haulage and East Cork Crane Hire.
As Big Man Modular continues to go from strength to strength, JP and Niall would like to take this opportunity to thank their customers and suppliers for their support as well as their staff for their hard work, dedication and skill.
Big Man Modular
Clancool Beg,
Bandon,
Co. Cork,
P72 H763.
Telephone: 023 8893761 / 087 6176391
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bigmanmodular.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2023, Vol 9 No 6
