Project Etopia buys self-build firm Tribus Homes

Lee McArdle, co-founder of Tribus Homes, will remain its managing director, and a rebranding process will begin this year.

Tribus Homes was set up to help people build their own dream home. The company initially used timber frames but later moved to using the same structural insulated panels used by Project Etopia.

The panels can be fitted with Project Etopia’s smart home technology, including lighting and ventilation, as well as Etopia’s Energy+ configuration, which generates and stores electricity.

The Tribus manufacturing facility, just outside Tiverton, Devon, is capable of producing 200 homes a year.

Etopia will use this factory to highlight how a micro manufacturing facility can be set up around the country to support councils in their house building ambitions using offsite technology.

These factories, which would be smaller than Etopia’s 2,000-a-year capacity unit in Ellesmere Port, can be set up in six to nine months, the firm said.

Joseph Daniels, chief executive of Project Etopia, said: “We are delighted to formally bring Tribus Homes under the Etopia banner.

“This acquisition means we can use Tribus Homes’ manufacturing facility in Devon to produce up to 200 new homes a year in the South West without needing to transport goods around the country, making developments much more sustainable.

“The factory is a prime example of how a number of satellite, small-scale facilities can be positioned around the country to create local jobs and deliver homes.”