A delegation of Quebec and Ontario companies are in France to promote Canadian factory-built homes at an industry trade show outside Paris.
MONTREAL
A delegation of Quebec and Ontario companies are in France to promote Canadian factory-built homes at an industry trade show outside Paris.
The wood-frame, panelized homes are made of flat components assembled in factories here and then shipped by container for later assembly in France.
They can be built on a pre-poured foundation in a matter of days, instead of the nine months required by the concrete block houses favoured in France.
The Canadian delegation, organized by the export branch of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., sees a growth opportunity for Canadian exporters.
The French homebuilding sector reportedly can’t keep up with demand, falling short by at least 70,000 units each year.
Most homes in France are built from concrete blocks and have stucco or brick cladding.
When used in construction, wood is considered a luxury finish, reserved for upscale chalets. In recent years, however, the French government has begun to promote the use of wood because it’s energy-efficient, inexpensive and easy to assemble.
There are already seven to 10 Quebec companies actively pursuing the French market, said Guy Lemieux, CMHC’s senior export adviser for Quebec.
“The U.S. remains the top export market, with about 85 per cent of our exports, but people are looking with interest at Europe,” Lemieux said.
He estimates Canadian companies sold $5 million worth of pre-fab homes in France last year.
A report entitled “Housing Export Market: Opportunities and Contacts in France,” commissioned by both Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and La Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ), contains a number of key findings that should help the Canadian housing industry export its technology more effectively.
By 2009-2010, a minimum of 30,000 single-family homes are expected to be built using wood-frame construction.
“By demonstrating how wood-frame construction can carve out an important place for itself in the French market, this study illuminates a bright future for Canadian housing exporters,” said Paul Poliquin, Director of CMHC International in Quebec.
The study indicated wood-frame homes make up five per cent of the French market, or about 10,000 units. That’s expected to grow to 15 to 20 per cent of the market within five years, for a total of 30,000 starts annually.
Alain Boulet, president of Demtec Inc., of Princeville, Que., said he hopes to add French customers to his existing client list in the U.S., Japan and Chile.
“For now, we send our houses over in containers,” said Boulet.
“We also send a team of workers to help the construction company raise the houses.”
Eventually, French builders will develop the expertise to erect a Demtec house without the company’s help, said Boulet.
The growing interest in wood-frame housing is largely due to an attitudinal shift amongst French consumers, who are more willing to explore a range of options before building or purchasing a home, preferably one that is environmentally friendly, CMHC said in a press release.
In addition, French consumers wanting to learn more about wood-frame construction can surf the Internet, and as searches are conducted in French, the Web sites most frequently consulted are those of Quebec-based companies, says CMHC.
The growing visibility of Quebec housing manufacturers on the Internet has helped them increase their exports of prefabricated homes to France by nearly 65 per cent in the last five years, from $2 million in sales in 1999 to $3.25 million in sales in 2003.
The Canadian Press/DCN staff
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