Consumer Response to Steel Frame Housing: A Choice Modelling Experiment

It is widely recognised that there is a resistance to prefabrication in the English housing market. Despite this, a number of initiatives are in place to promote alternatives to conventional, site-based construction methods. A series of new steel framing systems have been introduced over the last decade, and several major house builders are involved in their testing and development. There has been a general perception that steel framing will be unpopular with English house buyers, but little hard evidence has been made available about consumers ’ attitudes. With levels of production still low, gathering data on revealed preferences through real-life choices is also problematic. This paper presents the results of a research project designed to test for the existence of a consumer preference against steel framing. This is based on a stated preference, choice modelling survey administered in the Nottingham area. Respondents were asked to choose between a selection of houses built using conventional methods or steel frame, and having a range of price and room size attributes. Choice modelling of this kind has been identified as a method well suited to examining preferences in relation to new house types. The method also allows predictions to be made about how these preference