Housing staff on a farm, a mine or a construction site is a different purchase from buying a home. The unit matters less than the cost per bed, how fast it can be standing, and whether it can move to the next site when this one finishes.
Here is how the range prices out for that job.
The two units that suit it
| X-Fold | Expandable home | |
|---|---|---|
| From (ex VAT) | R 54 900 | R 199 900 |
| Floor area | 15 m² | 18 – 74 m² |
| Plumbing | None — shared ablutions or local fit-out | Bathroom and services installed |
| Electrics | 2 plugs, light, small DB board | Full installation |
| Setup | Unfolds in minutes, 2 people | Expands on site within hours |
| Stackable | Two units high | No |
| Relocatable | Folds down and moves | Moves, but not folded |
For volume deployment the X-Fold at R 54 900 ex VAT is the workhorse. It ships flat — which matters when you are moving twenty of them — and two people unfold it in minutes with no specialist crew. It carries upgraded floor beams, EPS insulation and a basic electrical setup, and it stacks two high where ground space is tight.
The expandable homes from R 199 900 are the answer where staff need self-contained accommodation rather than a room: bathroom, small basic kitchen and installed services from the 18 m² up. Larger sizes suit family accommodation or a supervisor's unit.
The ablution question decides your budget
This is the decision that moves the number more than anything else, and it is worth making before you count units.
The X-Fold arrives wired but not plumbed. That is deliberate and it is what keeps the price where it is. It gives you two routes: a shared ablution block serving several units, or a local installer fitting a wet room into each. Shared blocks are almost always cheaper per bed at any scale, and they concentrate the plumbing into one civil job rather than twenty. Per-unit fit-out buys privacy and suits family or supervisor accommodation.
Site offices
The same unit does this job. An X-Fold unfolds into a weather-tight 15 m² site office in minutes, so the project office is open the day the unit lands rather than a fortnight later, with plug points, a light and a small DB board already wired. When the job finishes it folds back down and goes to the next site.
Worth comparing against hire rates over the real project duration: on a long programme, buying and relocating a unit you keep is often the cheaper answer, and you own an asset at the end. It also doubles as a lockable, insulated storeroom for tools and stock — the steel frame and steel door take daily use.
What to check before you order
- Access for the delivery. X-Folds ship flat and can be carried in, which is why they work on sites nothing else reaches. Expandables arrive as a module and need a truck close by.
- Ground and base. Level slab or properly levelled plinths, per unit. On a temporary site this is still not optional — a unit standing out of level does not close properly.
- Ablutions and services, per the section above. Settle this first.
- Approval. Even temporary staff accommodation can be a land-use and building question. Ask the local authority.
- The legal context. Housing people on land you own — particularly farm workers — carries obligations beyond the building itself. That is a question for your own legal advisor, not for a supplier.
For volume orders, tell us the number of units and the site and we will quote the delivery as one run rather than unit by unit.
Tell us how many people you need to house and where, and we will price the units and the delivery together.
Ask about a volume orderQuick answers
Our X-Fold is R 54 900 ex VAT for an insulated, wired 15 m² room — the volume-deployment option, stackable two high and relocatable. Self-contained accommodation with its own bathroom and kitchen starts at R 199 900 ex VAT for an 18 m² expandable home. Add transport, groundwork and ablutions or connections to both.
Sources
Figures we quote from outside our own price list, and where they came from. Prices for our own units come from the same catalogue the product pages use.
- SANS 10400 — the application of the National Building Regulations — sans10400.co.zaThe standards habitable accommodation is measured against, including the parts covering lighting, ventilation and sanitary fittings.
- Building statistics (Statistical release P5041.1) — Statistics South AfricaOfficial building data, useful for context on residential and non-residential construction volumes.
Price one, or come and see one
The quote builder prices a specific configuration in a couple of minutes. Or book a free viewing and walk through the units at our showroom in Centurion — no deposit, no obligation.