In a construction market long dominated by brick and tile, OFFSITE is redefining how homes are built in Western Australia. Founded in 2011 as a research-driven venture, the company spent years refining timber-framed systems designed for off-site manufacturing. That focus shifted significantly in mid-2024 when Norm Roberts, who holds a 17% share in the business, stepped in as Executive Chairman. Under his leadership, OFFSITE has transformed from a boutique manufacturer into a scalable solution designed to help solve WA’s growing housing crisis. “For a long time, it was predominantly an R&D company. The hope was that someone would come along and make them a lot of money,” Norm reflects, recalling OFFSITE’s early focus on products like sacrificial formwork. “But every time we were asked to do it at scale, the answer was no. We were purely focused on R&D.” That changed after Norm and his consortium acquired the business in July 2024. “When we bought it, it was supposed to be doing around 20 houses a month, but some of those contracts fell over because builders went broke. It was clear that the company needed to scale properly to be sustainable,” he explains. Behind this shift is a serious problem few in WA can ignore: a severe housing shortage. “In Perth, we’re about 40,000 dwellings short, and forecasts say it could rise to 80,000,” Norm says. Traditional masonry builders are limited by labour shortages and competition from the mining sector, which pulls tradespeople away with higher FIFO wages. “The WA construction sector only has the capacity to build around 15,000 to 16,000 homes a year,” THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AUSTRALIA
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