If you bought a kit home

[ajax_andy 0]

I'm kind of tempted to buy a plot of land in the future and just get a kit house built... It'd be cheaper (I think) and also you could have it built within reason to your own style. Well actually they come in certain styles and you pick one, but at least you choose the type you want if that makes sense?

 

I can understand in some countries that building what is in effect a wooden house would be possibly dangerous (hurracane / tornodo territory), but in England I'm not sure of any down sides that I can think of.

 

However not many people seem to go down this route so I was wondering if anyone had a better idea than me on the negative aspects of say building a 4 bedroom house on the outskirts of a nice village in the countryside would be?

[Guest CabayeAye]

You'd have to be careful not to get your scarf caught in any of your power tools.

[ajax_andy 0]

You'd have to be careful not to get your scarf caught in any of your power tools.

 

Yes that's a good point

[wykikitoon 19423]

Goto countries like the Netherlands, Belgium etc and the architecture is great. Differnt shapes and sizes but it works, it looks right, nice and neat and they respect their houses.

 

I would love to do something similar Andy but here it wouldnt work. Some bell from planning would want it like the rest of the shite just to appease some old cath word from the local parish etc.

 

There was a great Grand Designs on a kit house in Cumbria by this fabricator, I really enjoyed it.

[Kid Dynamite 6867]

Any money you saved would be wiped out by getting electric, gas, water and phone lines installed by the various companies

[wykikitoon 19423]

In fact Andy.

 

I have worked with a group of Architects in Leeds that have been developing a "buy to order" timber framed building similar to if you went to Ikea. Space Group are the company, good set of guys.

 

They use (same as us) a proccess called BIM (Building Information Modelling) to design all their buildings now and are very good.

[LoveTheBobby 1]

Remember reading a few years ago in some architectural type website about people (may have been in Germany or Scandinavia)converting shipping containers into homes. Some were really good. Was more a space-saving / recycling thing but very interesting .

 

If your scarf isn't in the way of your keyboard it's well worth looking them up .

 

[LoveTheBobby 1]

In fact Andy.

 

I have worked with a group of Architects in Leeds that have been developing a "buy to order" timber framed building similar to if you went to Ikea. Space Group are the company, good set of guys.

 

They use (same as us) a proccess called BIM (Building Information Modelling) to design all their buildings now and are very good.

 

Aint looked at links yet but I think on west coast of Scotland the timber kit route has gained quite a bit of popularity .

[Monkeys Fist 41452]

My brother looked into this a few years ago.

The ballache is finding the land, with planning permission and utilities.

He found a company based in Scotland who provided a large range of adaptable kits, project management if needed , builders etc.

I'll see if I can get the name off him.

[Kid Dynamite 6867]

There's wooden houses being built near laygate in Shields

[tooner 243]

Any money you saved would be wiped out by getting electric, gas, water and phone lines installed by the various companies

 

 

wouldn't you need those things anyway, kit home or traditional home?

[Howmanheyman 31956]

We also had a very quick look into the idea as the Wife will be needing a Bungalow in the not too distant future and they're more scarce and dearer than they should be and usually short of bedrooms. Have to say that the info out there on this isn't that great and it seems a lot dearer than buying a 'normal' house which is a bit of a shame.

[trophyshy 7066]

Have you considered an Earthship?

[LoveTheBobby 1]

or a LIFE Star .

 

Gary Neville built some kind of Tellytubby lair didn't he ?

 

Had MUFC spelt out in planting by the gates n that ?

[ajax_andy 0]

Cheers for the info guys... it's not something I'm going to be doing any time soon but doesn't seem like there's a huge downside providing the land and planning permission are easy to come by. Might be tricky like Wykiki said to get the planning though but I guess I could look in to that at the time and speak with local planning officers to find out what was possible and not before purchasing the land.

[Tooj 17]

There's wooden houses being built near laygate in Shields

 

Aye and they look horrific.

[Tooj 17]

Any money you saved would be wiped out by getting electric, gas, water and phone lines installed by the various companies

 

Depends really as my uncle owns his own building company and they're now getting into building a lot of energy efficient homes. He's just built one for my Grandma actually, which is all solar panelled, all the water comes from rain water and she will save a fortune on utility bills. So much so in fact that she's selling some energy back to the national grid.

[tooner 243]

Depends really as my uncle owns his own building company and they're now getting into building a lot of energy efficient homes. He's just built one for my Grandma actually, which is all solar panelled, all the water comes from rain water and she will save a fortune on utility bills. So much so in fact that she's selling some energy back to the national grid.

 

add a geothermal heat pump and you're set

[wykikitoon 19423]

Sustainable building is coming and at a fast rate. The targets by the governemnt for certain areas though are mental given the little help we get.

 

I cant remeber the figures off the top of my head but the numbers for a build nowadays has to be reduced by 75% in terms of wattage output by 2015 for a new build. Thats fine if the government were helping but they aint.

[wykikitoon 19423]

Depends really as my uncle owns his own building company and they're now getting into building a lot of energy efficient homes. He's just built one for my Grandma actually, which is all solar panelled, all the water comes from rain water and she will save a fortune on utility bills. So much so in fact that she's selling some energy back to the national grid.

 

This is the mindset we need. Its ok having people look only at the buyback rate (which has dropped) but they need to think outside the box of "am I living more efficiently"

 

If we get more people living more efficeintly then the price of fuel should come down.

 

Interesting about the water. How big is her storage tank? One of the biggest wastage of a building comes from water use.

[Tooj 17]

This is the mindset we need. Its ok having people look only at the buyback rate (which has dropped) but they need to think outside the box of "am I living more efficiently"

 

If we get more people living more efficeintly then the price of fuel should come down.

 

Interesting about the water. How big is her storage tank? One of the biggest wastage of a building comes from water use.

 

I'm really not sure. I know my uncle has just been doing some work on a school down at Harrogate as well, so it's good to see schools are also taking this thing seriously.

[Tooj 17]

Full marks for Yorkshire companies' green build - School project uses pioneering energy saving build system

Two Yorkshire companies are working in partnership to make a local independent school the first in the UK to benefit from a revolutionary building system that radically reduces energy bills.

Harrogate-based LaRock Construction has teamed up with Leeds and Durham-based Carbon Logix to build a £1 million extension at Cundall Manor School near York.

The building, which will house 11 classrooms, two science laboratories, sports changing rooms and a staff room, is being constructed using a pioneering system from Carbon Logix based on insulated concrete forms (ICFs). These are constructed of lightweight polystyrene blocks which are then filled with concrete to provide a durable, highly efficient thermal structure. The blocks prevent heat loss thereby significantly reducing an occupier’s energy usage.

Graham Gill, director of Carbon Logix comments: "This is the first commercial project that we have carried out, having been focused previously on the private residential and social housing markets where government regulations are stipulating that all new properties be carbon neutral by 2016. We are delighted to be assisting LaRock in the construction process at Cundall Manor where our two respective teams have worked very well together. Our ICF product offers a wealth of benefits, and our contract here marks a move into the commercial build sector where sustainability issues are becoming an important issue, and where we can provide a real solution."

Damian Lawrance, managing director of LaRock Construction adds: "The green agenda is something that all construction companies are having to think about very carefully, and we are very proud to be delivering such an environmentally responsible project. It’s also great news for the school who will be benefiting from consistently low heating bills in the years to come."

[wolfy 12]

I don't want to piss in anyone's cornflakes here who is thinking of a self build with all solar power and stuff but whatever the Government allows you to make in one hand, they will take from the other.

 

Not only will the land, plus build be more expensive, ( for an average buyer) but there will be red tape galore wrapped around everything you do with it in the future, not to mention (check it out) high insurance on that home.

 

I had a debate on this solar panel carry on, on another board and it was about the efficiency of the solar panels and selling the excess electricity back to the grid.

 

My argument was, " how in the hell does the electricity go back to the grid?"

 

Your house receives it's electricity by a power cable which compromises an Earth , neutral and Live and that's it, which goes to your meter and fuse box.

 

How does the solar power run your home and also send excess power back down a live main cable to the grid?

 

Electricity companies and gas, water and whatever are not there to shake your hand for saving yourself money. What you think you are saving, will be siphoned off somewhere else, so you only think you gain.

[ewerk 29651]

Doesn't it take eight years to break even on those solar panel deals? Coincidentally the same term before they need significant maintenance.

[tooner 243]

I don't want to piss in anyone's cornflakes here who is thinking of a self build with all solar power and stuff but whatever the Government allows you to make in one hand, they will take from the other.

 

Not only will the land, plus build be more expensive, ( for an average buyer) but there will be red tape galore wrapped around everything you do with it in the future, not to mention (check it out) high insurance on that home.

 

I had a debate on this solar panel carry on, on another board and it was about the efficiency of the solar panels and selling the excess electricity back to the grid.

 

My argument was, " how in the hell does the electricity go back to the grid?"

 

Your house receives it's electricity by a power cable which compromises an Earth , neutral and Live and that's it, which goes to your meter and fuse box.

 

How does the solar power run your home and also send excess power back down a live main cable to the grid?

 

Electricity companies and gas, water and whatever are not there to shake your hand for saving yourself money. What you think you are saving, will be siphoned off somewhere else, so you only think you gain.

 

 

 

wolfy in lack of comprehension shocker.