Whilst we were not responsible for the original design of the house, we were brought in to refine the design and obtain building control approval for the new home, which employs an innovative pre-fabricated timber construction system developed in Poland.

As well as being constructed from load-bearing timber profiles, the house employs a range of sustainable building technologies, including air-source heat pumps, rainwater recovery, wood-burning stove using locally-sourced timber and solar-thermal heating to achieve a Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3; an outstanding achievement for a single dwelling.

Credits:

• Pre-fabricated building system: Buildmer (www.buildmer.co.uk).
• Planning Consultants: WGDP (www.wgdp.co.uk).
• Code for Sustainable Homes / SAP Assessments: Brooks Devlin (www.brooksdevlin.com).

This new family home, with two floors of accommodation above a basement plinth, will replace an existing 1930’s timber framed cottage which currently sits on the site.

The basement plinth will be finished in bi-chromatic brickwork which is a feature of local buildings, and the ground and first floors will be clad in a weatherboarding, also reminiscent of other properties in the region.

The house will be manufactured off site, using modern methods of construction to minimise construction waste, reduce construction time and improve thermal efficiency.

The house is design to accommodate three generation of the family. The grandmother, who was born in the existing cottage which the new house replaces, has been provided with a separate wing of the house which is connected back to the main house by a shared entrance lobby.

The report identifies that, despite a huge number of people being interested in building their own homes, there are only around 6,000 plots available on the market, and many of these are in unfavourable locations.

By making more plots available to the general public, the government could provide both stimulus to the ailing construction industry as well as going some way to providing much-needed homes. NaSBA’s recommendations include:

• The release of public-sector land holdings which could provide in excess of 2,000 plots for self builders almost immediately
• Each of the government’s proposed Eco-towns should be required to make provision for 500 self builders
• Every local authority in the UK should zone sites for a minimum of 30 self build plots within planning policy
• Developers could be requested to provide self build plots as part of Section 106 planning agreements
• Private owners of “land banks” should be encouraged to investigate the viability of releasing land to self-builders

Up to 20,000 people per year are building their own home, and with the above initiatives, this figure could be doubled if the sites were available.

RCKa are fully supportive of NaSBA’s report, which can be downloaded here: www.nasba.org.uk/Content/Reports.aspx

This has also been covered in Building, here: www.building.co.uk.

The new house will be built from brick to match the adjacent properties, and will take cues from the brickwork detailing of the period; the shape and form of the new house, however, is striking – a split-level ground floor with a storey-and-a-half ceiling in the living / dining room, the volume is cut back at high level to minimise overshadowing of neighbouring gardens.

A first floor roof terrace provides additional amenity space and allows sunlight into the bedrooms, which are positioned on the north side of the property.

You can read more about the project here.