News - Ikea goes from furniture to houses

Where’s the Allen key

Ikea already furnish many UK homes, and now the Swedish company is about to start providing the homes themselves. But no, you don’t need an Allen key and they’re not really ‘flatpack’, rather technologically advanced prefabricated buildings.

Gateshead is the site for the first UK development, by Live Smart @ Home, a wholly owned subsidiary of affordable housing group Home. It has the exclusive licence to build the Scandinavian timber-framed BoKlok homes here and Gateshead Council’s decision to grant planning permission means building starts in June. 

After the first phase of 36 BoKlok flats, St James’ Village, opposite Gateshead International Stadium, will eventually comprise 117 further homes, including terraced houses. Negotiations are already underway for 10 more sites from the English south coast to the north of Scotland.

BoKlok housing (pronounced Book-look), already well-established in Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, is a concept developed by Ikea and Swedish house builders Skansa – energy efficient, space-saving, functional but good quality homes at an affordable price.

How to Get One – and What it Means for Investment

The ethos behind the concept is part of the package, explains Alan Prole, marketing director of Live Smart @ Home, influencing who will get the keys to one. “They’re not for buy-to-let customers. The target is the affordable housing market, primarily working people and young families priced out of the open market.”

Although mostly aimed at people earning between £12,000 - £30,000, “others wanting a permanent home will not be excluded”, he adds. Ikea’s Gateshead store will market the first development, with prices ranging from under £100,000 for flats to below £150,000 for houses.

In Sweden, demand is such that lotteries are held to decide who gets one, and Prole says interest here is already extremely high. People will register and referencing will be used to select owners, “to avoid stampedes”.

They don’t have to buy outright, either. “They can, but they can also rent for a while to try it out, and buy a bit, if they can’t afford the total cost”. This “very flexible tenure” rather than standard shared ownership also means that people won’t lose their homes if, say a partnership splits up, because Live Smart @ Home would be able to buy back into the property. “We will always be involved as managers and part owners – we have a long term interest,” he adds.

Resales will always be carried out through the company which will be selective – but this shouldn’t cause a problem, he says. “We’ll have a list of approved purchasers but we can also buy it back ourselves.” Will such a set-up – aimed at keeping the homes affordable – hinder the BoKlok first home buyers’ ability to accrue equity though? Prole thinks not. “Not only will there no way be negative equity on these, we’ve got every confidence in their performance as both a product and in the market place.” So confident that a buy-back guarantee is likely. “We’re committed to retaining affordability but we’re confident people will share in a reasonable appreciation.” This is partly because the development aims to benefit what are, in essence, regeneration areas, and the price-control concept will be site-specific.

Any conditions, such as covenants, attached to homes will always have a financial cost, says Michael Hennings, chairman of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors north east region, and associate director with construction and property consultants Summers Inman. But he is enthusiastic about a number of factors, including design quality. “They’re excellent, not just the buildings, but the space around them. “It’s fine that they’re in regeneration areas because a good design can lift an area – and if so there is a potential to increase value.” But, he says, it is the home’s energy efficiency which gives them an edge, with the Code for Sustainable Homes, and as new legislation comes into force.

The homes have super high insulation qualities (and meet and exceed current UK building regulations) and, says Prole, they are aiming for an ‘Eco Homes’ excellent rating for the Gateshead development. Hennings says while initial novelty value could influence sales “an energy efficient home will sell itself”, appealing not only to ‘ethically aware’ customers but anyone who wants lower bills.

“It will be important to monitor prices,” says Lucian Cook, director of residential research at Savills property firm. Affordability might be more a reflection of location and size, rather than cost of construction, including reduced build time. “In many cases prefabricated housing is no less expensive to construct than mainstream new build. “Opening rental returns would be good, given that initially this is new build stock which may have a certain cache being associated with Ikea.”

Capital values of post war prefabricated housing, such as Woolaway-type bungalows, increased, but mainly because of the value of the land they were sitting on. Being on their own plot they also allowed for further extension, which flats and terraced houses do not. The main concern with prefabs is lifespan and build quality, but if good the effect on investment returns will be limited, he added.

BoKlok housing appears to have little more than ‘prefab’ in common with those early UK versions. They are constructed through factory processes which allow them to be built in quality controlled conditions more efficiently than traditional methods, using a highly insulated closed panel system, with a range of cladding systems.

They have a flexible open-plan layout, with high ceilings and large windows, giving a light, airy and contemporary feel. They come with a host of additional features as standard, such as extra height rooms to give a feeling of space, wooden flooring throughout and fitted kitchens.

And, not surprisingly, they come with free interior design advice from Ikea, as well as an Ikea furniture voucher.

DIY enthusiasts with a plot of land are unlikely to get their hands on an individual BoKlok. “Separate building uses too sophisticated techniques. We’re not saying never – at some stage there may be potential, but not at the moment,” says Prole.

source: channel 4 homes

News Uncategorized

Info - Restoration courses

One of the reasons I’m planning to get my hands dirty with this renovation is because I can see myself doing this to the next 2 or so houses we move to. The best  way to save money is to do a lot of the grunt work myself. Trail and error is one way but I feel it can be a false economy as mistakes will cost. So getting someome to teacher me the right way first time, sounds like the right plan. So here are a few courses the times dug out. If you know of any more then please add them to the comments. 

— Start with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB: 020 7377 1644, www.spab.org.uk ), which offers Homeowners’ Weekends, on everything from damp-proofing to listed-building consent, from £140.

— If sole plates and studwork are a mystery, then try the three-day course in timber-framing organised by Essex County Historic Buildings and Conservation department (£205; 01245 437672, www.essexcc.gov.uk ). They can also teach you how to repair a flint wall, while a workshop in wattle and daub should help you to mug up on neolithic housebuilding techniques.

— If you are serious about your stonework, the Building Crafts College (020 8522 1705, www.thecarpenterscompany.co.uk ) in Stratford, east London, runs evening classes for £17 a go. The Orton Trust (01536 711600, www.ortontrust.org.uk ) has three-day courses in traditional masonry and modern stonework for £145: if you don’t know what a quoin is before this, you will once you’re done.

— If you want to get down and dirty, Abey Smallcombe (01647 24145, www.abeysmallcombe.com ), near Exeter, offers a day’s instruction on everything to do with building in cob for £95.

— Some of the most popular restoration courses — with homeowners and conservation officers alike — are those that deal with using lime mortar. SPAB runs a range around the country; Mike Wye & Associates (01409 281644, www.mikewye.co.uk ) offers one-day courses from its base in Devon for £70; and Calch Ty-Mawr Lime (01874 658249, www.lime.org.uk), in Powys, offers a one-day “anyone can do it” course for £92.

— More prosaically, you could improve your plastering skills with 10 weeks of lessons at Lambeth College (020 7501 5478, www. lambethcollege.ac.uk ) or on a weekend course with Gold Trowel in Essex (£240; 0800 783 1450, www.goldtrowel.org ).

Online extras:

To access a full list of over 20 SPAB courses from long straw thatching to eco-efficiency then visit: SPAB

West Sussex Weald and Downland open-air museum (01243 811 363, www.wealddown.co.uk ) run a highly popular five-day course in timber framing from scratch (£450), so if sole plates and studwork are as yet a mystery, this will show you where to start.

The Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust (01726 68654, www.csbt.org.uk ) has a wide variety of courses that deal with cob buildings.

If you’re brave enough to tackle the roof, then The Builder Training Centre in Croydon (0800 389 277, www.buildertrainingcentre.co.uk ) runs intensive five-day courses in roof construction (£450) and tiling (£350). If you have a thatched roof that needs attention. Essex County Council (details as above) run a two-day introductory course to long-straw thatching (£150). Meanwhile the Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust (details as above) runs a one-day course that examines the options and techniques for roofing and cladding buildings with wood.

Meanwhile iIf your demands are more esoteric, there will be a course to fit. Should your desire be for a traditional flint wall, Essex County Council (details as above) will oblige with a three-day, hands-on course (£205). I

www.listedpropertyshow.co.uk
source: Timesonline

Facts Info planning

Facts - Insulation Tested by Which

Loft insulation - the basics
Heat lost from your walls, loft and floor can account for up to 35, 25 and 15 per cent of your heating bill respectively.

Of these, lofts are by far the easiest to add insulation to without major upheaval and you can save up to £100 a year on heating costs by doing so.

Even if you already have some insulation, adding to this can lead to further savings.

Standards have risen over the years and 250mm is the current recommended thickness.

The more common types of insulation - fibre glass and mineral wool - have been joined by environmental alternatives such as recycled paper and sheep’s wool. In fact, insulation made from shredded recycled paper, mainly newspapers,is the best on test.

Our other Best Buys are more traditional types of insulation.

Government grants are available to help with the cost of insulation through the Warm Front programme.

Grants of up to £2,700 can provide a package of insulation and heating measures tailored to your home - find out more at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/hees or you can ask your gas or electricity supplier for help, they are obliged to provide customers with advice on improving the energy efficiency of their homes.

What to look for
Types
Insulation is sold in different forms and each has its pros and cons when it comes to fitting. Some are sold as batts, others as rolls, rigid boards or loose fill material.

Ease of cutting
How long it takes to fit insulation depends partly on how easy it is to cut. Warmcell 100 doesn’t require cutting because it is made from loose material while Pavatex Pavatherm is very rigid making it difficult to cut.

Tools
Most of the insulation we tested can be cut with a sharp Stanley knife. There are a couple of exceptions; you’ll need a saw to cut the Pavatex Pavatherm, Xtratherm Extra Performance Polyiscoyanurate and Kingspan Best Buys.

 

strong>Fibres and dust
The Pavatex Pavatherm, Xtratherm Extra Performance Polyiscoyanurate and Kingspan all release the most fibres when cut, so wear a mask over your mouth.

The Results - best buys

Pavatex Pavatherm

This Best Buy insulation, the best insulator on test is made from insulating wooden boards.

It has excellent water resistance, but it isn’t the easiest to fit and is messy when cut.

This insulation is made from wooden fibre boards, 100mm thick. The board has some give, and there is one meter squared per pack. Each slab weighs one slab weighs 9.4 kg.

The second best insulation on test is an excellent insulator – the best insulator on test in fact. Water resistance is excellent too, water simply floats on the surface.

This isn’t the easiest insulation to fit. It is difficult to cut, it is hard and shreds when cut. Tough wood fibres are released which makes it dusty and messy. You’ll need a saw to cut it, as well as protective clothing; gloves and a mask.

No instructions are supplied with this insulation. The manufacturer claims that it improves acoustic sound protection, does not contain any glue or wood preserves and is not a toxic hazard.

Pros: Best insulator on test, excellent water resistance.

Cons: Difficult to cut, no instructions.

Excel Warmcel 100

This Best Buy is the second best insulator on test and is one of the easiest to fit too.

Made from recycled paper, it is a loose material and is environmentally friendly.

This insulation has good green credentials; it is made from cellulose fibres which come from recycled paper, making it an environmentally friendly choice. It comes in bags, and is a loose material soft to the touch, quite crumbly and a bit dusty.

Overall this is the best on insulation on test, easy to fit and the second best insulator of all those we’ve tested.

We couldn’t test the water resistance since it is loose material, but if an area of insulation does come in contact with water, it is easy to remove a bit and replace it because the material is loose.

No instructions were supplied with this product, the distributor simply advised us to pour it into the available space, breaking up any large bits with your hands. One bag fills one meter square, and each bag weighs 8.4kg.

This insulation is loose material, and as such is fairly dusty. It is one of the easiest on test to fit, and there is no cutting required. Although there are no specific instructions from the manufacturer about protective clothing, we suggest you wear gloves when working with it.

Pros: Environmentally friendly, excellent insulator, easy to fit, no cutting required.

Cons: No instructions.
Xtratherm Extra Performance

This Best Buy insulation is made from styrofoam board between silver backing and is a good insulator.

It is similar to Kingspan K7 insulation, another Best Buy, has excellent water resistance and is easy to cut and trim.

Made from rigid board with foil facings on both sides, this insulation is 90mm thick. Each pack contains 2.9 meters squared, and one boards weighs 9.2 kg.

This Best Buy is a good insulator. It has excellent water resistance too, water simply floats on the surface.

This insulation is easy to cut and trim, you’ll need a saw to cut it. A lot of dust comes off it when you cut it, and it is messy at the cut end with some fibres coming off. Overall though it is easy to fit, you’ll need protective clothing, including gloves, a mask and overalls.

No instructions are supplied with this insulation, you can download some from the website.

It’s similar to the Kingspan K7 insulation we’ve also tested.

Pros: Good insulator, excellent water resistance, easy to cut and trim.

Cons: Lots of dust when cut, messy at cut end, no instructions.

Kingspan Kooltherm K7

This Best Buy is made from Styrofoam board between silver backing and is a good insulator.

It’s similar to Xtratherm Extra Performance Polyiscoyanurate insulation, another Best Buy we’ve also tested, has decent water resistance and is easy to fit and cut.

This rigid insulation board is made from pink styrofoam between silver backings.

One board covers 2.9 meters squared, it comes in four thicknesses: 25, 50, 75 and 100mm. One board weighs 13.4 kg.

This Best Buy is a good insulator, and water resistance is decent too.

Easy to fit, and very easy to cut, we used a saw. It’s messy at the cut end though, with some loose fibres. It’s very dusty so you’ll need protective clothes, including a mask, gloves and possibly overalls too.

No instructions are supplied with this insulation, you can download some from online.

Pros: Good insulator, easy to fit, very easy to cut.

Cons: Very dusty, no instructions supplied.

Knauf DIY Space Blanket

This Best Buy insulation is glass mineral wool in a plastic covering.

It’s a good insulator and is one of the easiest to fit but a bit of a struggle to cut.

This insulation is glass mineral wool in a plastic covering. According to the manufacturers, the sleeve is a fire retardant. It’s sold in rolls and is very flexible, and is available in two thicknesses; 150 and 200 mm.

Each pack contains two meters squared. One roll weighs 3.7kg. The plastic is the texture of a carrier bag, so it can stretch and split.

This Best Buy is a good insulator. And more user friendly than typical glass fibre insulation since it is encased in plastic.

Water resistance is poor.

This is one of the easiest of the insulation on test to fit. There was very little dust. However, it isn’t the easiest to cut as the fibres move inside the plastic sleeve. We used a sharp Stanley knife.

This insulation is supplied with good instructions, full of diagrams, and gives you good advice about wearing a mask and gloves when you fit it.

Pros: Good insulator, glass fibre is encased in plastic, easy to fit, good instructions.

Cons: Poor water resistance, not the easiest to cut.

Facts Uncategorized

News - Cut Costs, Pay More

Homeowners who rely on friends and relatives to carry out specialist home improvements risk botched jobs, injury and wasted cash.

That’s the warning from TrustMark, the government-backed body set up to protect consumers against rogue traders.

It found nearly 60 per cent of those who’d recently bought a property in the UK had called on non-professionals to do electrical, roofing or plumbing jobs around the house.

The survey also revealed people were more keen on saving money than getting the job done properly.

Saving money

First-time buyers were the worst culprits - more than 50 per cent admitted choosing a friend or relative because the work would be done cheaply or even for free.

The research showed that more experienced homeowners were less likely to cut corners, with 56 per cent insisting on getting a professional to carry out work.

Trustmark Chairman Ian Livsey said: ‘It is all very well asking family members to help you out with home improvement projects, but…it is unlikely you will be lucky enough to have a father who is a qualified electrician, whatever he may tell you.

‘Homeowners need to remember that selecting a reputable tradesperson is the best way to get a quality job at a fair price.’

Safety risk

David Pope, of Electrix UK, a TrustMark member, added: ‘Homeowners may feel that by asking friends or family to work on their home they are getting good value for money.

‘In the long run, they need to understand that by not using a qualified and accredited tradesperson, they could be risking the quality of work and even the safety of their homes.’

News

Diary - Building Regulations

We’ve got the engineers plans back yesterday and I must confess to being a little disappointed with them. I was expecting some technical wizardry to unfold with baffling symbols and cunning use of supports. It’s essentially a copy of the plans submitted for permission with some extra dashes added to show where the joints will go.

It also has some instructions added for the builder on what materials to use and what windows go where. I’m taking this list to a builder friend who mentioned that building regulations require the minimum of heat and sound insulation. We essentially require our house to be warm and quite (especially with 2 children running around) so Cephas will help pad out the spec so that we get a better result in the end. (If Cephas wasn’t a friend he would get the job - I couldn’t recommend him enough for his attention to detail, professionalism and craft. If you need his number drop me a line, I’m sure he’ll be happy to help you out.)
So the next stage is that these plans go to building regulations for sign off and we send copies to builders for pricing. We were going to contract the whole job to a polish builder we were recommended but having time to think, I’m more comfortable with splitting the job between a UK structural builder - new roof line, extra joints, steel work and dormers (for their guarantees) and then give the polish builder the cosmetic work - stud walls, plaster board, electrics, plumbing, bathroom, plastering and woodwork. I’m hoping this will still come within our budget. I’ll let you know what prices come back when they arrive. I’ll also post the new plans so you can see the difference.

Diary

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