Wooden house for sale.........

[Rachel Squires]

I had a hand in helping my friends Jess and Dave build one of these some years ago and a quality one is brill and quite straightforward to put up. John and I are looking into this cos it might help our land versus a home problem and I've got the details of a good firm that produces these and is tres helpful. I'll dig out the details later and post them. Basically, it seems to depend on surface area and whether you intend to live in them as to whether you need planning permission but I spoke to our local council about this and they said that they looked on sustainable housing more favourably.

Rach.

[Annpan]

OK, appearances can be misleading, I think one would have to see it "live"! So far all my Argos flatpacks have been really great; that includes the beds you slept in, btw... (Didn't collapse during the night, did they?)

My (and the cats'!) favourite chair was from them, and the bedsofa in the living room, too. All very sturdy and comfortable. But admittedly I've not had wardrobes and the like. And the bookcases (also very sturdy - albeit with missing holes!) were from B&Q.

I didn't really mean it as a dig at Argos. I just think that there are places you would go for this, if you want a flat pack home, I don't think that is the way to go... If you want a cheap home, I don't think that is the way to go...

I am willing to be proven wrong though (yes the beds were very comfortable, and didn't collapse )

I wonder how much good lumber you could buy for the same price, and construct your own bespoke one?

[Rachel Squires]

Hi, sorry about the delay!

the company that I have been in contact with is called Scandinavian Log Cabins Direct http://www.slcd.co.uk/ and they are very helpful. The site gives you all kinds of information and shows you stages of build. You can do a self construct or they'll do the hard work for you. You can build a very decent sized property for £30 000 to £40 000 which sounds a lot until you compare it with the cost of a standard house.

hope someone finds this useful!

Rach,

[the.fee.fairy]

I still like the argos one...and its affordable.

30-40k is not affordable for someone like me, especially not when yolu factor in land price.

With the Argos one, i could afford land and a house.

[MKG]

The photo isn't one - just in case anyone's admiring the pristine appearance. It's an image which has been cobbled together (badly) by someone without too much experience with 3D graphics software.

[chadspad]

There are various other types too some at really silly prices. I think theyre a bargain considering the state of the UK when trying to purchase property now. Young couples could even put these at the bottom of their parents gardens, least they have their own house!

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse/ca ... 011265.htm

[Thomzo]

It looks very similar to mine (which was made by Finforest). If it is the same construction then it will go together very easily. Mine has been up for about 4 years now (and was second hand when I bought it). It shows no signs of warping or the wood rotting. Price-wise, I'd say this one is in proportion to mine (which is a bit smaller).

The biggest problem with mine is that the walls are only single thickness timber (about 1 inch thick). They are prone to being quite damp in wet weather. If you wanted to live in it you'd have to insulate outside and then put some cladding on. You'd also need to upgrade the windows.

If I did that, then I'd seriously think about moving into mine. They are sold as site accommodation for self builders and would be much more comfortable than a caravan. Being wooden, it would be very easy to cut holes for plumbing, sewage and electrical connections.

It probably wouldn't be a very long term solution but for someone like Fee who needed somewhere to live for a few years it would do until you could afford to build.

Cheers
Zoe

[ina]

Well, whatever the quality - it's out of stock at the moment - so must be popular!

[Ratty]

I suspect you can get around some local planning laws by stating that it is a temporary structure, then when it has been up for a few years apply for retrospective planning permission & so long as no one has complained about it in the period between you putting it up & applying for permission then it is usually granted.

I'm hoping I'm quoting off planning laws correctly, I'm going on what my OH has previously told me when he sat on Nottingham City Council planning committee and he's out at the moment (collecting our very naughty car which has just cost us £600 to have its LPG fuel system 'over-hauled'. Bad car, naughty car, on your bed car!)



Ratty

[jondy]

For a practical solution to a cheap well proven wood frame home build see the 'Walter Segal' Method of build. Post and Beam. Ideal for sloping bits of land that developers have little interest in, for example. A council in London (Lewisham?) approved a group of these houses many years ago. What happened to the Ikea low cost housing idea?

John


http://robertkyriakides.wordpress.com/2 ... al-system/

I will be surprised if I got that address right!

[jondy]

Sorry I did get the address wrong. Solar water heating.. Generally advocating 20 year gtee. on panels and 10 year installation gtee. 'Genersys' proven over 39 years! warnings about trusting people with wiring in your home, new electrical regs. require some earth bonding even if you just installed a new socket. Lots more, such a long address!

John

[Brij]

These are a brilliant idea... if they work! Love the idea of setting up my own log cabin in the woods.