Grand designs: off site construction

[-rick-]

2 minutes ago, sgt_woulds said:

If you are looking at the rules are planning a car build soon?

 

Nope not at all. Just have too many things running around my head and find sometimes the easiest way to stop thinking about an idea is to spend a day or two deeply researching it.

[Roger440]

19 hours ago, sgt_woulds said:

 

Would have to be a first!  A government department making things striaght forward?  It'll never catch on 🙂

 

If you are looking at the rules are planning a car build soon?

 

Yes!

 

The only really difficult thing in the manual is the need for E marked glass. Fortunately a company in america have sold that problem for me by producing suitable glass anyway.

 

The rest is mostly common sense and in some areas, like lighting, seems surprisingly lax.

[Roger440]

23 hours ago, sgt_woulds said:

 

Sadly, this appears to be true.  They only care about the number of houses built which is the wrong metric.

 

 

 

They dont care about that either. Judge by actions, not by words. House building has reduced. And so prices stay high.

 

It is in no ones interests, those who influence/ontrol government policy that is,  for house prices to come down.

[Oz07]

On 09/04/2026 at 19:46, Roger440 said:

 

We are regulating ourselves to a point where we wont be able to build anything. Its about the only thing the UK is good at.

Hear hear! In every industry. Hopefully a massive recession happens and we wake up and smell the cheese

[Roger440]

24 minutes ago, Oz07 said:

Hear hear! In every industry. Hopefully a massive recession happens and we wake up and smell the cheese

 

I cant imagine a recession will result in a relaxation of any rules or regulations.

 

As a wise person i worked with on the railway said, regulations are like a ratchet. Theres no way back.

[-rick-]

22 hours ago, -rick- said:

Nope not at all. Just have too many things running around my head and find sometimes the easiest way to stop thinking about an idea is to spend a day or two deeply researching it.

 

Worth adding: My ideas were related to EVs and there the rules get harder. Normal combustion engine off an existing certified vehicle, pretty easy.

[jack]

22 hours ago, -rick- said:

Nope not at all. Just have too many things running around my head and find sometimes the easiest way to stop thinking about an idea is to spend a day or two deeply researching it.

 

I feel seen. 

[SteamyTea]

On 08/04/2026 at 13:14, Post and beam said:

I watched Kevin yesterday exploring the off site construction of a 'modular' single story house.

Am i missing something

They are filming an episode down here, right this minute.

I mentioned this episode, the company has gone bust.

 

This is a future episode.

I think they are going to get wet.

 

Edited April 13 by SteamyTea

[SteamyTea]

Just an update about the Western Promenade Road GD place.

It is south facing, so no overheating risk here.

Do major refurbishments need to take glazing area and overheating risk until account?

Looks to me as if about 20% of the south facing front wall is left, and about 80% of the roof.

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by SteamyTea

[scottishjohn]

On 09/04/2026 at 09:05, Roger440 said:

There is no car available to buy new that doesnt have properly working door seals. No matter how cheap

thats because the door and its frame it fits too are designed with lots of shapes in them to give rigidity  and rubber seals --at least 2 sealing rings in effect 

 

 not exactly burglar proof  as you can usually flex the top half enough to get in

 

 how many house doors make secondary noise and vibration when you shut them -- cos they only held into the flexible wooden frame by about 6 fixings  with packers 

 

the best metal door in a building you will see are the modern fire door assemblies --which are meant as much to stop break ins as anything else

 

not pretty or cheap  and none have any sort of insulation that would comply with any regs

 

 but once you get to van back doors which still are not as big as a house door  they often deform in a very short time  with use

 

we all know it can be done --but costs will be the problem 

 

the ,modern door assembly has its faults but pretty good overall

 

 to me the way forward is wall sections made in factories on an assembly line any length you like--one storey high   and holes cut in them for frames  and all insulation already fitted--"sips" style

 

certainly the house would go up in a day 

 

 roof sections the same done right it would cut down on need for trusses -just add slates or tiles  to taste

 

maybe be channels in walls for services  would be good ==but full finished --too inflexible 

 

 

 

[scottishjohn]

Or we could start building stone houses again 

 

but with modern cutting equipment 

 

when I looked at   

I found chineese company that would supply granite building blocks  any size   with a 1mm + or - tolerance

 

 if they can do it so can we and we plenty of granite and other stone in this country

 

 use thinset mortar and lay with a digger as i have in my many wall constructions - 

 

then just build a TF inside  insulted how ever you like 

 

 no external finishing and there for the next 300 years