kaygoo Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Wasn't sure exactly where to post this because there wasn't much that came up when I searched for 'kit' as in kit houses. I always wanted to build my own bespoke design that has been developing gradually over the years in my head but, in reality, I am a bit knackered from the day job and wondering whether there are any good value kit houses out there that have good eco credentials (not just a green label slapped on them...) Any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Our house was a kit, but a bespoke design, built in a factory and assembled on site on 4 1/2 days. It meets or exceeds the PassivHaus standard, too, although it is not a certified PassivHaus. Even the biggest kit house builder, Potton, is sort of trying to up their game a bit, although when we looked at them we were very underwhelmed by the design detail, performance and the quality for the prices they were charging. When we were looking around at builders there was less choice than there is now, I think, as there seem to be a fair few companies around offering a range of supply and build options, everything from just putting in the foundations and building the shell up to offering a complete turn key option (at a price). One limiting factor may be location, as there are some companies that won't offer a supply and build service in some areas (for example the company we used didn't used to offer a service North of the border). Getting a kit-type supplier to provide a service to the outer islands may be a challenge, but I seem to remember that there's a firm on Skye, or used to be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaygoo Posted November 2, 2018 Author Share Posted November 2, 2018 Yeah - now you mention it I am sure my neighbour had her kit house put up within a week by a hit-squad. Must ask her about it. Out of interest, which company did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Just now, kaygoo said: Yeah - now you mention it I am sure my neighbour had her kit house put up within a week by a hit-squad. Must ask her about it. Out of interest, which company did you use? MBC Timberframe, but I'm fairly sure they don't operate that far North. Our build is in my blog at the link in my signature, and has lots of photos of the build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Seriously, take a look a Carbonlite Design and Build in Invergordon.They build low energy houses as modular units and ship them to site. They were featured on one of the recent "impossible build" programmes. As long as the modules will fit an artic trailer, it will get on the ferry they are well versed in remote builds. They did the design for ours but because it was not a build that easily converted to a modular build, the kit was built and erected by a local small building firm. When I was looking a few years ago none of the big name kit builders impressed me, and one of them, I think it was Scotframe, refused to continue a dialogue with me when I talked about taking a standard kit frame and adding extra insulation to it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaygoo Posted November 2, 2018 Author Share Posted November 2, 2018 1 minute ago, JSHarris said: MBC Timberframe, but I'm fairly sure they don't operate that far North. Our build is in my blog at the link in my signature, and has lots of photos of the build. Nice house! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alphonsox Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 My brother (Isle of Mull) is currently looking at Scotframe Kit houses for his build - They seem very popular on the islands and tend to be more of a complete house than the MBC type offerings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaygoo Posted November 2, 2018 Author Share Posted November 2, 2018 13 minutes ago, ProDave said: Seriously, take a look a Carbonlite Design and Build in Invergordon.They build low energy houses as modular units and ship them to site. They were featured on one of the recent "impossible build" programmes. As long as the modules will fit an artic trailer, it will get on the ferry they are well versed in remote builds. Thanks - will take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaygoo Posted November 2, 2018 Author Share Posted November 2, 2018 18 minutes ago, ProDave said: Seriously, take a look a Carbonlite Design and Build in Invergordon.They build low energy houses as modular units and ship them to site. They were featured on one of the recent "impossible build" programmes. As long as the modules will fit an artic trailer, it will get on the ferry they are well versed in remote builds. I really like the look of these but they do that thing where they don't give any pricing.... Gah I hate that! I know that there is always some variation but a 'fron' figure is always good so you understand whether you are drooling over something in your price range or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Harris Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Pricing is so location and plot-specific that there isn't a lot of merit in even giving guide prices, unless the offering is so over-priced that the firm can absorb the wide variations involved. There are price guides in terms of price per m² of total internal floor area (all floors) that are reasonable, but again there is a fairly wide variation depending on location, as labour is a fairly hefty chunk of the cost. For a largely turn-key build to a modest standard you're probably looking at over £1600/m², perhaps £2000/m², or if going for one of the really upmarket kit builds, like Huf, then it wouldn't surprise me if the cost was as much as £4000/m². At the other end of the scale, there are members here who have built houses for around £800/m², maybe less, with a lot of their own labour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamieled Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Makar are another one, based in the same sort of area as Carbonlite (http://makar.co.uk/). They do some modular building, but not as much as carbonlite - most of it is panel built and erected on site. We spoke to them a while back, but the prices and the fact they want to do everything to get to water-tight stage (as a minimum) put us off. I was impressed with their approach though and out of all the kit style houses I've seen they had the best 'eco' credentials when it came to materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Davies Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 35 minutes ago, JSHarris said: Pricing is so location and plot-specific that there isn't a lot of merit in even giving guide prices The thing with CarbonLite (now known as Carbon Dynamic) is that the location for most of the project is already determined: Invergordon. When I spoke to them years ago they'd just done a house on Lewis which was 36 hours from the house leaving their factory (then in Alness) to watertight on site including lorry journey across Scotland and ferry ride. So, yes, transport costs are an issue but it's not like they have workers away in B&Bs for a month or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Some of you will know I did dome work for CLDB. When we worked away we took our camp beds and sleeping bags and dossed down in the house we were building. Obviously I was not involved until they were wind and watertight. But a job like Jura, well that is probably a dozen people to accommodate. Best put the Jura Hotel on notice, at least for food and beer if not for accommodation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 2 hours ago, Alphonsox said: My brother (Isle of Mull) is currently looking at Scotframe Kit houses for his build - They seem very popular on the islands and tend to be more of a complete house than the MBC type offerings. Mine is Scotframe, although a few years old now, but at the time the Supawall they were offering swung it and it was really easy to erect, inch perfect pretty much and no gaps. Althought we weren't building to passive standards the walls are pretty damn good even by today's standards. They do a different version of Supawall now called Val-U-Therm Plus but based on the same closed panel system. And you're right, ours came with lots of things that I have noticed that other kit companies don't seem to such as internal doors, skirting, staircase, fitted wardrobes. We had a pretty good choice and it took the headache out of having to measure everything up and source and order it ourselves. 2 hours ago, kaygoo said: I really like the look of these but they do that thing where they don't give any pricing.... Gah I hate that! It was pretty easy to get a price for our build TBH. Clearly there was the basic price and then add ons for the extra things we wanted them to provide. They were pretty good to deal with. We only got one other quote that was from a SIPS company but they were much more expensive and the kit didn't include as much so we went with Scotframe. Don't regret it because everything they provided was pretty perfect apart from the main newel post for the staircase that arrived damaged and then the courier company managed to damage twice when they sent replacements despite it being pretty well packed! Scotframe dropped it off themselves in the end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_r_sole Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) . Edited September 26, 2019 by the_r_sole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alphonsox Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 The tentative site is a well proportioned bit of swamp on the Lochbuie road. The Scotframe kits look reasonable from the outside, but the internal layouts leave a lot to be desired, However they do seem quite happy to change things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 1 minute ago, Alphonsox said: but the internal layouts leave a lot to be desired, However they do seem quite happy to change things. They changed everything we wanted, no problem at all. We just had to ask. It did however require us to specify as they didn't provide an architect, but were happy to provide plans for building control based on what we asked for. They did however rework all of the structual stuff (as you would expect) when we changed downstairs to have a large open plan kitchen / family room and a large bath upstairs in the middle of it. All of the joists were altered etc. to accommodate and they were really obliging when it came to us (or the hubby really) messing about with the layout. There was only one thing they said we couldn't have (can't even remember what that was now but I think it was something to do with the lounge / dining room sizes). It probably sounds like I am promoting them but we had a positive experience and I'm happy to state that, and I have had no contact with them since the main build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_r_sole Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 (edited) . Edited September 26, 2019 by the_r_sole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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