Dan-Wood, the manufacturer of energy-efficient, pre-fabricated timber frame homes has introduced a new S-Line range of six house designs into its standard offering.
Dan-Wood’s S-Line range takes quality to the next level with features that include unique architectural detailing and extra-functional design elements.
The S-Line has been developed to offer self builders an even more luxurious home at affordable prices, with the same trusted Dan-Wood design and technology that customers expect.
The architectural elements vary depending on your home design and customisation, but the range typically includes:
Windows – create drama with higher sash windows and balcony windows with French balustrades. Corner windows also feature, making the most of the plot, and extra elements, such as an additional stairwell window, flood the home with daylight.
Eaves – Depending on the design, the homes have a choice of eaves to complement the architecture, including minimalist or wider than standard.
Entrances – look out for designs with a cube roof over the entrance complemented by higher external doors to create a statement entrance.
Floor space – the S-Line range features spacious floor plans and a generous feeling of space, thanks to a raised ground floor of 2.67m and concealed joists. Integrated sliding patio doors visually extend the living area and create a seamless connection to the outside.
Luxury bathooms – the range features a spacious bathroom designed as a relaxing retreat, with enough room for a large bathtub, a separate shower and a double washbasin.
Like all standard Dan-Wood designs, S-Line is available with the full turnkey option. This includes the design and associated architectural drawings and the manufacture and construction of the house structure. This includes external and internal decorating and finishes, heating and ventilation systems, stairs, sanitary ware, doors, flooring and plumbing.
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP), Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) and underfloor heating (UFH) throughout are all included in the standard Dan-Wood turnkey package.
Once designed, the house is manufactured in Dan-Wood’s factory in Poland before being shipped to your plot on your chosen date. The house itself is then typically constructed onsite in eight to 12 weeks, with a dedicated project manager looking after every stage of the process and taking care of the skilled Polish team of builders.
Main picture: Dan-Wood S-Line design Park 183s
NaCSBA member The Modern Builder is an online marketplace bringing together architects and house manufacturers who use Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
As a new marketplace, The Modern Builder streamlines the process for self builders, giving them access to extensive expertise and intellectual property at the planning stage of a project. This helps them to make informed decisions, providing the architects with an opportunity to showcase their work while building links with the experienced MMC companies that can construct the houses.
Put simply, repurposing existing designs enables architects and MMC house builders to share designs and specifications for homes that have previously been built. Reusing these past projects makes good use of years’ of expertise, paving the way for greater efficiency and effectiveness in the construction process.
The existing designs can then be tailored for new sites, a strategy designed to simplify the self build process, reduce project risks and unlock new opportunities for builders of all backgrounds. This can result in greater manufacturing efficiency, reduced costs, and increased confidence in the self-build process.
The process lends itself to multi-plot projects, which often have greater design freedoms in comparison to a single self-build opportunity, and the emphasis is on the self-builder to do due diligence in terms of whether a design would be permissible for their site. Thanks to the Right to Build legislation, more and more multi-plot sites are emerging, evidence that the self build registers do have an impact. Find and sign your self build register here.
“Design repurposing has the potential to create a lean self-building structure by making proven designs accessible to a wider audience, empowering self-builders and offering a new route to market. But it goes beyond the mere recycling of old designs – it’s about extracting the valuable insights and lessons learned from previous projects and incorporating them into new designs.
“From feasibility assessments to planning acceptance, and cost analysis, architects can leverage their wealth of experience to streamline the self-build journey for their clients,” says Rhys-Evans Edet, Director and Co-founder of The Modern Builder.
Image: Storyboard Designs
Plot sales are now live on an exclusive five-plot custom build development in Hailsham, East Sussex, for homes between 3-5 bedrooms.
The Paddock is the result of a partnership of Custom Build Homes and development partner and NaCSBA member Landström, with planning permission in place for five substantial properties of up to 252-396m² on plots up to 1/3 acre. The plots start from £230,000, and the homes, which have enough space for garages, are ranged around a shared central courtyard that provides each individual access.
Plots come with flexibility in terms of house design, size and specification, and purchasers will be able to design and create their home with Chartered Architect and Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine expert, Head of Architecture Allan Corfield, who is also a NaCSBA member. A design code and Plot Passports are in place to frame what can be created, as part of the planning permission from Wealden District Council.
This process includes a collaborative design process that will explore how purchasers want to live, culminating in a digital design with a fixed cost, that includes planning and technical design.
Tom Connor, CEO & Founder of Custom Build Homes said, “We’re excited to launch the development to market. The Paddock offers people in East Sussex the unique opportunity of creating a new home exactly as they wish it to be, while being supported by the experts at Custom Build Homes.
“I look forward to seeing the unique designs homebuyers create and the development becoming
an exemplar for future sites.”
Custom Build Homes has secured outline planning permission at Cross Nursery in Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire for 14 detached homes that can be customised to buyer’s choices. Coming to the market in 2023, the development includes a range of house and serviced-plot sizes.
The company secured outline permission with the help of planning consultants Tetlow King Planning on the site of a derelict former horticultural nursery site in a semi-rural location in the Hertfordshire Green Belt.
The plots are laid out in an attractive landscape, and come with permission for “blank canvas” homes that are fully customisable, with buyers having freedom of choice around room layout, interior fixtures and fittings and green utilities. There is also the opportunity to build in greater affordability by using “sweat equity”, whereby owners can take part in their home’s completions.
The application at Cross Nursery was approved in compliance with Broxbourne Borough Council’s supportive local planning policies, which enables suitably designed custom and self-build housing to come forward on former nursery sites in the borough. This is despite being classified as inappropriate development under Government Green Belt policy.
In making the planning case Custom Build Homes worked closely with Tetlow King to present a strong demand, viability and design-led case, with BuildStore and Custom Build Homes’ demand data being an important part of the planning arguments.
Custom Build Homes praised the officers at Broxbourne Borough Council for their positive and consistent engagement on the Cross Nursery site, with Mario Wolf, Director of Planning at Custom Build Homes saying: “We are delighted to have secured planning permission for our customisable homes range on this challenging green belt site.
“As a specialist enabler of custom build housing, we work closely with our landowner clients and local authorities to design high quality housing communities which maximise value and are sensitive to their local context.”
Find your self build register on the Self Build Portal.
If you work in the custom and self build sector don’t miss NaCSBA’s first conference, on 1 November at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre in Swindon.
Themed around the idea of remaining resilient in the current market, the Custom and Self Build Conference marks Right to Build Day 2022, the date when the registers close on the 30 October for another complete base period of the local authority registers.
While numbers on the registers are growing, research shows that many people remain unaware that they can sign up to the registers, six years on from them commencing.
For these working in the industry, the conference is an essential opportunity to find out more about a range of factors impacting development, including many environmental changes.
Free for NaCSBA members, the conference brings together leading stakeholders from across the sector, such as custom build enablers and planners. Self Build Portal users can get 50% off, using the code PARTNERS (see below for instructions).
Running order to be confirmed, but sessions include:
PLUS
*Speakers and subjects may change. Conference runs from 9:30-4:30
FREE – NaCSBA members (up to two tickets for Regular members and six tickets for Gold Partners).
£195+VAT for conference only
£295+VAT combined conference ticket and NaCSBA’s Custom and Self Build Market Report (PDF and hard copy while stocks last).
Anyone joining NaCSBA as a member during or in the week following the event will have the cost of their ticket repaid.
To access the 50% discount, use code PARTNERS to generate a halfprice ticket – simply click the link and then the TICKETS button on Eventbrite – then click ADD PROMO CODE (in blue) and APPLY to generate the discount.
If you are a NACSBA member contact Duncan on media@nacsba.org.uk for your code to get a free ticket.
Government has released plans to tackle the issue of ‘nutrient neutrality’ – which has prevented any building, including self builds, from taking place in many counties across England.
Backed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the plans recommend a new mitigation scheme, which will mean that building can take place where certain conditions are met.
Natural water habitats are typically affected by the excessive run off of nutrients, which has an adverse effect on the delicate water-based environment, leading to algal blooms that threaten flora and fauna.
Such nutrients are usually due to run off from farming, such as fertiliser or effluent from chicken farms, or from untreated water being shed from water treatment plants that are not up to the job.
But construction has also been blamed for this, with 74 English counties affected – either wholly or areas within them. This led to a blanket ban on all new construction on undeveloped land in some areas, which has been in place for several years now, such as in Herefordshire.
Government’s new scheme is based on the idea of mitigation, meaning that you can effectively put in additional measures to offset any potential damage. These offsetting measures will then improve the local situation for wildlife. These may be through physical schemes or though a process where the developer (and presumably the self builder) can buy ‘nutrient credits’. These then contribute to mitigating measures built locally, rather than on each site.
These may involve local Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs), new or expanded wetlands and woodlands and so on, to support and promote new local habitats.
Once agreed, permission can then be granted for work to go ahead. Natural England will be the accreditation body overseeing this credit element, and government is also creating a a legal duty for water companies in these areas to upgrade water treatment works by 2030 to the highest levels.
Levelling up secretary Greg Clark added: “It is essential that new homes do not impair the quality of our rivers, streams and wetlands. These measures will ensure the development can take place, but only where there is practical action taken to protect our precious aquatic habitats.”
Turn-key, timber-frame housebuilder Dan-Wood has started work on site on its 30th house at the Graven Hill community in Oxfordshire.
Every Dan-Wood house on the site reflects individual styles, shapes and sizes, as selected by customers working within the framework of a Plot Passport.
The latest Dan-Wood home going up is no exception, as the owners wanted an ‘upside down’ layout.
This means that the main living areas, where people spend most time such as the living room and kitchen, are on the first floor, with the bedrooms and utility room on the ground floor. This way, the new owners can enjoy picturesque open views across the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside.
The bespoke design also features vaulted ceilings, striking black and red timber cladding, and maximum energy efficiency with solar panels, an Air Source Heat Pump and a roof overhang to avoid overheating in summer.
Dan-Wood houses are prefabricated which means that every component is designed and built in Dan-Wood’s factory in Poland, then shipped to the UK and delivered to a plot on an appointed day.
Dan-Wood offers a full service from initial design through to full ‘turn-key’ construction. Everything, from initial design through to interior decoration, is included in a fixed price, with exceptional thermal efficiency and ventilation – which comes as standard in every Dan-Wood house – ensuring comfortable, cost-effective and energy-efficient living.
“Building at Graven Hill has many benefits, not least that customers know they will have guaranteed planning permission, and that the plot is already fully serviced for utilities,” says Lucy Yendell, Dan-Wood’s agent who has been involved in the Graven Hill development since plots were first released in 2016. “And since we began building here, the whole process has become more streamlined and straightforward.”
“We also have a show home at Graven Hill which has become a useful centre for Dan-Wood throughout the South of England. For many clients, seeing a show home or a house being built is an important step in their decision-making. Visiting Graven Hill also gives them an opportunity to see the many different styles of houses that are being built here, including the Dan-Wood terraced houses which were built for the open market and sold very quickly.”
To find out more about Dan-Wood’s work at Graven Hill, visit the website.
With many homes completed or underway, Graven Hill has released the latest nine plots for self builders at Bicester based self and custom build development. More plots will be released as the year progresses.
As well as offering a route to market for anyone wishing to build but struggling to find plots, Graven Hill is firmly establishing itself as a vibrant community of like-minded residents from first-time buyers to retirees.
Interest in the new plots is high, with prices ranging from £235,000 to £265,000, with the largest able to cater for a 6-bedroom home. They are in a character area of the site called ‘Circular Railway’, which incorporates features of the existing historic railway and next to green spaces.
As with most custom and self builds at Graven Hill, each plot comes with its own unique ‘Plot Passport’ that sets out the parameters for what can be built on that plot. This includes, for example, the maximum number of bedrooms and gross internal areas and also the choice of pre-approved building materials.
Financial support in the form of the Government’s new Help to Build scheme is also available on these plots, allowing buyers to benefit from a 5% deposit, alongside a Government-backed equity loan.
A range of new custom build homes are also due to be launched soon, for those wanting personalisation, without having to don a hard hat.
With these homes, the earlier in the build process the homes are purchased, the more customisation options the buyers will have, including layout, fixtures and fittings. Those purchasing custom builds will also be able to take advantage of the Help to Build scheme.
Gemma Davis, customer experience director at Graven Hill said: “The UK housing market is undergoing huge change and we’ve seen a dramatic spike in interest in self-building. Unfortunately, in the past, plot availability, finances and planning permission have all acted as barriers, with only a small minority able to overcome them. However, we’re changing this with the housing options we provide at Graven Hill.
“Our self-build plots have always been popular, getting snapped up quickly, and that doesn’t look to be changing any time soon. Self-building results in a truly diverse community, which celebrates the uniqueness of its residents. This is in stark contrast to the cookie-cutter homes that have come to be associated with new build developments. The people who purchase our new plots will be adding their personality to Graven Hill, and we can’t wait to see the result.”
Roads and services have gone in in the innovative 12 home custom build Pound Lane site in Laindon, Essex, with plots available to buy now.
Located near to Basildon, the site is in a wooded setting, with links to Fenchurch St Station in London taking just 35 minutes, making it a fantastic choice for commuters. The homes come with private gardens and a communal garden, with an optional on-plot garage.
Buyers can choose the layout, size and fit out of their home, working to one of the three pre-designed home types, as specified in the planning permission. Each design is linked to one of the plots in the planning permission (see colour coding on plan below), so buying early ensures you have the widest choice of optoins. There are two house sizes on offer, and prices start from £445,000.
For example, Plot 6 with its S6 House design costs £235,000 for the 5,931 sqft plot, and the build price should be between £210,000 to £350,000 depending on your route and specification.
Buyers can choose two routes to ownership –
A la Carte Design – with this route you work with a Customer Coach to go through a series of choices based on a palette of materials and layouts, which are already costed out to make the process transparent when working with budgets.
DIY Design – this gives you far more freedom when it comes to designing the layout and specification, with only the position of the stairwells and utility risers being fixed. Buyers buy the weather-proof shell and can then take the house through to completion. The Customer Coach is available to support people through this process.
The project is unusual in that it is a collaboration between a team of companies, including architects, AOC, Mae and Pitman Tozer and custom build enabler Unboxed Homes
Unboxed Homes has recently completed a terrace of custom build homes in Peckham, London, Blenheim Grove, and is working on a group custom build scheme in London.
Andrew Baddeley-Chappell, CEO of the National Custom and Self Build Association, recently joined Richard Bacon on a fact finding trip to Germany to visit a show park of self build homes.
The trip was an opportunity to see how such parks operate and engage with people wanting an owner-commissioned home, as the system was included in the Bacon Review, in connection to scaling up custom and self build. In the review, one of the recommendations was to raise awareness of self build and show by ‘doing’.
This included the ask that government consider supporting the creation of a ‘Show Park’ of owner-commissioned homes.
There is a prevailing myth around self build that it is a DIY route where people literally build it themselves, laying bricks in the evening after work in the dark. This is false, as it represents just a tiny fraction of what custom and self build actually represents.
In reality, nearly all of these homes are owner-commissioned, meaning that the ‘self builder’ identifies companies that they then contract to build their home. This might be on a self build basis, where they source their own land, architects, builders and so on right through to completion, or on a custom build model where they work with enablers or developers that have undertaken the initial tasks of creating plots with planning permission and service in place.
Effectively, these ‘oven ready’ plots can then be bought, and the owner can then commission the home to go on them. In some models the designs and companies might be linked to the plot, but in others buyers can commission who they like, as long as they build to the requirements set out in the plot passport.
And this is where a show park comes in. Many custom and self build homes are delivered by package manufacturers, where they build your home offsite in a factory, using one – or a tailored version – of one of their designs. This is then shipped to site and rebuilt, ready for second and first fix. Again, depending on what you agree and the company’s model, the house manufacturer may undertake this, or hand over the weathertight shell for you to contract trades to take the house to completion.
The Show Park idea would see a range of these manufacturers all building one house on the park, so buyers can visit and experience the homes, with staff or exhibits in each house that explain that companies approach and designs. As such, it becomes a marketing opportunity for a range of package manufactures, and empowers consumers – as effectively the park is a huge house shop.
Whether the idea of a show park goes ahead, the potential for custom and self build has never been greater, and government believes that it could deliver up to 40,000 extra homes a year.
