Getting your own home can sometimes be your biggest investment to date. Buying and maintaining a new-build home can be costly, with ongoing maintenance and renovations happening throughout the home’s lifecycle so that it still serves its purpose. People are after a lot more flexibility for their homes; they want to change the size of the rooms, add walk-in wardrobes to the bedrooms or make the downstairs completely open-plan.
Self-build homes are quickly becoming more demanded across the UK, with over 35% of people interested in starting their own self-build project. The need for homes that are built with the person in mind is becoming more saturated amongst home-owners, as more people seek the excitement and flexibility that self-build homes can offer.
Dominic Skinner, architectural director at Spatial Future puts forward his thoughts on the future of self-build homes – and what we can expect this future to look like.
What does the future look like for self-build homes?
Self-build homes can be more cost-effective to run than most people think. Through the use of MMC (modern methods of construction), self-build homes are able to be suited for the constantly changing weather conditions.
“Many houses in the UK are poorly insulated which leads to higher energy and heating bills. Insulation helps maintain an internal temperature, and when they’re poorly insulated they can lead to residents finding it difficult to cool in the Summer and heat up during the Winter,” comments Dominic.
Self-build homes use MMC, particularly timber frames, to achieve high levels of insulation and be more air tight. This means your house can stay warm when you need it to, but can also be cooler during the heat.
Cooling a traditional house down through the use of air conditioning can be a costly investment, especially as they can cost a fortune to heat during the Winter and then cool down during the warmer months. This way of living is not economical, and with the rises of energy bills, could be something that is unobtainable for residents.
Dominic continues,
“Cooling down a house is not cheap to do and clients are already starting to ask about how they can look to keep their house cool. Many people have never had to think about this before, and it’s something that self-build homes are able to achieve without being extortionate. Self-builds enable residents to have it built into the house at the very first stages, which is a lot more cost effective than fitting air-con into an already built house.”
Besides the ability to keep your house at the right temperature for whatever season it may be, self-build homes encourage the flexibility of your own space. Fewer load bearing walls grant people the freedom to change their space around them instead of committing to a new-build home that has restrictions.
Dominic states,
“The shells of self-build homes can be used forever. They carry the lifecycle of a home and create space that is far more adaptable – which is something that makes modular style of builds so attractive. Our homes are usually dictated to us, we are given a layout of an already built home and can only change the interior, or choose where we want the location. Self-build homes give you back that freedom and flexibility. You can have a home that is fully personalised to you; your wants, needs and dreams.”
The future of self-build homes is built on the foundations of letting your home evolve with you. Whether that be the season around you, the costs of energy and utilities increasing, or the purpose your home has to serve.
How can we predict what the future looks like?
Most of the ideas and thoughts regarding the future of self-build homes are not new. Passivhaus builds have been around since the 1960’s-70’s; with timber-style modular style houses being built in countries like Canada and Scandinavia, where their weather throughout the seasons can change drastically. Taking a look at the homes that are still predominantly being built across the UK just goes to show how behind we truly are.
“New-build houses are dominated by a small number of new-build companies. These companies starve creativity and flexibility in the way that we can use our homes.”
Dominic explains, highlighting that many people in this current generation are more interested in having a house that is sustainable, affordable and flexible with their life-cycles,
“People are more interested in how flexible and cheaper to run their homes can be, with many clients coming to us now and asking about renewable energy and air source heat pumps, or if they can have solar panels on their roof. It used to be a case of people wanting the most high-tech systems and appliances in their homes, but now it’s how to make their house as sustainable and economical as possible.”
It is the people who are looking to start their own self-build project that are becoming more open to these types of suggestions. New-build homes are using outdated building methods, which is becoming less and less appealing to homeowners.
Dominic continues,
“The way that self-build homes are being created and designed is becoming a healthier environment for us to live in – if you strip back the house completely what are you left with? We opt to use materials and processes that are going to decrease our carbon footprints due to the building methods used, especially as self-build is already better for the environment as you’re building a home that is more energy efficient for you and the environment.”
People are beginning to be encouraged by the idea of building their home, with the percentage increasing over the past years. The freedom and sustainability that a self-build home can grant you is something that more and more people are wanting, especially with the factor that self-build homes are designed with people in mind. These homes are more cost effective than buying an already built home of a similar size and carbon footprint.
Self-build homes are healthier to live in, more affordable and have a high level of flexibility that allows the home to adapt to you and your needs throughout its lifecycle.