Scots firm has building revolution in its sights
Could German houses transform the Scottish building industry? Susan Welsh went to the UK launch of the WeberHaus Build System to find out more
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THERE’S a revolution happening in home-building – and it kicked off in Aviemore last week.
The McDonald Centre in the Highland town was a hive of activity as more than 80 developers, architects and building professionals attended the UK launch of the ground-breaking German WeberHaus Build System.
The system has been brought to Britain for the first time by Scottish company Precision Engineered Homes (PEH), which had a team of experts on hand to give an overview of the system.
They included Dr Ralph Muhleck, son-in-law of Hans Weber, creator of the system; Ken Tod, managing director of PEH; programme director Mark Nash, and project manager Kenny Adams.
Their passion and enthusiasm for building these types of eco-friendly, ultra-modern houses was clear for all to see as they presented an overview of how it works before taking the delegates, including Your Home, to two sites – to see a house being assembled at Kincraig and a luxury house having the finishing touches put to it at Woodside of Culloden.
Speaking as one who spends a lot of time viewing houses and visiting building sites, I can truthfully say that it was all very exciting.
Basically, the system allows homeowners to create and design a house exactly the way they want it by either using a WeberHaus pre-planned design adapted to suit their needs or by employing an architect to work with WeberHaus to create the dream home of their choice.
All the homes are built with the environment in mind and are made with sustainable materials and are extremely energy-efficient, cleaner and very cheap to run.
But the main difference between the WeberHaus and normal housebuilding systems is that, once designed, the company uses state-of-the-art techniques to create wall, floor and roof panels in a controlled factory environment – a process which takes about 16 weeks.
Buyers with a serviced plot have foundations built, then all they need to do is wait for their timber-frame house to be delivered. A team of experts then delivers and erects the house, a process which, on average, allows even large five-bedroom houses to be wind and watertight within 48 hours.
At Kincraig, we watched as panels, complete with all windows, doors, electrical conduits and pre-installed plumbing, were off-loaded from lorries and literally clicked into place, creating, before our eyes, a house that was almost ready to move into.
Moving to the Woodside site, we toured an almost complete luxury 450sq m home which, just a few months ago, didn’t exist.
The system is radically different to anything available today – which is why its arrival in the UK is causing a stir.
Ken Tod, MD of Precision Engineered Homes, is delighted with progress.
He said: “These homes represent the future of housebuilding. They are high-quality, superbly energy-efficient and environmentally friendly while providing an unrivalled living environment in terms of air quality and acoustic insulation.
“We believe that this tried and tested closed-panel German build system can transform the housebuilding sector in Scotland.
“There is now increasing demand for higher build quality across all market segments, and a much broader awareness of the environmental impact of housebuilding.
“Coupled with these market demand issues is the steady introduction of ever more stringent building standards and regulations.
“This is making obsolete the way many housebuilders have traditionally constructed homes. The result of this mixture of demand-pull and regulation-push is forcing the industry to find new ways of delivering quality homes.
“The WeberHaus build system addresses these challenges.”
PEH has spent three years preparing the BRE-certified WeberHaus build system for the Scottish market. Its integrated range of specialist off-site manufacture (OSM) support services offers the client everything from architectural services (through Precision Design Ltd) to full construction services (through Precision Build Ltd) using technicians who have been factory trained in OSM techniques.
Through Rockmoor Land Ltd, the PEH group also offers residential development advice to landowners and estates on how to unlock land value and minimise development risk.
Mr Tod said: “Not only have we built an organisation that can deliver, we have also tailored the build system to the Scottish market and have a team of WeberHaus-trained architects who can create virtually any home, from traditional Scottish vernacular to contemporary modernist design.
“For developers, the WeberHaus build system provides the incentives of a predictable construction timetable and fixed costs, dramatically reduced site labour requirements, up to 50% less time on site, increased quality and minimal defects, while surpassing the performance levels required by current building standards and regulations.
“Crucially, the system will also be well placed to meet the more onerous statutory standards demanded by the zero-carbon home.”
The company will complete its first home in Inverness shortly and has already received committed orders from developers, housebuilders and private individuals across Scotland – including Harrods boss Mohammed Al Fayed, who plans to build more than 100 homes on his Highland estates.
Prices vary greatly, depending on what type of house is being designed, but buyers can expect to pay about 10% more than for those built using traditional methods.
For further information on PEH and the WeberHaus Build System, call 01463 227496, or log on to www.pehomes.co.uk
