Four years ago Kevin McCloud met David and Greta Iredale, whose Huf Haus was built in a factory in Germany and put together on site.
It was one of the most striking and efficient processes Grand Designs has ever seen. But four years on, is the Huf Haus still delivering perfection?
David and Greta Iredale are seasoned builders. They built their first house in 1956; their second, nine years later. Having lived in it for 40 years, the timber house they designed themselves began to rot away so they decided to pull it down and replace it with a prefab. But this was no post-war flimsy prefab. This was a solid, German built, precision engineered Huf Haus.
Built in a factory, each part was constructed by a different team of skilled workers, very much like a car production line. The kit house, complete with doors, windows, fixtures and fittings was then shipped to site and put together like some gigantic jigsaw. And with a schedule tighter than a pair of lederhosen, the Germans promised to put the entire house together in just six days.
True to their promise, the German construction team arrived at the crack of dawn but were delayed by the British crane driver, who arrived five hours late after being given the wrong address. Working late to make up for lost time, the German team succeeded in erecting the house in just six days as promised.
Impressed by the German's efficiency, designer David and Greta's next challenge was to personalise the inside of their stark home through intelligent interior design.
Four years on, Kevin is back to see if David and Greta have been able to stamp their own identity onto this distinctive building.
This hi-tech German prefab went up in just one week, but the Huf Haus is no ordinary kit house. What David and Greta got was a piece of the classic modern dream, all open-plan living with lots of space and lots of light.
Downstairs, a part-concealed kitchen at the front connects to a generous living and dining area at the back, separated from the garden only by large glass walls. There's still room on the ground floor for David's artist's studio.
Upstairs is split in two with a gallery in between overlooking the double height dining area. To one side is the master bedroom suite. On the other are two more bedrooms.
This is an unusual building for several reasons; it's not English, it's timber framed and it's topped by a split roof in three sections. Also, at around £450,000, it's not cheap.
Walton Huf Haus: The Project
Walton Huf Haus: Photos & Video
Walton Huf Haus: Kevin's View
Walton Huf Haus: Suppliers
Huf Haus: The Self Builder's Guide
Kit Home Designs
: Huf Haus Photo Gallery
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Want to be a self-build guru? Then read on....
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