Episode Information Trade Secrets Walton

Date Published:

17/06/2008

This week, Trade Secrets will be focusing on David and Greta's Walton Huf Haus Grand Design. If you liked it, then you love the fact that prefab houses are becoming increasingly popular.

When it comes to prefab housing we've been pretty slow on the uptake in Great Britain. But as the Iredale's German Huf Haus shows, things are a very different story in other countries. Nowhere is that more so than in California, on the western frontier of the United States.

Californians have been pushing the boundaries of prefab design since the 1940s. The Stahl House is an excellent example - one of 36 prototype homes designed as part of The Case Study House Programme. Built after the second world war, these kit houses have been an inspiration ever since.

50 years on, we still crave many of the techniques these houses championed: Expanses of glass, simple open plan kitchens and living areas, and good design. It is only possible to incorporate these features into mass produced housing by taking a lead from commercial buildings, with their steel frame structures and use of large panes of glass.

Eco features designed to make houses more sustainable seem to have lent themselves to prefab housing far more readily than traditional on-site construction. Increasingly, prefab homes are setting the standards for insulation, harvesting solar and wind power and recycled water systems. And if you think that traditional prefabs look cheap and poorly designed, take heed from the new generation of kit home manufacturers. Prefab isn't just here to stay, it could well be the future for stylish, solid and sustainable house building.