use our grey power to force real affordable, safe houses to be built whoch won't kill our planet but actually save it!!

We live in a two bedroom log cabin, imported from Estonia six years ago. It is absolutely brilliant, triple glazing, easy to maintain, and needs very little in the way of heating, so cheap and efficient to run. We were lucky that planning had ready been given for a similar bungalow way back in the 1960's so a replacement wasn't a problem. Getting planning theses days for these types of property is virtually impossible in England, as friends have discovered, though goodness knows why!

Doesn't planning permission run out in fifty years where you live?

Germany makes prefab houses with its typical precise engineering. After Grand Designs showed a Huf Haus, I Googled Huf Haus and discovered 2 just around the corner from my friend. Much smaller than the one on the TV, the houses were very attractive. These are bespoke homes, but the principal is the same. IIRC I think IKEA dipped its toe into prefabs some years ago.

It's certainly an efficient way of building houses these days, but the problem for the UK market is it requires a small but efficient work force working. In the UK, the government relies on the construction industry to create jobs and efficiency is not a major factor.

Except for selfbuild, Wilma. Then it's preferable to get a group together. Buy the site, get planning then build as a small group.
What I like about the Scottish scheme is that they are using local wood.

www.boklok.com/about-the-BoKlok-concept/

IKEA homes.

That's the IKEA houses I was talking about. I think it might have been a pilot that I saw, so it's good to see it developed.

Apart from the fact it's hard to get a mortgage, the problem with wooden houses in the UK is wood is expensive compared to other building materials. In countries like the USA, Canada and in Scandinavia, wood is in plentiful supply, so it makes sense to use it. Also, in Scandinavia and other European countries like Germany, it's quite common for families to own woodland. The land is passed down through the generations, so several families that are part of a bigger family group all share in the care of the woodland and the wood it produces. The family make a day out of going to their piece of woodland to manage it and I like the idea of that tradition.

theres a never ending supply of wood here,and with fast growing trees replacing the originals used we shouldn't run out any time in the forseeable future .

I realise how much forestry the UK has, particularly Scotland and Wales, but it's nothing like the scale of the countries I mentioned. If we started using the wood for house building it would soon disappear. We're not talking about someone ordering a house, we're talking about building housing estates. Or at least I was when we were talking about prefabs.

Hasn't Kevin McCloud of Grand Designs, also designed houses to be built cheaply?

We were within the limits dj, so no problem for us. We did have to adhere to what we were replacing both in size, and siting of the replacement dwelling.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/04/grand-designs-27000-eco-home-in-wales-burns-to-the-ground

Sad.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-urged-to-invest-in-a-peoples-land-bank/

This sounds like a good idea, as it's land we own already.
The example of Persimmon is quite appalling.

This is ridiculous.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/five-london-housing-estates-are-empty-awaiting-regeneration/

Why have they been emptied when so many families are homeless?
Why are they not being regenerated, or the houses pulled down and being built on.
One statement at the end says that ONLY 6100 of them have been empty for over 6 months.
ONLY? They could have housed the homeless.

www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-provide-permanent-shelter-and-housing-for-rough-sleepers

Over 133,000 signatures now. Please sign and share, if you agree with it, of course.

This is disgraceful.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/government-slammed-over-shameful-post-grenfell-safety-stats/

Most of the tower blocks that have unsafe cladding are owned by councils or housing associations.

36 councils have asked the government for help, but not one has received any.

www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2018-01-22a.1.3

Parliamentary debate on it yesterday.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/shelter-launches-new-social-housing-commission/

Hopefully they will get together with the government commission, and work twice as quickly to build more social housing.

The BoKlok houses they built in Gateshead were a bit of a disaster. No amount of incentives would persuade buyers.

Not surprised as they look like chalets in Butlins.

It wasn't the buyers. They couldn't get mortgages because they came on market in 2008.
You must have gone to a smart Butlins if your chalets looked like that.

Have you been in one durhamjen? I have.

From the outside they look like Butlins chalets although they are nicer inside than you imagine, with some good design features.

Many of the mortgage companies refused to lend on what they referred to as "prefab" homes.

goo.gl/images/zTJYqX

No, I haven't been inside one of those ones. But this is no Butlin's chalet that I've ever seen.

However, my husband designed timber framed houses in the seventies when lots were needed. Our timber frame houses are very similar to Scandinavian ones. The difference is that in Scandinavia they buy houses on floor area, not on number of bedrooms.
People complain about brick houses and they complain about timber frame houses.

I can't turn links into pictures but the flats in Gateshead (as shown in my link) are quite ugly. I have been in one or two of them and whilst they are quite nice inside they are very ugly outside. They look a cross between a prison block and a Butlins chalet.

I'm not sure where that picture is durhamjen?

They did come fully equipped inside (when new) and eventually (when they didn't sell) came with bicycles, holidays, sports equipment, gym memberships and crikey knows what else. I feel sorry for the handful of people that bought at the beginning as the empty flats started to look shabby and run down.

That photo is from your link, gillybob.