Elegant and Efficient Self Build

Kam and Mandeep Badial discovered that building an extension onto their existing inefficient 1925 house was going to be more expensive than knocking it down and building a new one. So having visited some shows and exhibitions they decided that a Dan-Wood house was what they wanted.

They took elements from two of Dan-Wood’s standard designs so that they could have exactly the layout they wanted for their five-bedroom home. They added pillars at the front entrance and made what would have been a dressing room into an en-suite shower for one of the bedrooms.

Initially, however, the Badials experienced some scepticism from their friends and family about their bold self-build project.

“Everyone we know lives in a traditional brick-built house, either a three-bed semi or a detached house, so the concept of prefabricated timber-frame was completely new to them,” says Mandeep.

They worried if it would be strong enough to withstand the British weather, more than what it looked like. But the technology behind the building structure is very robust and even with five bedrooms, we’re saving money on energy bills because of the house’s thermal efficiency.”

Dan-Wood houses are built with 30cms of thermal insulation which protect it against both cold and overheating. The walls are coated with durable StoTherm to protect against algae and salt deposits, and a rubber EPDM membrane protects the house’s plinth from moisture and rainwater.

The Badials were anxious that something might go wrong when the house was being built, but were always met with reassurance by their sales agent.

“We always had so many questions,” says Mandeep. “‘Are the stairs in the right place?  Are the light fittings correct?’ But the response was always ‘yes, don’t worry!’ Everyone was so friendly and helpful.”

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