Fuelled by a 'Meccano generation' of thirtysomethings - 41 per cent of whom would consider buying a prefab house - the
UK market is worth £1.6bn and growing at 30 per cent per year.
Prefab penthouses - worth up to £2.5m, built off-site and delivered by helicopter to your rooftop - solid timber lodges built from wood from sustainable sources and two bedroom homes assembled within three days costing £60K are all examples of the modern prefab.
Far removed from the shaky box-style structures that studded our
post-war landscape, these flat-pack homes are now heralded as the ultimate in cool. Claimed to last 60 to 100 years before needing repairs, their benefits are proclaimed as maintenance-free, environmentally sound, flexible living spaces, with high spec fittings and the latest in consumer technology.
According to the report, tomorrow's prefabs will come in all shapes and sizes built from more durable versions of lightweight materials like cardboard, plywood and polystyrene. The £60K version is more indicative of the mainstream trend to come and the access point for people considering a prefab home today; pre-cast so that 80 per cent of the house can be completed up front, 20 per cent can be customised to suit the individual taste - from the traditional cottage to corrugated steel finish.
The research is based on extended interviews with two architects - MAE Architects and Stuart Piercy - and the original Future of Homes report. This included interviews with architects, product designers and property specialists and is part of a wider series commissioned by Standard Life Bank that examines a group of urban thirtysomethings who don't see their mortgage
as a millstone more of a life-management tool. Dubbed 'The Freestyle Generation' this group has the confidence to draw down on the equity in their properties for life-changing purposes.
Ashley Ramsay, Standard Life Bank marketing manager, commented: "The new generation of prefab houses dispels the myths associated with the cheaply built post war housing solutions. They are designed to accommodate changing lifestyles and maximise building as well as living space. Their
growing popularity, especially among thirtysomethings, and flexibility demonstrates that prefab could be a future alternative to bricks and mortar."
Ramsay continued: "We are in the homes business and as such we need to be aware of housing trends so that our policies and products remain flexible to our customers' needs. The technical difficulties with mortgage lenders often prove to be a barrier to people wanting to buy homes with unusual construction. Standard Life Bank's flexible lending policy means that properties are assessed on an individual basis and according to market demand and saleability meaning that we would consider lending on a wide variety of houses."
In a separate survey, Standard Life Bank canvassed 1000 adults in the UK to gauge their propensity to buy a prefab home. The data revealed an enlighteningly positive response:
* Three out of ten people in the UK (29 per cent) would consider buying a prefabricated or self-build home with young people aged 34 and under the most likely age group to do so (41 per cent)
* More men than women are in favour of buying a prefab home: 33 per cent of men vs 26 per cent women
* People living in rented accommodation see prefab or self build as a way onto the property ladder with a third (33 per cent) saying they would consider it
* The propensity to buy a prefab or self build is higher among
singletons: 37per cent (eight percentage points above the national average) compared to 30 per cent people either married or living with their partner
* 21 per cent of people who own their current property outright would buy a prefab or self-build home compared to 35 per cent of those with a mortgage and 33 per cent currently renting
