FlexiHouse Starter Home

About this project

The FlexiHouse concept was conceived out of many years observing families and communities being disrupted by having to relocate due to increasing family size. Greater number of households required additional space and as consequences outgrown their property and having to relocate away from their established community, this is generally unsettling for those.

This solution has now been addressed by Buildeco with the development of their flat-pack FlexiHouses that are fully expandable, adaptable and future proofed, and so address and meet the needs of an expanding family, as and when future additional accommodation space is required.

The FlexiHouse Starter Home is currently under development, due early 2019.

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Use of Timber

Buildeco has developed its own panelised LVL timber system. The cassette panels are CNC machined from LVL for the frame panel with insulation infill between which is sheathed on both sides with Class O FR magnesium oxide board, these materials combined form a strong lightweight composite panel which can be manhandled. The building structure is based on a fabric first solution with U-values of 0.12W/m2K achievable. The building is assembled quickly with the use of one hand tool by trained licence operatives that validates the structural warranty.   

Starter Home Option 1

Two-person FlexiHouse starter home can be clad using a variety of cladding panel materials to respond to the local vernacular or your personal taste. The FlexiHouse footprint is generous; the additional upper floors added in Options 2 – 4 illustrate the flexible expansion options in stages, as and when your income and family size increases.

The FlexiHouse starts as one-bedroom home and expands to two bedrooms, three bedrooms and finally to four bedrooms, maximising the full use of the same footprint. The foundation and underground services are designed from the outset to take the total structural loading and services requirement of a fully developed four-bedroom house.

The ground floor footprint allows for the added advantages gained when implementing the FlexiHouse Options 1 – 4, which expand the house vertically and horizontally from two persons to eight persons when required. With the addition of an internal circulation staircase from Options 2 on, and the reconfiguration of the combined kitchen/dining/living areas, Options 3 & 4 allow the separate living room and kitchen to remain above the minimum space standards.

The ground floor bedroom is now located on the first floor for Options 3 & 4, making this space useable as the family dining room. Option 4 has an additional staircase leading into the roof space bedroom with en-suite shower room and dormer patios on the front and rear.

Internal Layouts & Expanded Options

Delivery Process

Buildeco FlexiHouses concept are being developed to be sold at any of the four optional stages as a completed full turnkey delivery process or as a Part-Fab.

Part-Fab – part finished and pre agreed work stages. This allows self-builders to finish off part of the external and/or internal fit-out of their home. This work would be carried out once and after the building is fully structurally assembled by the approved operatives, made watertight and signed off by the warranty provider. 

 Awards

British Homes Awards 2017 winner 'The Green and pleasant homes design competition'