1940’s Prefab’s – Simple but effective!

Despite a desperate need for housing it is interesting that a planned, strategic approach was taken to the design and functionality of prefabricated housing in the 1940’s.

Source: Prefab at Avoncroft Museum - Source: Own

A number of years ago I visited Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings (Link), which is situated near junction 1 of the M42 in Bromsgrove in the West Midlands. The Museum currently has over thirty different buildings/structures which have been rescued and re-built over the last five decades including a timber framed merchant’s house, a windmill, a church and a granary to name but a few. Although these and other buildings are absolutely fascinating, the building that really caught my attention was the 1940’s prefab. There was something about the speed of construction and the simplicity and layout of the structure that made the building stand out from the rest. For those reading this article who are unfamiliar with prefabricated buildings, these are basically factory built components that are assembled (put together) on site.

Nowadays, prefabrication is something that is commonly used for new built construction, and offers efficiencies in terms of thermal performance, speed, improved quality as well as cost efficiencies. In the 1940’s very little consideration would have been given to any of these factors, with the exception of speed of construction. Originally designed as temporary structures with a maximum lifespan of 10 years, prefabs were identified in the 1944 Housing Act as a means of providing accommodation quickly in towns and cities that had been bombed heavily in World War II. Prior to the introduction of the Housing Act in 1944 the UK Government identified the need to provide temporary houses and set about achieving this through an initiative called the ‘Temporary Houses Programme’ (THP). The summary below from Epsom and Ewell History Explorer (Link) explains the planned approach to housing shortage and how design played a key part in its success.

Source: Kitchen within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

As early as May 1943 the Government decided to invest in a prototype, temporary steel bungalow, which became known as the ‘Portal Bungalow’, named after the then Minister of Works, Lord Portal. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, promised 500,000 temporary new homes, although only 156,623 were actually produced  (between 1945 and March 1949). The houses would be prefabricated in sections, in factories no longer needed for war production, transported to where they were needed and ‘bolted’ together on site, in a fraction of the time it would take to build a conventional house.

As steel was needed for the war effort, and therefore in short supply, no steel prefabs were actually made. Nevertheless, the steel ‘Portal’ prototype, used as a starting point, provided inspiration to private firms who were then commissioned to design and produce their own versions, but within specific guidelines.

All were to have two bedrooms, the floor area was to be 635 square feet, and to allow transportation from the factory, each component part could be no bigger than 7½ feet wide. The most important stipulation was that they all had to make use of the government-approved ‘heart-unit’. A back-to-back kitchen, bathroom, fire place with back boiler, airing cupboard and toilet. The design of the unit kept plumbing to a minimum. Only the relatively few imports (8,462) from the USA did not use the ‘heart-unit’.

There were thirteen types from eleven different manufacturers (one from the USA). Although they were all based on the same concept, each manufacturer had their own detailed designs, and decided which materials they would use. The materials were chosen from concrete, asbestos-cement, steel, wood and aluminium or a combination of several, as decided by each manufacturer.

Source: Bedroom within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Despite a desperate need for housing it is interesting that a planned, strategic approach was taken to the design and functionality of prefabricated housing in the 1940’s. If you ever have the privilege of visiting a 1940’s prefab you will be able to see for yourself how these speedily constructed dwellings were able to provide a functional layout incorporating basic facilities for a family at that time. Granted, there would not have been the level of thermal comfort or possibly space that most modern houses can offer however, I am sure that those who lived in prefabs in the 1940’s would have been more than happy with their living conditions.

Although many prefabs have long since been removed and replaced with more modern structures there are still many of examples of prefabs that remain, of which many are now listed (protected). This really stands as a testament to a well thought out approach to meet an urgent need for housing at the time. Given our current need for new housing I wonder if our current decision makers could learn any lessons from such an approach?

Source: Second Bedroom within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Source: Bathroom within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Iconic World War II image - Source: http://fortiesknitter.blogspot.co.uk/

Author: Gary O’Neill

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Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

Permitted development rights disregard rights of light

Permitted development rights take no account of a neighbour's 'rights to light'

Source: www.jcadesigns.co.uk

The UK planning system allows certain types of development to be made without the need to apply to your Local Authority for planning permission; this is referred to as 'Permitted Development'. Information relating to permitted development can be found on-line on the Planning Portal (Link). Planning applications often require professional advice in order to produce drawings, submit the application in the correct format, liaise with the Local Authority, all of which, in addition to the planning fee itself can prove to be expensive.  There is also the possibility that the application may receive objections from neighbours/local residents, which will be taken into account by the Local Authority when making a decision on the application. All of this expense stress and uncertainty can be avoided if the development is deemed to be 'permitted development'.

Whilst the advantages are clear for the party who proposes to undertake a project under permitted development, but what about the rights of adjoining owners who may be affected in some way by the proposed development?  For example, take a single storey side extension to a semi-detached dwelling.  The extension will be only 1.5 metres from the neighbour’s external wall (not the boundary), however the height of the extension will be 2.8 metres at the eaves (the junction of the top of the wall and roof).  Even though a new extension will impact on the available light to the neighbour’s kitchen windows, this is still classified as permitted development. The photograph below shows the new extension on the left hand side.

Source: own

Permitted development rights take no account of a neighbour's 'rights to light'. Therefore it is currently acceptable under UK planning laws for a development that does not require planning permission (as it may be permitted development) and is therefore deemed as acceptable, to adversely affect the right of an adjoining owner. This surely cannot be acceptable. Any adjoining owner who is affected in this way will receive little help or guidance from the Local Authority because as far as they are concerned this is permitted development and there is nothing they will do apart from unhelpfully tell you to complain to the Secretary of State (this is what happened to me a few years ago). 

All is not completely lost however, as there is a law that may provide a way of challenging 'loss of light' and that is the Prescription Act 1832.  If a new building/structure limits or reduces the amount of light available through windows and when measured the level of light falls outside 'acceptable levels', this could then be deemed to be an obstruction. If this is the case then you may be able to take legal action against the party who created that obstruction.

If you think you may have a case in respect of the above you must first think very carefully and weigh up the possible benefits of starting legal proceedings.  Do not be under the impression that if you are successful that your neighbour will be required to remove or make significant alterations to their development.  This is only likely to happen in extreme circumstances where the new building or structure has been constructed outside the requirements of permitted development, or has breached other statutory requirements.  The general outcome of cases of this nature is that the development will remain and the court may apportion a certain level of compensation for the general reduction of light.

In conclusion, in certain circumstances permitted development appears to disregard the rights of adjoining owners, and at present there is very little that can be done to stop this happening.  In a 'free' society like the UK this does seem to be unacceptable, and maybe it is now time for permitted development guidelines to be amended to close this loop hole.

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog. 

UK Housing Market – ‘Help to Buy’ aiding recover or papering over the cracks?

For recovery to be sustainable it needs to be steady and measured.  Allowing people to borrow money, which they would not have been able to previously afford, to get the housing market moving may have a positive impact in the short term, but could prove to be a recipe for disaster in the future. 

Source: http://www.wiltshirebusinessonline.co.uk/

To describe the UK housing market as fickle would be an understatement.  Only 18 months ago the debate revolved around how to get the housing market moving, but after what appears to be a remarkable turnaround, there is now even talk about how to ‘cool’ the housing market!  In a recent article in the Guardian Online (Link), the Government cite their flagship Help to Buy scheme as the main driver for the recovery:

‘The government's controversial Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme has supported 7,313 home loans worth a total of £1bn since it was launched in October, official figures show.

The figures for the first six months of the mortgage scheme, released by the Treasury, showed the mean value of a property purchased or remortgaged through the scheme was £151,597, well below the average house price of £252,000 recorded by the Office for National Statistics.

The Treasury said 80% of the supported loans were given to first-time buyers and claimed a larger proportion of the market was being helped outside London and the south-east.

Commenting on the figures, and data showing that more than 20,000 people have bought newbuild homes through the separate equity loan scheme, the prime minister, David Cameron, said his government had helped both buyers and builders’

Source: http://blog.sewellgardner.com/

In order to use the first part of the Help to Buy scheme borrowers will first need to save a deposit of 5% of the value of the property they want to purchase.  They will then be able to apply for an interest free loan for a further 20% of the value of the property, to a maximum loan value of £120,000. Repayment of the loan will then be made when the property is eventually sold. After five years the loan will start to attract what the government call a ‘fee’, which is basically interest at a rate 1.75% which will increase annually thereafter by the current Retail Price Index inflation plus 1%.  The loan is therefore interest free, but you need to read the small print to see that this only applies for five years.

There is no doubt that the Help to Buy scheme has brought buyers to the market sooner than they would have been able to without the scheme, however, let us look into our crystal ball and see what could happen over the next few years.

Firstly, interests rates WILL rise!  The question is actually when, not if. I am sure that those with mortgages, like myself are monitoring the news very closely and in particular noises coming from the Bank of England.  Some commentators suggest that this may happen toward the end of this year, other suggest early 2015. Over recent years mortgage borrowers have been spoilt by a record low base rate of just 0.5%.  Although the property market has suffered with the economy, we have had the opportunity to borrow money very cheaply for many years. Those who have taken this opportunity may have been lulled into a false sense of security, hoping that this will last for the vast duration of their mortgage loan!  In reality however, it is likely that those who have stretched their budgets or maybe those who are new to the property market will find any interest rate increase a major shock to their finances.  The outcome is that many may find themselves in a position where they will struggle to meet their loan re-payments and unfortunately others are likely to lose their homes.

Also, as explained above, after five years the help to buy loan will start to attract a fee, which if added to rising interest rates is going to impact significantly, particularly those at the lower end of the income scale.  This therefore begs the question, is the help to buy scheme aiding recover or is it just papering over the cracks?  I am sure that lenders will tell us that they have robust audit procedures to ensure that lenders are able to payback their loans, however Reuters (Online) (Link) recently reported: ‘Economic recovery and record-low interest rates have driven British house prices up by about 10 percent over the past year, raising concern some buyers might be taking on too much debt’.  

For recovery to be sustainable it needs to be steady and measured.  Allowing people to borrow money, which they would not have been able to previously afford, to get the housing market moving may have a positive impact in the short term, but could prove to be a recipe for disaster in the future.  There are many high profile examples in the football world of what can happen when money is borrowed to chase a dream, money that is borrowed in the hope that success will produce finances that will more than cover the cost of a loan.  But what happens when you do not get the success you expect? Ask the supporters of clubs such as Portsmouth and Leeds United amongst other, of what they think about this approach, which nearly resulted in their beloved clubs going bankrupt! Borrowing money to those who are likely to struggle to repay their loans when interest rates rise and the help to buy fee commences has all of the same ingredients for disaster.

The real way of addressing the issues within the housing market is to increase supply by building more houses, easy to say you may think!  Simple economics tells us that when there is high demand and limited supply for something, the market will naturally adjust to reflect this, pushing up prices.  Therefore, to deal with the desperate need for housing in the UK and to control house prices, the UK government should be focussing it’s effort on building more houses and not on temporary ‘fixes’ such as the spare room subsidy (referred to a bedroom tax) and schemes such as help to buy!  BBC News Online (Link) recently reported that the number of housing starts had risen by 31% over the last year, however and interestingly, the number of completions only rose by 4% over the year. The article goes onto identify that more needs to be done to increase housing supply in the UK:

‘The housing charity Shelter said the country was still building less than half the homes it needs. "Everyone agrees that we need to build more homes, but sticking plaster solutions like Help to Buy, or tweaks to planning rules will never tackle the hole in our housing market," said Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive.

Earlier this week the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, suggested that building more homes was the best way to curb surging house prices.

Above, Shelter’s Campbell Robb refers to help to buy as a ‘sticking plaster solution’. I could not have put it better myself!

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.

1940’s Prefab Houses – Simple but effective!

Despite a desperate need for housing it is interesting that a planned, strategic approach was taken to the design and functionality of prefabricated housing in the 1940’s  

Prefab at Avoncroft Museum - Source: Own

A number of years ago I visited Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, which is situated near junction 1 of the M42 in Bromsgrove in the West Midlands.  The Museum currently has over 27 different structures which have been rescued and re-built over the last five decades including a timber framed merchant’s house, a windmill, a church and a granary to name but a few.  Although these and other buildings are absolutely fascinating, the building that really interested me was the 1940’s prefab.  There was something about the speed of construction and the simplicity and layout of the structure that made the building stand out from the rest.  For those reading this article who are unfamiliar with prefabricated buildings, these are basically factory built components that are assembled (put together) on site.

Kitchen within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Nowadays, prefabrication is something that is commonly used for new build construction, and offers efficiencies in terms of thermal performance, speed, improved quality as well as cost efficiencies. In the 1940’s very little consideration would have been given to any of these factors, with the exception of speed of construction.  Originally designed as temporary structures with a maximum lifespan of 10 years, prefabs were identified in the 1944 Housing Act as a means of providing accommodation quickly in towns and cities that had been bombed heavily by the Germans in World War II.  Prior to the introduction of the Housing Act in 1944 the UK Government identified the need to provide temporary houses and set about achieving this through an initiative called the ‘Temporary Houses Programme’ (THP).  The summary below from http://www.epsomandewellhistoryexplorer.org.uk/ explains the planned approach to housing shortage and how design played a key part in its success.

'As early as May 1943 the Government decided to invest in a prototype, temporary steel bungalow, which became known as the ‘Portal Bungalow’, named after the then Minister of Works, Lord Portal. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, promised 500,000 temporary new homes, although only 156,623 were actually produced  (between 1945 and March 1949). The houses would be prefabricated in sections, in factories no longer needed for war production, transported to where they were needed and ‘bolted’ together on site, in a fraction of the time it would take to build a conventional house.

As steel was needed for the war effort, and therefore in short supply, no steel prefabs were actually made. Nevertheless, the steel ‘Portal’ prototype, used as a starting point, provided inspiration to private firms who were then commissioned to design and produce their own versions, but within specific guidelines.

All were to have two bedrooms, the floor area was to be 635 square feet, and to allow transportation from the factory, each component part could be no bigger than 7½ feet wide. The most important stipulation was that they all had to make use of the government-approved ‘heart-unit’. A back-to-back kitchen, bathroom, fire place with back boiler, airing cupboard and toilet. The design of the unit kept plumbing to a minimum. Only the relatively few imports (8,462) from the USA did not use the ‘heart-unit’. 

There were thirteen types from eleven different manufacturers (one from the USA). Although they were all based on the same concept, each manufacturer had their own detailed designs, and decided which materials they would use. The materials were chosen from concrete, asbestos-cement, steel, wood and aluminium or a combination of several, as decided by each manufacturer'

Bedroom within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Despite a desperate need for housing it is interesting that a planned, strategic approach was taken to the design and functionality of prefabricated housing in the 1940’s.  If you ever have the privilege of visiting a 1940’s prefab you will be able to see for yourself how this speedily constructed dwelling was able to provide a functional layout incorporating basic facilities for a family at that time.  Granted, there would not have been the level of thermal comfort or possibly space that most modern houses can offer however, I am sure that those who lived in prefabs in the 1940’s would have been more than happy with their living conditions. 

Although many prefabs have long since been removed and replaced with more modern structures there are still many of examples of prefabs that remain, of which many are now listed (protected).  This really stands as a testament to a well thought out approach to meet an urgent need for housing at the time.  Given our current need for new housing I wonder if our current decision makers could learn any lessons from such an approach?

Second Bedroom within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Bathroom within Avoncroft Prefab - Source: Own

Iconic World War II image - Source: http://fortiesknitter.blogspot.co.uk/

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and colleagues who you think would be interested

Information/opinions posted on this site are the personal views of the author and should not be relied upon by any person or any third party without first seeking further professional advice. Also, please scroll down and read the copyright notice at the end of the blog.