To celebrate the completion of the first R.HOUSE we held a Launch Party on 26th October 2011. People travelled from across the Isle of Skye, the Highlands and a few made the long journey from the Western Isles too! The event was a fantastic success – and we’d like to thank everyone who travelled to come and share some time (and local Scottish food) with us.

Here are a few photos from the event. Click on a thumbnail for a larger image.

Photo’s showing the completed house at Bornesketaig, near Uig, Isle of Skye. This house is mostly larch clad in natural finish – but the other side of the house has a small amount of white render finish at the client’s request.

Questions and answers: Both R.HOUSE Directors were on hand to talk with clients about the onsite build process. A heat recovery expert explains how the energy saving is achieved.

Cross section of wall panel on show for clients to see; Selection of quality materials that we use; Dr Who’s Tardis – no, its part of the heat recovery system in the house! A wood burning stove provides warmth and ambience – supplied by Bonk and Co. of Inverness.

We revealed a new R.HOUSE type at the Launch Event (more to follow) – a 1 bedroom from £87,000. As well as a good look at the house, answers to all their questions and visitors also took home a little goody bag!

We’re four weeks into the on-site build at Bornesketaig so we thought it was about time for a quick update.

Interiors: it’s difficult to photograph plain walled interiors but the photo below show a spacious bedroom with plenty of light. Downstairs is a hub of activity as all the services are being connected. Emma, our plumber gives us a reluctant smile as ground floor drainage is fixed in. The photo below shows the dining area leading to kitchen, services cupboard and downstairs WC. Large windows give excellent views across the bay towards the Isles.

Exterior: the side-on view of the house shows externals all but complete. All projects have delays – R.HOUSE building experts James MacQueen demonstrated their Quality Assurance by spotting the wrong colour roof fixings being used and called a halt to proceedings whilst the right ones were shipped from Sweden! As we concluded our impromptu photo-shoot stormy weather once again made an appearance – a timely reminder of the benefits the R.HOUSE pre-fabricated construction process (no kit house here!) brings to building in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Lastly, we captured a sneak picture of the team on a well-earned break!

House position: the new R.HOUSE is nestled between two existing properties with lovely views down the hill and across to the Western Isles which on a clear day can be seen in all their magnificence. Pictures with sheep in the foreground bring to mind the contrasting agricultural/rural and contemporary roots of the R.HOUSE design.

Materials: we couldn’t resist a few photos of the materials being used in the construction of the R.HOUSE. Larch clad timber exteriors combine with recycled insulation, Nordan windows and a lot of technical expertise to create a very warm and energy efficient home for the new owners…

Staggering, considering 4 weeks ago this was all in bits in the warehouse!

In the next 3 weeks or so we’ll see the house completed – ready for the new home owners to move in. Before they do however we’ll be holding an open day and evening drinks reception – if you would like an invite please let us know.

To keep in touch with progress follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

Whether you’re making the move to setup a family home on Skye, in the Highlands or even further afield, opting for a change of lifestyle, or building a house for a relative on a piece of croft land there’s always a few things we all overlook.

That’s why we’ve put together our 10 top tips for building on Skye, the Highlands and Islands.

Finding a plot

1. Make sure you are aware of all the plots in the area you want to live. Search all of the estate agents’ websites and speak to them about plots that maybe about to come on the market. Also, make sure you speak to locals in the area you are looking at. You don’t want to end up with what you may later consider to be a ‘second best’ site half way through your build, when something else comes on the market.
2. Make sure you know what other development is likely to happen around your site – don’t let yourself in for a disappointment.
3. Get your services sorted – make sure you are aware of the availability of water, telephone and electricity for your plot BEFORE you buy it.

   Funding your project

4. Make absolutely sure you have all the funding you need in place before you start.
5. Always give yourself a contingency fund – for any last minutes changes you want adding or something you’ve not thought about.
6. Building on Skye and the Highlands can be expensive – don’t be misled by average costs from elsewhere around the UK.
7. If budget is tight don’t skimp on the basics – finishings are easier to upgrade at a later date.

   Planning & Timescales

8. The changing weather conditions can make certain types of construction impossible or at very best stop/start – expect everything to take longer than you planned.
9. Allow plenty of time for the planning application process in your project plan.

   Personal

10. Don’t panic but be prepared for this to be one of the more stressful experiences you’ve ever had!

The R.HOUSE Difference

Purchasing an R.HOUSE is different from the traditional build process or buying a self-build kit-house:

We’ll work with you from the start to help you decide if a plot is suitable for an R.HOUSE and what the total costs will be based on the options you want

We build the house for you – you don’t have to worry about arranging builders, contractors and materials

The Pre-fabrication process means critical stages of construction are completed under-cover off-site regardless of what the weather is.

Our range of architect-designed house types and multi-finish options give you the ability to choose what best fits your requirements but within a fixed budget

Each of the R.HOUSE houses comes complete with a standard kitchen and bathroom – no extra budget required.

You can purchase a two bedroom R.HOUSE from £115,000.

Of course there’s more reasons to own an R.HOUSE – contact us to discuss your requirements.

In this first part of our Building YOUR.HOUSE series we follow the progress of the house build on its first day onsite.

If you haven’t been following us on twitter the house construction began a couple of months prior at our production facility in Crossal, Isle of Skye.

The aim is to reduce construction time and achieve very high levels of build quality through the production of the individual house parts: gable ends, doors and windows pre-fitted into wall panels, insulation enclosed into pre-clad walls, floor and roof cassettes ready to drop in. All of these different elements are made under cover to a very precise design and stacked up ready to go out to site.

Having been loaded onto our lorry and custom built trailer, the pre-fabricated parts were driven to Uig where a crane was waiting to start on-site assembly.

The process starts with the unloading of the external wall panels.

The wall panels are carefully moved into place, onto the foundation slab that had been laid a few weeks prior.

The gable ends are manoeuvred into place and scaffolding constructed around the walls.

Corners are carefully joined together – the precision construction has paid off.

Windows and door are all pre-fitted making the path to wind and watertight a much easier journey to take.

Finally the roof cassettes are lifted onto the house structure ready for the external roof finish: natural slate tiles or durable corrugated roof sheeting.

The construction team surely deserve a wee dram to salute them on a job well done?!

So in just a day we have gone from laid foundations to (nearly) wind and watertight. The impact on a building schedule is tremendous and with highland weather as unpredictable as it is the timescales to build a new house are considerably reduced. Design and manufacturing innovation and years of experience have resulted in a truly remarkable process that will go towards changing the traditional construction industry in the UK.

And ALL this happened on the first day!