As more of our projects come to fruition, we thought it would be a good time to explain why we created Hugr Homes, what our aims and goals are – and why we believe that custom build homes should be a mainstream part of the UK’s housing market.
Who?
Hugr Homes was formed to work with landowners, local authorities, housing associations, strategic land developers and individuals to facilitate and enable the development of custom build homes.
Created by Joe Higginson, a chartered surveyor with 30 years’ experience in the UK property market, he now leads a team of architects, planning consultants, site managers and environmental consultants, all of whom share Joe’s passion for custom build housing.
We work with companies and consultants who bring ideas, products and services that are not only innovative but also promote our goals in helping more buyers discover the advantages of custom build.
Why?
We want more people and communities to realise the feeling of wellness and contentment from their homes and their surrounding area.
As anyone who has gone through the house buying process will tell you: it’s hard to find everything you want on your wish list.
We believe home buyers know better than anyone what they want, but the majority of new homes are being built by the mass market housebuilders – and there is very little choice when it comes to what you can buy and how it will be specified.
But, there is another way.
We want homes to be designed by the people who will live in them because these will better suit their needs – and by custom building, you get the style and specification of the home you want at the price that you want to pay.
Most people accept there is a need for new housing across the country, but many oppose the building of typical sprawling estates of identical housing that look the same whether you are in Coventry, Cambridge or Carlisle.
These identikit boxes cover the landscape, with no thought to the local area and the style of property that will suit that location.
This is where custom building is different: it works within the framework of a design code and sets parameters for the materials to be used, but then enables the homeowner to put their own stamp on the exterior design.
This results in a more interesting design that is more in keeping with the surrounding area.
The UK lags behind other countries in this respect.
Here, fewer than 10% of all new homes are self or custom built, whereas in Germany, Italy and Belgium, it is more than 50%.
On a global basis, an average 40% of homes are self commissioned in developed countries.
While we know we can’t change the UK figures substantially on our own, we know we can make a difference.
How?
So what does all this mean in practice?
We know the hardest part of building your own home is finding the plot of land.
This is where we come in as we provide you with the available plots on our sites where you can custom build your home.
Much of the initial work will have been done as our sites already have roads and infrastructure installed and they have planning permission in place, plus there is a design guide that clearly shows what can be built there.
We also recognise that while you want to build your own home, you probably aren’t a designer or an architect. That’s OK – because we can help as much or as little as you need.
There is usually a range of house types and styles you can consider as a starting point and then you can work with us to change and adapt those layouts and styles to suit your preferences.
Once the layouts are agreed, we move on to the specification. This is where home buyers recognise the distinct advantages of custom build because we can make them more economical and energy efficient.
If energy-efficient equipment and systems are catered for at the start of the design process, they become more cost-effective as incorporating solar technology, battery backup, heat pumps to extract and transfer heat from the air or the ground can be done from day one.
If you need a mortgage to finance the building of your home, we can help with that, too, as we work with specialist mortgage providers and insurance warranty providers who understand the custom build market.
Want to learn more?
Are you interested in finding out more about how you can realise your custom build dream home? Whether you need you hand held throughout the process, or you want to take a more independent approach to creating your dream home, we are here to advise.
Contact the Hugr Homes team today by emailing hello@hugrhomes.com or telephoning 07540 754153.
