A new concept in housing pioneered by Ikea and which has already proved popular in Scandinavia, is now getting ready to take on the British market. The first flat-pack homes in the UK have been built and sold, with residents getting ready to move in later this month.
The show home in Gateshead is finished and construction is also complete on the area’s first block of flat-pack flats. Interested buyers can now take a tour of the residences known in Scandinavia as BoKlok homes.
Last year Ikea took the BoKlok idea out of Scandinavia and, with the help of British developer Live Smart @ Home, introduced it to the UK.
The homes offer one or two bedrooms and aim to be environmentally friendly. The goal of both the flats and the houses is to achieve an extremely high level of thermal efficiency. When occupied, it is expected that the homes will use a third of the energy used in a regular house and produce less waste.
Construction itself is eco-friendly. As a Live Smart @ Home spokesperson explained, “Because everything is done under factory conditions, there is less wastage and we are only on site for half the time of a normal build.”
The show home, which is fully furnished with Ikea furniture, triggered a large number of calls to the developer who is now flooded with applications for the new homes.
Alan Prole, managing director of Live Smart @ Home, said, “This is a very exciting time for everyone concerned in this development and we are now looking forward to welcoming our first residents.”
Prices for a one bedroom flat start at £99,500, while a three bedroom house is going for £149,995. Options to rent and share ownership are also available.