Argos offers its flat pack homes with  basic five-room cabin, measuring roughly 32×17 feet or 8×5 meters, costing £10,999. An upgraded model, with amenities such as laminate floors with in-floor heating, costs GBP £13,099. Both models are suitable for year-round living (though this has been queried) and are made by Finnish forestry company Finnforest using wood from sustainable forests.

One web-site speculates that the Argos offering opens up  new-business opportunities as its likely a much larger market for ready-to-move-in cabins than for cabins that must first be put together. Thus, one option would be to buy the kits, assemble them and resell the homes. The cabins’ low price coupled with their short assembly time would make the potential profit margin attractive.

BoKlok (right) terraced homes designed by IKEA come with IKEA kitchens, solar panels and low energy heating,  are designed to exceed all current UK Building Regulations Standards The first of 93 flatpack homes designed and equipped by IKEA went on show in Gateshead on Tyneside in January where would-be buyers were vetted to ensure that their savings and income are modest enough to qualify.

A Scottish approach
Scottish architect Andrew Sloane aims to develop a housing system for 'future urban living" according to Scotland on Sunday where home buyers should be able to buy a kit house online for as little as £40,000 and have the keys within 10 days if Sloane's vision works.

He has received funding from the Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme (EPIS) and the Edinburgh Technology Fund to support the launch of his company, Anabo. He will buy plots, obtain planning permission, lay building foundations and buy pre-fabricated houses from a construction company.

Customers would visit Anabo's website (not currently available) to find a location, order their house, configure it to their own requirements and arrange the finance. Within 10 days the house should be ready for occupation.

While the concept is at an early stage, Stoane plans to have a prototype house constructed at a site in Edinburgh by the autumn and a pilot scheme up and running in Scotland next year. His aim is to expand Anabo into a global housing supplier.

He said: "As far as I know there aren't any other companies which will manage the whole process from start to finish. I came up with the idea to tackle the problem of affordability. With the average UK house price now £200,000, it is virtually impossible for a 21-year-old on £20,000 to buy their first home. Also, as an architect, it annoys me that the housing industry is refusing to modernise, and I want to change that."

Stoane said the total cost of a home will be £1,000 per square metre. He will offer a range of designs, including a 40 square metre pod for £40,000 aimed at first-time buyers, and a 120 square metre family home for £120,000.

Anabo is one of the companies exhibiting at the EPIS Tech Expo at the University of Edinburgh on Thursday, which is intended to attract investment for start-ups. EPIS is a joint venture between University of Edinburgh and Scottish Enterprise, which houses around 50 start-ups which it helps with a loan of £10,000, incubator space, a mentor and access to academics and equipment.

Adrian Smith, director of EPIS, said: "While other incubators only rent space to start-ups, being part of EPIS gives companies access to facilities at the university, usually only available to academics and students."

Webs: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Home.htm
http://www.boklok.co.uk/
Source: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com