Stommel Haus UK

We had long decided that we would like to retire to a quality, modern and adaptable home in the UK Dorset countryside. But as the time approached we could not find anything that remotely felt right. A more imaginative idea was to find a suitable plot and build our own dream house, but we had no experience and didn’t really have a clue where to begin. A friend of ours introduced us to Barbara and to the Stommel Haus concept of offsite manufactured timber houses, and from that point we knew our dream was possible. We visited the Stommel Haus operation near Cologne and spent the day there with Barbara learning about how it all worked and discussing our ideas. It was a memorable trip. We had the start and support we craved. Finding a plot was inevitably a trying aspect but with perseverance we eventually succeeded. We showed Barbara the plot and gave her a more detailed list of our ideas and requirements and quite quickly the Stommel Haus design team turned out a very pleasing draft layout. We tweaked it endlessly until we were happy and excited with what we had all created. Even a quite fundamental, last minute design change was handled without sufferance or drama. Planning permission was the next obstacle, but with pre-planning guidance and such high quality build specifications this went through smoothly. We set the landscapers and groundworkers to work on the plot. Barbara gave us a date for the house to arrive and with great excitement, on that day it did. We were given a move in date 4-1/2 months hence and within a week of that date we moved in. The Stommel Haus build and fit out went smoothly and efficiently throughout. We now have a lovely house, that is everything that Stommel Haus promised. It is a wonderfully comfortable living space, that has been beautifully built with care to exacting and quality standards. Like all Stommel Haus clients we know, we love it. Thank you Barbara and to the many craftsmen at Stommel Haus we thank you enormously too.

We had a suitable plot and an idea of what we wanted to build and, perhaps like other first-time self-builders, then spent ages working out how we were going to do it. After touring the usual house building shows and exhibitions we decided that a factory built house would suit us best. By chance we saw a TV self build programme featuring Stommel Haus, the timber construction and house style appealed to us and we contacted Barbara to find out more. We were immediately impressed with Barbara's extensive knowledge, professional approach and enthusiasm for our project. Barbara arranged for us to speak with other UK Stommel clients and visit two completed builds where we were able to speak with the owners who generously offered their time and advice - an invaluable opportunity and a key factor in us deciding to choose Stommel Haus. Throughout the entire design and building process Barbara was our first point of contact to resolve any issues and help out whenever the need arose. Since moving into our home, we have been fully supported by Barbara and Stommel Haus, the inevitable niggles and snags have been dealt with during maintenance tours by Stommel craftsmen. Very pleased that we discovered Stommel Haus and worked with Barbara!

It has been an absolute pleasure to deal with Stommel Haus UK from start to finish. We first came across Barbara on a stand at the Grand Designs show in Birmingham and were very impressed with Stommel Haus' fabulous timber construction system. At the time we were evaluating a number of other rapid build systems and it took some months to convince ourselves that this one really was the best for us. Barbara was fantastically helpful from the beginning, helping us modify one of the standard Stommel Haus arrangements to suit our young and rapidly growing family and then maintaining contact between us, the factory and other suppliers throughout the build process. Our entire project took about one year from signing the contract to moving in. That time included obtaining planning permission, arranging disconnection and reconnection with all utility providers, demolishing the old house, preparing groundworks for basement, ground-slab and drainage as well as building control sign-off. The Stommel Haus team were friendly and courteous throughout and stuck absolutely to their pre-prepared timetable. Our neighbours all commented on how thoughtful they were and how little disruption there was, given the scale of the build. And they have looked after us well ever since. There have been very few issues with the house, but the odd issues (mostly caused by the occupier!) have been put right during routine maintenance visits that Stommel Haus's team make from time to time. Living in a Stommel Haus is everything we had hoped for - you have to try it to understand! If ever I move, I'm building another one...

We decided that our old big house in West Wales was getting too much for us, especially the acre of garden. We have always been keen to save the planet by using less energy and also we thought it might be good to be nearer family. Once the decision was made, we started looking at options for a house which would suit us as we got older, used less energy and had rooms big enough to swing felines. British houses tend to have small rooms and we were used to lots of space. We looked at several 'Eco' builders and came across StommelHaus on line. We contacted them and Barbara contacted us. We were hooked. We went to Germany to meet the team and see examples of houses. They showed us the competition too! But we liked Stommel's attitude, attention and ideas. We sold our house in Wales and moved east while we looked for a plot. That was really difficult for us as we had to find land we could afford and where the planners liked what we wanted. After 18 months and very forward looking South Norfolk planners, we finalised our design and ordered. Our foundations went down over 3 months of lousy weather. Then the fun started, on a bright sunny February day, our house arrived. In just a week it was complete with roof tiles. Fitting out after that and then we were able to move in. We love the house, the constant pleasant temperature, the light, the room sizes and the quality of the finish and materials used. No it's not cheap but you get what you pay for. We designed it with bedrooms and bathrooms up and down to allow us to stay in the house if mobility is a problem. Visitors love it and it is an adventure to furnish it (we are still at it!). Looking forward to entertaining in it. The team at Stommel are extremely helpful, the builders were plant, polite and nothing was too much trouble.

Our dream was to build a family home for us, our two little boy with space for kittens, big enough to grow with us and to surround ourselves with family and friends. We wanted our house to be future proof - built to last, healthy, beautiful and ecologically sound. But we also wanted it to be within easy commuting distance to central London where we work. A tall order, which we met with Stommel. We fell in love with Stommel houses a while ago - we adore the sense of wellbeing exuding from the polar spruce, the wood smell, the wonderful climate inside the houses and the beautiful craftsmanship. The fact that they are ecologically sound is of course a prerequisite. When we found a plot with planning permission for a traditional mock tudor design house in a conservation area and Stommel confirmed that they could build it we were over the moon. Building with Stommel has been a great experience - they have been on time, on budget, helpful and exceeding all our expectations in terms of build quality. But they also managed to turn our dream into reality within the tight planning constraints in a London conservation area, which is notoriously challenging and required a creative and flexible approach. Three years on living in the house we are blissfully happy - the climate inside the house is just amazing, cool in the summer, warm in the winter, never too dry and people who come to visit comment on the wood smell, the beauty of the rafters and purlins and the calming and relaxing feel of the house. Three years on we still feel like we are on holiday and the house has become a sanctuary to us. But what really excites us is that we have created such a generous amount of beautiful living space with very little impact on the environment compared to building a traditional house, and that it costs nothing to run in terms of electricity, generated by our solar PV and an air source heat pump. We use rainwater for toilets, washing machine and outside tap, which has more than halved our water bill and helps avoid flooding at the same time. If we could do it all again we would not change a thing.