Unfortunately, it’s fair to say that while we love the area, the look and feel of the houses and the estate, our property has been plagued with problems including several cases of rain water leaking in through windows and walls, and we’re still finding more months after taking occupancy!

Hopefully things will improve, but it truly does feel like life on the “bleeding edge” of home ownership!

funnily enough it was the experience inside that really marked this product out as something new in the UK mass housing scene.

by using large windows, larger corridors, wider staircases and door frames that went right up to the soffit of the ceiling, the houses felt much bigger inside than they looked on the outside. i am assuming that the generous proportions are as a result of complying with the lifetime homes standards - but it really makes a huge difference to the feeling inside.

the feeling of light and spaciousness was really palpable, and in total contrast to the boxy rabbit hutch feeling of all the other volume housing products that are the norm in this type of housing.

RRP has put skylights in the top floor bathroom and there is also a skylight at the top of the hall just at the end of the staircase which floods the staircase with natural light.

I find it ironic that although the houses are definitely striking in their aesthetic, and use all the latest prefabrication methods, it is these simple measures that make the most difference to the experience of the design.

When my wife saw the skylight in the top floor bathroom (ours is a 3 storey model) that was the clincher and we signed up for the house based on the feeling we got whilst in the house…an emotional decision.

so after all is said and done, why is it that all UK house builders cannot understand this? that by building boxy mean rabbit hutches with dark and dingy rooms, small windows, and mean corridors that they are depriving so many people of a decent living standard. and these are things that can be done to any house, dont even start talking about the eco features that these houses have…

i guess the ony thing to say is that as long as people keep buying the mass produced rubbish of volume housebuilders, then that is what is going to keep getting built.

the most depressing thing is that when i tried to get a mortgage or house insurance for our new house, many banks and insurers were unwilling to lend or insure the home, as they didnt understand the construction and were concerned that the homes would not hold their value or would be somehow ‘easy to break into’…despite these homes being compliant with secure by design and have better fire rating than a traditional brick and block construction…ignorance rears its ugly head yet again in the quest of decent housing for normal people in UK.

the construction used in these houses has been proven in germany and scandinavia for donkeys years and yet here in UK we are treating it as if its something to be marvelled at…if it werent for the new Code for Sustainable Homes i doubt if we would ever catch up with the rest of the world, so again legislation has a big part to play in forcing housebuilders to get their act together.

anyway, we have been living in our house quite happily since then and wouldnt swap it for the world…and yes, we have not had to switch on our heating yet, whilst all my colleagues have had to fire up their radiators…so the eco thingies must be working.

finally some wishful thinking …some day all houses will be made this way?

Un saludo,

Ramiro Gonzalez