What is a Huf Haus and why should you consider one?
We delve into the advantages of these premium prefabricated homes and take a tour of a rare example in one of London’s most desirable neighbourhoods
Huf Haus captured the nation’s attention in 2004 when it was featured in an episode of Grand Designs, which saw a couple’s house be built in just 4-and-a-half days. But the specialist in premium prefabricated homes has a long history stretching back to 1912, when a pioneering Johann Huf founded a small carpentry business in the Westerwald region of Germany. Now run by the fourth generation in the family, its innovative homes can be found across the globe.
A turning point in the company’s journey came in 1972 when it launched the Fachwerkhaus 2000, designed by architect Manfred Adams. With its timbered structure and vast expanse of glass surfaces that seamlessly brought the outside in, it laid the groundwork for the distinctive aesthetic for which Huf Haus is renowned today.
Flexible living
Huf houses have an instantly recognisable look and feel, yet offer a bespoke approach to creating spectacular homes tailored to each individual’s requirements. After planning permission is obtained, the design of the house is conceived and then produced in its factory in Germany, taking around 4 months. The flatpack structure is then shipped and built onsite in as little as 1-to-2 weeks. For those who already own their Huf house, the flexible nature of its open-plan design, along with the company’s comprehensive post-completion service, means the house can grow with your needs. This could include extensions or conversions, or incorporating the latest sustainable and tech features into your home.
A modern choice
With its eco-friendly credentials and light and airy interiors, a Huf house can prove a compelling alternative to an older property. A case in point is this stunning 4-5 bedroom home currently for sale, located in a peaceful cul-de-sac in the desirable London neighbourhood of Dulwich. “Our first real home together immediately after we married was a rental of a brand-new apartment in Brussels overlooking a small local park. That gave us a strong conviction that we wanted to live in a new-build property,” say the current owners. “With the opportunity to commit to the Huf house, it was an easy decision to leave the draughty Edwardian home in which we had brought up our three children less than a mile away.”
The lucky new residents of this property can enjoy a spacious 3,170 sq ft of adaptable living space, finished to the high specification for which the company is known. Perhaps its most striking feature is the trademark floor-to-ceiling glass windows, providing a tranquil gateway to nature and flooding the interiors with light. “We wanted a low-maintenance garden to match the trouble-free ownership of our Huf house,” they shared. “The extensive glazing at the rear helps to integrate house and garden and we’ve hugely enjoyed this, especially whilst living so close to the centre of London.”
A sustainable approach
With a focus on quality over quantity, there are around 300 Huf houses in the UK, with those towards the centre of the capital a particularly unusual find. “Buyers are always intrigued by the architecture and lateral design of Huf Haus properties,” says Camilla Heywood, Knight Frank’s Head of Dulwich Sales. “This particular example is positioned in a highly sought-after location and yet nestled away in a quiet residential lane in central Dulwich Village. The area is traditionally home to period properties, so to have a more modern home is a rarity.”
Huf Haus’ meticulous standards are made possible in part by the level of control that can be achieved in an off-site manufacturing environment, especially when compared to a traditional construction site. Meanwhile, every element has been carefully considered with both structure and sustainability in mind. It exclusively uses high-quality and long-lasting Nordic spruce, a renewable and climate-friendly resource, to create its innovative post-and-beam architecture. Elsewhere the roof and raft insulation and glazing have been designed to help regulate the living temperature across the seasons, with the added bonus of keeping bills down. Integration of heat pumps and options for smart technology offers further opportunities to maximise the energy efficiency of the home.
“Our local friends who visit us from their homes in Dulwich are always in awe of the insulation we enjoy and the contrast of this with the more typical Edwardian housing stock,” adds the owners. “The house is wonderful to live in and we too often find ourselves scratching our heads to ask: do we really need to move?”
