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How to build an architecturally outstanding home for less

One of the fundamental questions at the start of any new build project is ‘how much is it going to cost?’ Much will depend on your ambitions and site, but also on the design and construction route you choose to go down.


Facit Homes focuses on creating contemporary homes of outstanding quality, both in terms of architectural design and environmental performance. Our years of experience in this specialist field has enabled us to develop an approach that delivers unique, award-winning projects at a lower cost than many of the comparable options.


We call it digitally manufactured architecture.


An award-winning Facit Home in Suffolk designed by our in house architects.

What is an architecturally outstanding home?


Not all homes are created equal. An architecturally outstanding home will inspire those who see it, and enrich the lives of those who inhabit it.


The best designs sensitively respond to their context and the lifestyle of their future occupants, and demonstrate creativity and consideration of both form and function.


As with everything, there is a degree of subjectivity when it comes to appearance, but elegance and simplicity are universal and timeless qualities.


How do you build one?


To build an architecturally impressive home, the instinct for many is to first find an independent architect. It makes sense after all and is a path well trodden. But whilst a good architect should always be able to produce a high quality design, bringing it into reality within an agreed budget can still be full of risk and uncertainty. This can translate into a much higher cost than was first envisaged.


Whilst many such projects are completed, spiraling costs and a constantly moving completion date are not unusual, with the success of the project heavily reliant on the competence of the builder/contractors and strong communication between the multiple parties involved.


As a process it often leaves much to be desired but remains the default as alternative options are not as widely known.


Prefab homes. If you’re looking for something that provides more certainty and control than the standard architect/builder route, then you may have considered a German prefabricated home. You’re thinking along the right lines as the homes are fantastic, but they can be fiercely expensive and present more limited design options. Typically they also require you to arrange the foundations of the home yourself, so that the prefabricated home has something to be placed on when it arrives.


A striking Facit Home at Graven Hill, a custom build site near Bicester.

With a vision to build a better future one home at a time, Facit Homes was established to individually design and digitally manufacture architecturally outstanding homes with guaranteed levels of quality, sustainability and value. Our combination of in-house architects, digital manufacturing specialists and construction professionals provides a complete end-to-end service that is unbeatable.


How does Facit Homes offer lower and more certain costs?


Designing and building contemporary homes for over 10 years has given us plenty of knowledge and experience. With every project we have honed our approach and invested time in the product development of the core components that make up our homes. We have learned from each one and continue to increase the efficiency and quality of our offering.


The total cost of a Facit Home, including the kitchen and stairs, is set out at the start.

Marginal gains in each part of the building process means that we offer a constantly improved product, just as you would expect to see more from every iteration of a product like an iPhone.


Each individual element of a Facit Home has had years of in-house research and development poured into finding the best way of designing, manufacturing and building it. This research has helped us to engineer the best possible value and allows us to more accurately predict the total project costs from the very start.


And these elements, from the timber Facit Chassis™ structure to a digitally manufactured staircase, can be endlessly customised to create unique homes.


On top of this, as a design and build company we are able to zero rate the VAT on our architectural fees and external consultants, representing a 20% saving to you in real terms.


Equating our offering to that of a consumer brand like Apple, we are a company that delivers a product directly to customers. And like when buying an iPhone, the price is known before the purchase. Taking this product based approach, which as a society we are so used to, and applying it to homes has resulted in lower costs, better value and guaranteed results.


Our customers can choose to upgrade individual aspects of their home, like this copper worktop

Getting more for your money


For many who choose to build their own home, initial budget and final cost can differ radically. It provides most of the drama (and exasperation) on a typical episode of Grand Designs. Whilst the architectural results can be spectacular, the price it comes at is usually high.


But building an architecturally outstanding home need not mean a bottomless budget. Nor does spending less mean that you have to compromise on quality. It’s just about taking a different approach and building a better home for your money.



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