IN a factory yard on the outskirts of Rochdale stands a pristine white house that could lead to a fundamental change in the way British homes are constructed. It was built in just one day, by a team of four, has three bedrooms and two bathrooms and cost £60,000.

The key to this speed and economy are the revolutionary timber panels used for the walls which are so strong they are simply bolted together at first floor level and unlike standard timber frame construction do not need any additional external brick or stone.

They are so strong in fact that the panels are currently being used to build a four-storey block of flats in Wales.

This super strong kit house may go up quickly but the technology is the result of 10 long years of research and development by Philip Ransome who three years ago formed Piarco to concentrate on adapting the technique for house building.

He said: "We are still using stone age technology for most of the new housing in Britain. If you want to end up with something warm and dry why start off with something cold and wet?

"Apart from plastering we have been able to eliminate all wet trades from the build and it has been `de-skilled' which means costs are so much lower.

"With standard timber frame construction the pieces may be manufactured off-site but they are often stored on site in the open getting wet which means that the house starts off damp.

Transported

"With our system the whole house is transported to the site and built and complete in one day."

This speed is dependent on the foundations already being laid and services like sewers, gas and electricity being in place.

To emphasize the difference from traditional techniques they build the roof first on the ground, then erect the panels and slot and bolt them together. Once the ground floor is up a crane is needed to hoist the first floor panels into place, the staircase and internal panelling and then crane the roof on top.

And voila - one house, complete with windows and push-fit plumbing and wiring.

The kitchen and bathrooms are fitted later but calculated within the £60,000 cost.

The houses will come with a Zurich insurance guarantee and Richard, who runs Piarco with stepson Oliver, says three of the high street banks have been down to check it out to see if they would be happy offering a mortgage on one.

Richard said: "There are all sorts of possibilities for this technology and the reaction from developers, local planners and technical experts has been incredibly strong and positive.

Potential

"The potential is huge. There are a lot of people who cannot make the sites they own work financially with a traditional build but could if they used this system.

"And there has been big interest from housing associations. Instead of total demolition of old stock they could simply take them down to the foundations and build a house using this system on the old base. All the systems would be in place and it would be a swift and cost effective solution.

"We have also had several calls from self-builders who own small plots and want a build they can oversee themselves and have complete in weeks rather than years."

In fact, the shell of the house can be bought for just £37,500. You then have to add on around £10,000 for foundations and services and the cost of kitchen and bathrooms, as well as the land costs.

"This house has been manufactured and built to my design and what we have tried to do here is to show that we can build a quality house for £60,000 and it is not just a cramped two up/two down with a bit of glass. It is a house with room for a family to grow. But if an architect were to design something radically different we could manufacture the panels to build it. The fundamental principle remains the same."

More information from Piarco Structures Ltd: www.piarco.co.uk