Thetownend.com

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1290552/Tesco-launches-DIY-flatpack-home-9-999-19-998-Clubcard-points.html

Anyone tempted :D..... :hmmm:

Fucking excellent value I reckon.

Buy some land and slap one on it - got to be better than a mobile home or caravan.

Wouldn't think twice about living in one of them

A good shout instead of an extension maybe for gran oo grandad if you have room........and planning permision.
Apparently it comes with instructions on how to build it with advice saying an extra pair of hands to build it is advisable :D

Being particulalry useless at even the simplest DIY task, it would be way out of my safety zone.

Makes you wonder what you'd get for 20 grand

 Two of them ;)

Haven't they had similar things in the Scandanavian countries for a few years now? Basically massive lego houses. Can't be arsed to find anything to back that up, but I'm sure I remember reading about it.

I'm going to buy one and build it in Fatbashers garden

You'll need planning permission, which with a fat brown envelop I'm sure I can swing in your favour.

my wife's grandparents have a cabin in north norway which was basically flat pack assembled.

I was in northern Norway a couple of times in the early 2000s.  Both trips blew my mind...and I don't say that lightly.  The Midnight Sun is just bizarre, and wonderful.  Standing on top of a mountain, overlooking a fjord, and looking directly at the sun that was sitting just above the horizon shortly after midnight - something I doubt I'll ever forget.

Anyway...back to the houses.  Always surprised me that most houses up there are built from wood.  Better insulation, apparently.  And the complete opposite of what I'd have expected.  The flatpack construction thing seems to make sense up there.

Does it have a fireplace? I remember when the article first came out 2 years ago and was actually tempted but the cost of insulation, heating and electric would be loads. Be ideal for a summer lodge

I've stayed on a few shacks out here. Full of holes for creepy crawleys and stuff to come in, you have to bang your shoes out every morning to check for scorpions and stuff. What's really mental is when it rains because the sound of heavy rain falling on a corrugated tin roof is deafening.

Huf Haus is the German-made version. Can't see anything Tesco does being of that sort of quality though.

There was an edition of Grand Designs a while back that followed one of those going up.  Surprised that Kev and his crew managed to make a one hour programme, to tell the truth, because the construction took about 12 minutes.

Yeah i saw that one, a true display of Teutonic efficiency! IIRC they managed to drag out the programme because the English crane driver was late  :)

 :D In certain circumstances, I can see the logic behind this, if you wanted to create an home office space, gym room or kids playroom. With the cost of conservatories and extensions spiralling, clearly this has limited market potential, although not suitable for everybody. I note B&Q were already selling the same version, so its only made headlines in the Daily Mail because you can get clubcard points on it.....

I have to admit, that sadly some of the soundbites made me chuckle. Come on.....

"it is only available from Tesco's website as it is too bulky to pick up instore". Really? Seriously? You mean I can't fit it in the back of my Ford KA?

"The manufacturer provides plans and step-by-step building instructions but it's probably a little more complicated than an Ikea wardrobe" I've actually never built an Ikea wardrobe, so how complicated are they to build then?

whereabouts in north Norway? I can speak from experience that wooden houses are incredibly good for staying warm!

If you have 3/4 of a brain, and all the pieces are there, and you have the right tools, and are not afraid to put in extra screws/etc. if needed (for extra support), they're a doddle.

Otherwise, nightmare and deathtrap.

Adjusted as necessary

The first year I went to Tromso with some old school friends for 3 or 4 nights.  I think it was early July.  Very expensive beer weekend!  I just wanted to see the Midnight Sun, basically, and got a few others to tag along.  Hired a car on one of the days and drove just across in to Finland (Kilpisjarvi...pretty much at the tripoint where Norway, Sweden and Finland meet).  Also saw a Tromsdalen game vs a team from Oslo - in a 'stadium' surrounded on three sides by mountains, and on the 4th by a fjord.  The mountain platform I mentioned in the earlier post overlooking the fjord was also Tromsdalen...just across the water from Tromso.

Still hadn't got it out of my system, so went back the following year with my brother - but this time not quite so far north.  Spent a few days in Stockholm and then took a surprisingly cheap 24 hour train ride up through Sweden, before crossing in to Norway half an hour before the end of the journey at Narvik.  The following day, got the ferry across to the Lofoten Islands and hired a beat up 13 year old Toyota.  The end of that island chain feels like the end of the earth.  Nothing in these parts, even the Scottish Highlands, comes close for me.  I have to go back there again some time before I die.

You were fortunate to see the midnight sun, many just get overcast skies

Furthest north I've been is Lillehammer but Tromsø is on my very long list of places to visit in Norway before I run out of time.

Do they offer a home delivery service?

Well that's very good, especially for you.

Might be a genuine question.

Considering the source, you may well be right.

X

 :D