Two prefab “kit homes” designed by King Charles, dubbed “an important piece of British history”, will be auctioned sold on eBay, according to a report in the UK-based Daily Mail.
Originally the centrepiece of the Ideal Home Village, the kit homes are known as Natural Houses and provide a low-cost, low-carbon alternative to traditional project homes for volume builders.
Importantly, both feature bio-based construction materials, which, according to the UN, is critical in reducing the world’s embodied carbon-ticking time bomb.
According to reports, the larger of the two homes, the Arts & Crafts House, was “created using materials including natural oak, timber, clay, lime and wool, to keep the structure warm in winter while helping to cool it down in the summer,” according to the Prince’s Foundation, who said the homes could greatly assist in meeting the UK’s surging housing affordability crisis.
It comes after Wood Central reported last month that the new Prince of Wales (Prince William) is spearheading an initiative to construct social housing on the lands of the $1 billion Dutchy of Cornwall estate.
In announcing the initiative last month, Prince William told the UK newspaper The Sunday Times that he was determined to build social housing on the Duchy of Cornwall’s land.
Ben Murphy, the estate director at the Dutchy of Cornwall, said “one of his key priorities for the Duchy of Cornwall (now managed by Prince William) was to address the homelessness challenge,” with “low carbon housing” critical in addressing “the shortage of social rent and private rented properties are widely considered to be the main causes of increasing homelessness across the country.”
The Royal Family has long supported sustainable forestry. Last October, King Charles visited the James Jones and Sons sawmill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which processes 150,000 tons of PEFC-certified timber from the Balmoral Estate.
James Jones and Sons are among Europe’s most efficient timber processing facilities. It is responsible for producing more than 45% of the UK’s JJI-joists and has been a significant player in growing the percentage of English timber-framed houses (which stands at just 9%).
King Charles first visited the mill in 1999 while still Prince of Wales. The mill trades indirectly with the Balmoral Estate, and their working relationship goes back decades.
According to respected forester Rob de Fégely AM, “His Royal Highness has a well-known passion for forests and natural production systems.” He added that “as Prince Charles, he has supported the professional forestry institutes in Australia and New Zealand and before that in Canada and the UK” for generations.
“He has encouraged greater awareness of the importance of sustainably managing the world’s forests and training and creating a network of young foresters who will manage them professionally.”
The houses, starting at £100,000, can make an offer via eBay now. Bidding will close on Thursday, March 14.
