Huf Haus
Iâm reluctant to perpetuate National stereotypes, but sometimes the empirical data goes works against me. I was watching Grand Designs the other day, and became fascinated by an older couple who were replacing their old self-built house (which was on the verge of falling down) with a Huf Haus.
The Huf Haus is an innovative design produced by architect Peter Huf in Germany. The post-and-beam house is completely pre-fabricated in an immense warehouse in Germany, then shipped and assembled on site like some vast Ikea cupboard from hell. The whole house is up and watertight within seven days, which seems an incredible feat until you see the German Huf team working.
What happened during the process of the build seemed to completely reinforce the stereotype of German workers as ruthlessly efficient, and British workers as slack and lazy. On the first build day, the German builders turned up at 7 am sharp, already in their natty matching waistcoats and shorts that looked like a funky modern interpretation of the lederhosen, to lay the concrete plinth on which the house would rest. They didnât want to be late. They got cracking and reached the last load of concrete, but the final (British) concrete mixer truck was nowhere to be seen. As they waited for him to arrive, the already poured concrete was âgoing offâ1, and everyone was worrying about the base being ruined. Finally, the concrete turned up just as it was getting dark. The driver had got lost. When the house itself was due to be assembled, several trucks containing the parts of the house arrived at 7.30 am. All they needed now was the crane driver, who was also due to arrive at 7.30amâand was British. Oh dear. Five hours later, the rather red-faced driver appeared, claiming to have got lost. Do you see a pattern appearing here? Itâs suburban Surrey, for crying out loud, not the Outer Hebrides! Youâd think that if the German crew could cross a fair proportion of mainland Europe and find it, it surely couldnât be that hard for a local.
No matter, the Huf team immediately made arrangements to get two more team members in for a couple of days so that they would still complete on time. The presenter Kevin McCloud was extremely sceptical about the house being finished in 6 days, but when he came to inspect the site on the fourth day, he found the house completed. Anyone who has ever seen a British builder will find the following phrase unbelievable; the Huf builders were cleaning out their tool boxes, and even polishing the dashboard of their van with furniture polish. British builders never see their dashboards from the first day they acquire the van. From that day on, the area below the windscreen develops geological layers of discarded Sun newspapers, crisp bags and drinks cans. In older vans, I suspect that the lower strata are transformed by the heat and temperature of the upper layers into some hitherto unknown material.
The inside of the house (tiling, wiring, plumbing etc.) was also completed by the Huf team, and was finished to incredibly exacting standards. The new owner marvelled at the reaction of the supervisor to the work of his tilers in the kitchen. The supervisor said that it was absolute rubbish, and would have to be taken down and done again. The owner couldnât see anything wrong with it, and asked him what the problem was. It seems that the grouting on the tiles at one side of the area was 1 mm wider than that at the other. Thatâs real perfectionism.
1 I know the terminology, you knowâ¦
1
I watched some of the programme but I have to say that I think your summary was more entertaining. By the way, are you sure it was furniture polish? I did watch that bit but wasn't really paying attention - I suspect that it might have been a German product designed for exactly that purpose
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I was guessing about the polish; it was in a spray bottle, but what do I know about cleaning? 
Having seen the way they operate, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they have a special dashboard spray! It is a bit unnatural having such clean and tidy builders - goes against the laws of nature, somehow.
by bsag @ 30/01/2004 8:01 pm • Permalink •
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Yeah, it's sad, really. I wonder why? it's not like it's too hot..
The Japanese traditional carpenters have - or used to have - even more respect for their tools than your Germans. Their word for tools (dogu) doesn't really mean merely tools but 'instruments of the Way of Carpentry'. Any apprentice who stepped over a saw that was lying on the ground rather than carefully walk around it was reprimanded...!
by pete @ 30/01/2004 9:01 pm • Permalink •
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bsag: I suspect there's a German word for it - something like vandashboardcleaningaerosol or something similar
pete: I know it's something of a faux-pas to discuss politics on other people's blogs but I suspect that our many years of tutelage under Margaret Thatcher may have had something to do with this. Or, more generally, the way in which our economy has developed over the last several decades. I remember my father describing his time as an engineering apprentice - when apprenticeships were something to be aspired to. Contrast this to more recent 'innovations', particularly things like the YTS scheme, and you'll see that there's been something of a shift in the Zeitgeist. Apprenticeships were something to be pursued, YTS schemes, which as best I can tell were a wholesale disaster, were foisted on young men and women who really didn't want to work a dead-end job for dead-end pay.
I think these sort of economic and political changes go some way towards explaining the national spirit ... sadly.
by djn1 @ 31/01/2004 12:01 am • Permalink •
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p. pete: Discuss away
I think that you're probably right--craftspeople used to take a lot more pride in their tools. But perhaps that was also because they were their own tools, rather than belonging to the company. If they were your livelihood, you would feel a lot more motivated to keep your trowel clean.
by bsag @ 02/02/2004 10:03 pm • Permalink •
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I also watched Grand Design and fell in love with it. I was so amazed by the Germans and their efficieny. Just spectacular.
Joyce
by J0ycieb0ycie @ 07/02/2004 6:03 pm • Permalink •
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I thought that the most telling thing about the show, was that the following week, we had a guy trying to build a, not too dissimilar house, using british builders, and two years later, he has only just got the thing watertight, after spending near on one million pounds. Now if German efficiency gets the job done, quickly and on budget, is it any wonder people are happy to use them, with their natty waistcaots and shorts.
by Derek @ 12/02/2004 9:03 am • Permalink •
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There are those rare times in your life that something comes to your notice that literally and totally overwhelms all of your senses. Such was the effect that my first sighting of a "Huf Haus" had on me some 7 years ago. Of course , being an affectionado of many things Bauhaus, it should not have surprised me to later learn that the roots of Huf Haus design firmly reside in this most profound discipline of design practice. What a pleasure it was to watch the "Grand Designs" programme of a Huf Haus build - not least the quality of the engineering of the house, and the remarkable efficiency of the Huf Haus build team. Here was a design and build company in which you could truly have much confidence in - something I doubt could rarely be said of their British counterparts. Now, where did I put that spare half a million quid??
by Len @ 13/02/2004 2:03 pm • Permalink •
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I went to see it today, ready to be bowled over. I was totally unmoved by the reality. I reckon I prefer a version of Maysâ carpet warehouse.
by jo @ 13/02/2004 9:02 pm • Permalink •
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Where can |I get an address for this huf haus in germany. please inform thanks Linda
by l southall @ 17/02/2004 3:02 pm • Permalink •
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Where can I get an address from for this huf haus in germany. Please inform thanks.
by Bonnie @ 19/02/2004 9:02 am • Permalink •
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Learn from the disciplined and properly educated kraftsmen that Continental Europe are able to produce - there is no place for 'cowboys'.
by Ernie Blattmann @ 24/02/2004 1:03 pm • Permalink •
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Huf have a nice website with lots of information. You can get it from Google
by David Holmes @ 03/03/2004 9:04 am • Permalink •
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I would like to build a Huf Haus in the Caribbean , can you advise me ?
by dean @ 04/03/2004 10:03 am • Permalink •
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p. To everyone looking for information on building a Huf Haus: David Holmes is right--the Huf Haus company is the best place to look for information and get in contact with them. Their website is here.
p. dean: Please patient with the 'Post' button--you ended up posting 7 duplicate comments, which I had to manually delete. It takes a little while to load your comment.
by bsag @ 04/03/2004 10:04 am • Permalink •
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I'm a chartered surveyor and have just completed project managing Huf's largest ever house in the UK in Surrey, and am now working on another one in Buckinghamshire. If anyone needs some independent advice, help, or an informal chat etc... please contact me on 020 8332 8952 or email fbrook@dial.pipex.com
by Paul Rilett @ 04/03/2004 6:04 pm • Permalink •
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I recorded the program on my computer in high res, the .mpg file is about 2.5 GB. Not sure if I am allowed to burn a
Being a german myself, I have to admit that watching the program I felt a little bit proud about the german craftmanship shown. I think the main difference between the UK and Germany are, that you need a so called "Meisterbrief" (Master certificate) to have your own craft company. To get this, you need 3 years education, a couple of years experience working in the job and then go to the "Meisterschule" for at least another year (which is a full time, i.e. no income during that time and quite high fees).
It doesn't guarantee such high quality though, I think the Huf people are more the exception than the standard.
But at least it prevents scumbags who try to rip you off because only one reported scam and the Meisterbrief would be lost, i.e. no more own company. Watching programs like "Rogue Traders" or yesterdays Trevor McDonald (�55k for NOT fixing a roof or �5k for cleaning a sewing pipe!) really scares me.
Unfortunately I don't have �450k for a Huf house, but there are more reasonably priced alternatives around, i.e. http://www.kd-haus.de/ (unfortunately only in german) offers a complete shell, incl. wood frame, external walls (25% glassed) roof insulation etc. for about �450/square meter. The interieur, heating, plumbing etc. then can be done by local companies or DIY). Of course they allow individual designs, i.e. floor plan, more glass, roof angle.
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it, because I actually dunno if they ship to the UK
but at least there are alternatives and I hope somebody reads this will be inspired to open a similar business in the UK?
by J. Zahringer @ 06/03/2004 1:03 pm • Permalink •
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I recorded the program on my computer in high res, the 1h .mpg file is about 2.5 GB.
Being a german myself, I have to admit that watching the program I felt a little bit proud about the german craftmanship shown. I think the main difference between the UK and Germany are, that you need a so called "Meisterbrief" (Master certificate) to have your own craft company. To get this, you need 3 years education, a couple of years experience working in the job and then go to the "Meisterschule" for at least another year (which is a full time, i.e. no income during that time and quite high fees).
It doesn't guarantee such high quality though, I think the Huf people are more the exception than the standard.
But at least it prevents scumbags who try to rip you off because only one reported scam and the Meisterbrief would be lost, i.e. no more own company. Watching programs like "Rogue Traders" or yesterdays Trevor McDonald (�55k for NOT fixing a roof or �5k for cleaning a sewing pipe!) really scares me.
Unfortunately I don't have �450k for a Huf house, but there are more reasonably priced alternatives around, i.e. http://www.kd-haus.de/ (unfortunately only in german) offers a complete shell, incl. wood frame, external walls (25% glassed) roof insulation etc. for about �450/square meter. The interieur, heating, plumbing etc. then can be done by local companies or DIY). Of course they allow individual designs, i.e. floor plan, more glass, roof angle.
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it, because I actually dunno if they ship to the UK
but at least it shows that there are cheaper alternatives and I hope somebody reads this will be inspired to open a similar business in the UK?
by J. Zahringer @ 06/03/2004 1:03 pm • Permalink •
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My wife and I (we live in western Switzerland) had the idea of a Huf Haus in the autumn of 2002. The process was exactly as shown in GD - as an example, they 'apologised' for not being able, in March 2003, to give us an exact handover time - '2nd October, to be sure, but not sure whether it will be morning or afternoon.'!! Finally, all faith in German efficiency was shattered - we were summoned for the ceremony on 1st October at 2 p.m. (24 hours early, if you please!), only to be met by the site supervisor, almost in tears, as 'the cleaning is not finished, can you come back at 4?' The entire experience was eye-opening, we are delighted with the house and did not spend anything approaching the amounts quoted on TV, as our house is much more modest in size. From the first meeting with the Huf architect to moving-in day was exactly one year, with a totally finished product at the end. The landscaping, however, is another story ....
by Angus @ 11/03/2004 9:04 am • Permalink •
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I too enjoyed the Grand Design Huf Haus, but today, well, this evening, on RTL 2, I watched another couple of Huf Hausâs being built, not as trouble free as the C4 show, but totally fab to watch. Clearly, this is the way forward in house construction, the 2 designs I saw being built this evening, radically different from each other, yet similar externallyâ¦but clearly..would be great fun to live in. So here I am on Friday, April 23rd, 2004, wishing I could huff, and puff, and Huf my house into a Huf Haus.
Love your site, found it thru Google whilst collecting info on Huf Haus.
Peace and Long Life, Be The Rain,
Anubis.
by Anubis @ 22/04/2004 11:04 pm • Permalink •
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My wife saw the Grand Design programme whilst I was out, so she recorded it for me to see. Wow ! I said, having a penchant for "form follows function" etc. The consequence is we went to Hartenfels to see Huf Dorf, to get a taste of whether the style was liveable for us, and which style we felt most comfortable with. (Although they all exhibit the same design DNA they can feel very different inside.) That was 1 month ago. Now we are about to have our first site meeting in the Gers/Haute Pyrenees borders with Mr Huf who, with the co-operation of their Paris office, will be building a Huf Haus in France for us. The cost ? is always too much, but the value is more important to me. I can't believe I'm getting excited about spending money
)
When was the last time a service supplier made you feel special ? This family run company appears to fully understand the true meaning of the term "valued client", and puts their reputation and long-term future before short-term financial gain.
They deserve their success.
by John @ 09/05/2004 11:05 am • Permalink •
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Hi, does anyone knows http://www.davinci.ie?
by Reg Coughlin @ 30/11/2006 12:14 pm • Permalink •
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look what I found http://www.davinci-house-exclusive.com
by wayne harrington @ 08/01/2007 7:16 am • Permalink •
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I notice that the Japanese have been mentioned above. There are indeed many similarities between the German and Japanese attitudes to work and attention to detail.
I agree that these attitudes are the result of social politics, in particular the class structure which treats manual labour as the lowest class - the 'working' class; the peasants.
Well, you can't expect much back in terms of people wanting to do a good job if there's no respect for work, only money. Our governments have spent so much time and effort on channelling money from other countries to our own, that nothing has been fostered here. What can we be proud of here?
I lived in Japan for 10 years. Workmen arrive on time, work efficiently and with pride, and charge you the cost of the actual task. Streets are clean, the trains on time, people polite, office workers even pick up the telephone; and hoody-drugy-muggings are unheard of...
The Huf Haus example has hit a nerve and woken a few people up to Britain's current standing internationally. It's not good. Try asking your builder, plumber, electrician, gas person to turn up at 7am for a job and the result will surely prove Britain lost the 'Great' a long time ago.
by Alex @ 17/01/2007 9:33 pm • Permalink •
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Hello,
We again watched the building of a Huf House on TV last night,as time served Carpenter and Joiner and a member of the Carpenters Institute,since 1968 I can only smile at where those british trades persons are to be found now.Quite by coincidence your Mr Gordon Brown,MP has stated a resolve to return to the lost apprenticship shemes,there may be hope for Britain yet,for sure the Great bit has long been lost?Funny but I still have all my own tools as well!
Regards
Roy
Cape Town
by RoyMc Bride @ 08/07/2007 6:08 am • Permalink •
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Since spending a holiday in an Erlund loghouse, I have decided to leave my cold stone house, and build something much more efficient. The problem is that the planners will accept rendered-painted finish,and tall windows, (like most of the other houses in the village) and nothing else. I think that even a Huf Haus with painted infill panels would not be accepted.
by Keith @ 16/07/2007 11:03 pm • Permalink •
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