Self-building
One of the main aims of the Ashley Vale Action Group is to promote imaginative and environmentally-sensitive housing on the site of the former scaffolding yard. To this end we have gathered together a group of self-builders who are keen to build and live on the site and who are committed to working with the surrounding community.
The self-builders are legally contracted to abide by AVAG's principles of ecological design. All the houses are timber-framed. These are more sustainable than conventional building techniques, easier for first-time builders to construct, and place a lighter load on the concrete slab which covers the site. The houses will be finished using an agreed palette of materials, including wood cladding or render for the walls, with copper or clay or slate tiles on the roofs. For the overall build, the self-builders must use materials from Cateogory A of the Green Guide Housing Specification: BRE Eco-Homes or other suitable materials as agreed by AVAG.
The houses will be fitted with photovoltaic cells - a form of solar panel which generates electricity for domestic use - funded in part by the Department of Trade and Industry's domestic photovoltaic field trial.
Pictures of the build:
Before building work began . . .
During the building work . . .
Click on a plot number for details and pictures of individual plots:
Plot 1, Plot 2, Plot 3, Plot 4, Plot 5, Plot 6, Plot 7, Plots 8 and 9, Plot 10, Plot 11, Plot 12, Plot 13, Plot 14, Plot 15, Plot 16, Plots 17 to 20, Plots 21 to 26.