Sheffield developer to show off low-cost solution to housing crisis

By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jan 2017, 13:31 BST
Updated 27th Jan 2017, 13:41 BST
Jon Johnson, right, of Reach Homes, with Billy Silver and Chris DawkinsJon Johnson, right, of Reach Homes, with Billy Silver and Chris Dawkins
Jon Johnson, right, of Reach Homes, with Billy Silver and Chris Dawkins
A £35,000 eco-home designed to solve Sheffield's housing crisis will go on display for the first time this weekend.

Jon Johnson’s Reach Homes has built the one-bedroom house out of shipping containers on Heeley City Farm land.

The home is designed to be cheap and quick to build, and is environmentally friendly as well.

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The view from inside the eco-home, which should be finished by Sunday.The view from inside the eco-home, which should be finished by Sunday.
The view from inside the eco-home, which should be finished by Sunday.

Jon will show off his team’s work at an open event from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday. He hopes people will be impressed by how homely and innovative the building is.

“It’s hooked up to the mains but the idea is to use as little power as possible,” he said.

“A heat pump tries to keep it at a constant temperature with as little drop as possible.”

Jon, 52, from Sharrow, came up with the idea for the eco-home while he and his partner were thinking about building their own house.

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How the kitchen could lookHow the kitchen could look
How the kitchen could look

They knew the only way they could afford to do something from scratch was by looking at alternative construction methods and materials.

The idea of using shipping containers came up, and quickly took hold.

“We looked at each other and thought ‘let’s go for it’,” said Jon.

“We thought we could do two but at a really affordable price. Every housing report is crying out for affordable homes.

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The one-bedroom shipping container home will cost 35,000The one-bedroom shipping container home will cost 35,000
The one-bedroom shipping container home will cost 35,000

“We knew there were going to be some technical difficulties - people were doing stuff commercially with containers, but not housing.”

As a former policeman who now runs Strip The Willow, an upcycling workshop and gallery off Abbeydale Road, Jon had no prior construction experience.

But by using some innovative techniques and the latest heating and insulation methods, Jon and his team came up with a workable design.

He hopes his prototype will prove the concept so he can firstly go on to build one for himself, and then go on to build and sell more for others to live in.

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