More affordable homes in Newark area
Carter Homes have completed more affordable homes in Newark area. During the ceremony on 4 March 2011 in Bleasby, Matthew Chamberlain, Carter Homes construction manager, handed over the keys to three new homes.
Two bungalows and a three bedroom house were built for Newark and Sherwood Homes (NSH). All properties meet level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes and are fitted with such features as air source heat pumps which ensure that those homes are eco-friendly and economical to run. The homes are also adaptable to changing needs of residents with knock out wall panels and bathrooms which can be easily converted into wet rooms.
Cllr Tom Bickley, Chairman of the Newark and Sherwood District Council, together with Mr Patrick Mercer, MP for Newark, and Mrs Ginette Hughes, Chair of Newark and Sherwood Homes cut the ribbon to mark the handover.
Matthew Chamberlain said: “Thanks to such schemes, Carter Homes can work with local communities and provide high quality housing which meets the needs of people from Newark area. We also had a chance to cooperate with the council and NSH to offer work experience and training as well as use local workforce.
Homes in Bleasby were a part of a bigger project which brought 26 new dwellings to Newark and Sherwood.
Carter Homes awards creative pupils from Martin
Carter Homes is excited to have an opportunity to construct one of the first affordable homes built of straw and we share this passion and enthusiasm with the local community.
Following their visit to straw bale homes, children from Mrs Mary King’s C.E. School had an opportunity to stretch their imagination and present their vision of how the finished houses would look. Some technically minded pupils included such ideas as using straw as insulation between the walls or installing plastic sheeting outside the walls to prevent the straw from getting soggy.
Carter Homes has awarded the winners of drawing competition at the ceremony held on 3 March 2011 during the school assembly. Cllr Mrs Marion Brighton OBE, the Leader of North Kesteven District Council, presented three lucky winners - Lilliana Wright Class 4, Toby Bere Year 1 and Lauren Gamble Class 3 with their awards. Carter Homes presented the school with a photo book as a reminder of the Open Day. The book will be placed in school’s library and many pupils were excited at the prospect of looking at the photos captured while visiting Straw Bale site.
The Open Day visit was a part of local strategy called Commitment to People, which encourages contractors to involve the community in their projects.
Matthew Chamberlain, construction manager, Carter Homes, said: “It was a pleasure to give the pupils guided tour around the straw houses. Their drawings certainly proved that the children were inspired by this project and learnt a valuable lesson about environmentally friendly methods of construction. I wish to congratulate the winners and say thank you to all children for high quality entries into the competition.”
The winning drawings will be displayed at the information board at the Martin site.
For more images from the presentation ceremony please visit Straw Bale Project blog.
New Homes completed in Boughton
During a ceremony on 18 February 2011, Carter Homes handed over 5 affordable houses built in Boughton for Newark and Sherwood Homes.
All of the dwellings were built to Level 4 of Code for Sustainable Homes.
Cllr Tom Bickley, Chairman of the Newark and Sherwood District Council together with Mr Mark Spencer, MP for Sherwood and Ms Ginette Hughes, Chair of Newark and Sherwood Homes officially cut the ribbon to mark the handover of the properties. They also presented Mrs Magdalena Murdie, one of the new tenants, with a key to her new home.
Steve Forster, General Manager and Director of Carter Homes, said: “We are proud that we have contributed to providing high quality affordable housing for local people. This project allowed us to offer training opportunities in cooperation with NSDC and local colleges.”
They huffed and puffed but they didn’t blow the house in
As a part of our programme to work with the local communities we invited children from Mrs. Mary King’s School in Martin to visit the Straw Bale site.
On 29 September 2010, 85 children aged between 4-11 walked half a mile from their school to the site. Pupils were very excited about the visit and they joyfully put on hard hats, high visibility vests and gloves to keep themselves safe. During the guided tour inside the two houses, children could see, touch and play with the straw, sheep’s wool insulation and other environmental materials used for the construction of the houses.
They have also learned about safety at the construction site and some restrictions connected to using straw as a building material.
Carter Homes have also organised a drawing competition for the children who visited the site. They presented how they imagine the houses will look once they are completed.
Pupils have surprised us with their creativity as some of their ideas included a door with straw stuck on it; roof made out of straw; using straw as insulation between the walls and installing plastic sheeting underneath the straw walls to prevent them from getting damp.
Ralph Slaney, the headmaster, said: “I was delighted to have been given the opportunity for my pupils to visit the site and learn more about straw bale houses. I was especially thrilled for them to learn more about the environmental aspect of the project.”
As a company with a local focus we are passionate about leaving a lasting legacy across the communities we work in. Organising visits to Straw Bale homes while they are being built has given us a unique opportunity to teach others about this innovative method of construction. We want local communities to be as excited about the project as we are. We believe that this will contribute to better understanding and wider adoption of such environmental solutions.
Straw Bale Homes Open Day
Carter Homes offered a unique opportunity to visit our construction site in Martin, Lincolnshire. This project is only a second development in the country where Affordable Homes are being built using load bearing straw bales.
Our guests had a chance to see the work in progress during the open day in September 2010. This gave them an insight into the environmental and unique features of the two homes.
Steve Forster, Carter Homes General Manager and Director, said: “We believe that by allowing our clients to see how we implement green technologies, Carter Homes will be able to raise the awareness of available options. We want to encourage the use of straw bale construction method on a commercial scale."
The open day has been a thrilling success for Carter Homes and we will provide further opportunities to check how the project progresses. For the most up to date information please go to Straw Bale project blog. If you are interested in participating in our next open day session in Martin please contact our head office in Boston to discuss coming up events.
Carter Homes on £200 million framework
We are thrilled to announce that Carter Homes has been appointed as an approved contractor on a new build framework agreement let by Nottingham Community Housing Association.
The four-year framework is estimated to be worth £200 million involving 16 housing associations from the Blue Skies Consortium.
Carter Homes will have an opportunity to deliver projects across East Midlands, Humberside, South Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Staffordshire.
Steve Forster, General Manager and Director, said: “We are delighted that Carter Homes have been appointed to this framework. It will allow us to use our expertise in affordable homes sector to deliver more exciting projects across various regions.
“Carter Homes is going from strength to strength and this appointment confirms our solid position in constructing high quality homes to the latest environmental standards.”
