One of the most frequent questions we are asked is “Can I do any of the building work myself” The answer is “Yes you can”…… Obviously the amount you will be able to undertake depends on your experience and DIY skills so we have made a list below and marked the different operations with * as a guide. The more stars – the more difficult.

External works

Foundations **

Because you are buying a mobile home or a log cabin from a leading timber frame supplier and highly experienced in our industry, we have a team of engineers and designers who will decide on the foundation and layouts for your specific lodge home. This is an area that you can undertake fairly simply yourself using the drawings and diagrams we supply to you. If you don’t want to install your own foundations, don’t worry, Urban Marque will install an Urban Plinth system for you. Email us for plinth information sheet TEG 6.

Erecting On Site ****

Unlike many other suppliers products, all Urban Marque Mobile Home Lodges and Caravan type buildings are built on a fully engineered timber frame house platform that is why they behave like houses and not static caravans – so installing a kit calls for some experience in erecting a timber frame house. So unless you are experienced in joinery or carpentry, we recommend that an Urban Marque Ltd site team erect the actual mobile home structural kit. If you have experience or are lucky enough to know someone who has the experience or is capable of erecting a granny annex or garden lodge type of kit, we will supply all the drawings and layout details you need.

Sealing The Envelope ***

The next operations will “seal the envelope” which simply means that the mobile home is weather-tight so that you can start the internal installation. To do this all that is required are the windows and external doors installing and the chosen roof cover to be installed. The timber frame kit will be covered with a breather membrane which will protect the timbers for several weeks if the weather prevents installation of the cladding or rendered external walls. All the window and door opening sizes will be shown clearly on our design plan, if you prefer to supply your own windows and doors. The roof areas are also marked on the drawings so that you will know the quantity of roofing tiles/slates you will require. Your structural kit has an EGGER Protect P5 flooring deck and it can be exposed to the elements for up to 42 days during the building process if any components such as roof or windows are delayed.

External Cladding **

This operation can be achieved quite easily by a competent DIY enthusiast. Urban Marque can supply quality budget treated Redwoods in several different profiles or engineered Thermowood with a selection of other popular finishes such as Larch and Western Cedar—all kiln dried and treated. Email us for cladding information sheet TEG 13.
We can also offer other external cladding options such as:

  • WeatherClad: A cement cellulose fibre wood-effect maintenance free cladding.
  • MAF Rubber: An ecological roof cover solution that is made from re-cycled products, the main material is re-cycled tyres

Roof cover ***

On a pitch roof we recommend our budget range of bitumen and fibre shingles with a rubber underlay OR a lightweight metal system such as Britmet Slate 2000 Flat and Mono-pitch roof installations are normally EPDM rubber OR:
MAF Rubber: An ecological roof cover solution that is made from re-cycled products, the main material is re-cycled tyres

Roofline **

This operation consists of installing the fascia boards and soffits along with a rainwater system. UPVC is the most economical and the most popular as it is a maintenance free option. We will gladly supply you with the correct component and quantities list for your Mobile Home or Log Cabin project.

Internal works

Plumbing ***

Electrical *****

This refers to Electrical & Plumbing installations and is usually completed in two operations:
First Fix: Install pipe-works and cables etc. ready for connection to the finished outlets and facilities.
Second Fix: Is completed after all other internals are finished, to avoid damage to expensive fixtures and fittings and allow the other internals to be installed quickly. Installing M & E is very fast using Urban Marque Ltd systems as no chasing out or masonry drilling is required. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT A QUALIFIED AND REGISTERED ELECTRICIAN IS ENGAGED TO UNDERTAKE ALL ELECTRICAL WORKS AND A QUALIFIED GAS FITTER EMPLOYED TO INSTALL ANY WORKS USING GAS APPLIANCES.

Insulation *

This discipline requires a great deal of thought and it is worth investing in the best that you can afford, even if it means ‘borrowing’ from your mobile home cosmetic budget. Not only does insulation keep the building warm, it reduces both carbon emission and future energy bills – in many cases quite significantly, so it can pay for itself. Insulation is easy to install and our mobile homes are designed to take traditional ‘standard’ roll or batt sizes along with the latest multi-foil products and membranes. We can achieve any carbon emission level including zero emission. Your floor insulation is included in the kit price, but you have to consider external and internal walls as well as roof insulation – we will be happy to help you with this aspect of your build. Email us for thermal information sheet TEG 17

Vapour Barrier *

This is a crucial part of any modern mobile home! A vapour barrier (or vapour control layer) is installed over the insulation on the warm side of external walls and ceiling, under the plasterboards. It is crucial that there are no holes or gaps in this layer and any ‘pull through’ holes created by wires or pipes must be taped to form a tight seal. VCL is very easy to install and is as cheap as chips – provided you know what you are looking for.

Plasterboard *

Skim Finish *****

Tape & Fill Finish *

This operation provides a fire protection barrier and is also the carrier of the internal finish materials. All plasterboards sold in UK must meet UK and EU regulations and we only use one size 1220mm x 2440mm x 12.5mm and they are used to cover the main walls, ceilings and the 2 x sides of the internal dividing walls. It is usual to use a ‘taper edge’ board for skimming or tape and fill.
Skim finish: Is a skilful application and a professional should be engaged for this job.
Tape & Fill: is a DIY job, but time consuming and a huge saving can be made doing this yourself.

Joinery ***

Consists of internal doors and frames, architraves, skirting boards, window linings etc. There are quite a few modern aids on the market to help a you do a decent job with mitred corners and modern adhesives remove the need for fasteners.

Kitchen and Bathroom Fitting ***

Standard plumbing installations today are not as complicated as they once were today due to a huge increase of modern materials available. Copper pipe and blowlamps are a thing of the past and have been replaced by plastic piping and demountable fittings so this has become a widespread DIY operation.

Finishing *

Painting and tiling are all DIY disciplines you can undertake.

Don’t forget that the Urban Marque Technical Team are always available by phone or email to help you with any self-build query – we have completed dozens of projects from small caravan units to luxury mobile homes and from luxury garden cottage homes to schools and farm shops, using our unique Urban Marque Ltd timber frame house platform.