Developer Insight - The Balma Group

A new development of ultra-low energy executive homes built using the TALO timber offsite housing system

The Croft Mews development comprises eight ultra-low energy homes in the town of Edenbridge. These will provide much needed family housing for private rent in the centre of the town on a constrained brownfield site.


By specifying the TALO timber offsite superstructure system, the six three-storey, three-bed and two two-storey, two-bed mews-style homes were installed on site and watertight in just 15 days, ready for Balma Group to start fitting out.


We interviewed James Everest, MD of Balma Group to discuss his perspective on the value the TALO approach for this project:


“We estimate that the overall programme saving from using the TALO system was around six months, enabling us to bring these new family homes to market much sooner. This simply means we can build more homes in line with the Government’s objectives and to higher standards.


What TALO achieved in just four months from receipt of order to watertight homes would have taken 12 months using traditional brick and block construction. Instead, we were able to start fitting out straight away and in a totally clean environment. We didn’t expect to have such spotless structures to work in and from a developer perspective, this is a really significant benefit to building higher quality homes.


The time saving of using TALO could even be as much as eight months on our next projects which has massive financial advantages. The shorter programme is more cost efficient, helps us to attract new investment and generates faster ROI.

Following the success of Croft Mews, we are now appraising every site with the TALO system in mind.”



Our Approach to Offsite Manufacturing


The offsite superstructure system arrived on site complete with triple glazing and external walls with interior plaster boarding, a high level of insulation, and timber cladding all pre-installed in the factory.


This approach means the homes at Croft Mews benefit from a much higher level of thermal efficiency, exceeding Passivhaus energy standards by at least 30 per cent. 




Images with thanks to The Balma Group