Welshpool firm stars on Grand Designs!

A Welshpool company with humble beginnings working from a workshop above a cowshed, has been praised on a latest episode of Channel 4’s Grand Designs.

Unnos Systems worked on a collaboration on the Grand Designs feature home in Southwater, West Sussex – producing a precision-engineered modular timber dwelling that demonstrates the next evolution in high-specification, sustainable construction.

Presenter Kevin McCloud praised the project as “the first project to deliver all three - on time, on budget, and with high quality,” with the Southwater build exemplifying the company’s mission to ‘set new standards in modular manufacturing, using locally sourced Welsh timber and advanced off-site precision engineering’.

“It’s all about containing costs - having it prefabricated in a factory in Wales, brought in on lorries, costing exactly what you thought it would. That is the future of Grand Designs. It’s the future of self-build, said Mr McCloud.

Each home from Unnos Systems is crafted in a controlled factory environment, where every component is protected from the elements and built at ground level - ensuring unmatched quality, safety, and precision that is very difficult to achieve through traditional construction sites.

For the Southwater project, five fully finished volumetric modules were fully manufactured at Unnos Systems’ warehouse over a number of months, and installed in just one day.

This process ensures absolute accuracy, minimal waste, and pristine finishes - with joinery-grade timber moisture levels (11-12%), rather than the industry’s 20-30%. The result is no cracking, no movement and no compromise.

The company said that the approach accelerates delivery by over 50% compared with traditional construction and enables groundwork and superstructure build to progress simultaneously.

Once the modules arrive, the near-complete home lands on a clean, finished site - with none of the disruption, mud, or inefficiency of a standard build.

“When our buildings leave the factory, they’re fully protected and have never seen rain in any of the layers. The precision and quality from a factory environment is very difficult to achieve on a site build,” said Kenton Jones, Founder, Unnos Systems.

The company uses local sustainably managed timber, seasoned in a biochar-powered kiln. This closed-loop process locks carbon into biochar while using timber waste from previous production to power the plant.

Combined with passive-level airtightness, MVHR ventilation, and the option for solar and battery integration, Unnos homes achieve exceptional energy efficiency and near self-sufficiency.

“We’re proving that high performance and low impact can coexist - that sustainable timber buildings can be stronger, lighter, and far more efficient than masonry alternatives," Mr Jones added.

Unnos Systems’ story began over four decades ago in a small workshop above a cowshed on the Jones family farm near Welshpool. The company first became renowned for fine joinery, bespoke furniture, and a royal commission at Highgrove House for the then Prince of Wales.

This foundation of precision craftsmanship evolved through partnerships with Coed Cymru and the Welsh School of Architecture, leading to the development of engineered Welsh timber systems - and ultimately, to Unnos Systems’ award-winning modular housing innovations.

Today, Unnos delivers high-quality, sustainable modular homes all over the world and has also featured on Channel 5’s Build Your Dream Home in the Country.