It was the transmission of an episode of Channel Four's Grand Designs back in 2004, featuring pensioners Greta and David Iredale, that turned the tide of Huf Haus's fortunes in Britain.
The family business, now in its third generation, has been designing these strikingly contemporary-looking homes since the early 1970s, but sales really spiked after an appearance on the popular property show.
"For the first two to three years we were just building a few houses a year here and there," says Afra Bindewald, Huf Haus's business development manager.
"Our server crashed 10 minutes after the programme ended, and we had to move to larger offices to deal with the influx of enquiries. It was phenomenal."
Huf Haus has always been energy efficient, but the homes are now close to zero carbon, and nearly 300 of them have been built in the UK.
"People in this country now really appreciate that there's more to home design than the conventional build," Bindewald says. "Initially they wonder if it's going to be like living in a goldfish bowl. But they soon change their minds when they look around the show home. You should see the smiles on their faces."
But that doesn't mean that we can expect to see a Huf Haus on every street corner.
Bindewald says: "We produce 150 houses a year worldwide, of which 30-40 will be allocated to the UK market. We could have expanded, but we decided not to. It's a niche market and we want it to stay like that."
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What is a Huf Haus?
A Huf Haus is a type of contemporary, eco-friendly and modular design for a home. Originating in Germany, the name "Huf Haus" comes from the name of the company that designs the houses.
A Huf Haus is, essentially, a kit house. You'll design it individually with a Huf Haus architect, then the whole thing is prefabricated to the your exact specifications in the state-of-the-art Huf Haus factories near Cologne in Germany.
What does a Huf Haus cost?
There is no set cost for a Huf Haus. The modular design means that you can incorporate different features and make it the size that you want, thus adjusting the cost.
A huge advantage of a Huf Haus is that you can get an exact cost at the start of the project. They guarantee it will not change - notwithstanding currency exchange rates.
This is very different to a conventional home build, where costs can spiral if unforeseen issues pop up.
"A Huf Haus starts at around £300 per sq ft," says Bindewald. "In comparison, for a conventional build, you will usually pay £200 per sq ft, but that won't include the architect, planners, quantity surveyors, structural engineers and the basic fit out."
What makes a Huf Haus so special?
A Huf Haus is custom-designed (a small Huf Haus is typically 1,800 sq ft, while a large one comes in at 12,000 sq ft), but the uniting factor is Huf Haus's signature post and beam design, which means no load-bearing walls.
There's no necessary room division, allowing owners to create a home that meets their current needs, and which can be altered later if their lifestyle changes.
And the outside is important too. Huf Haus prides itself on adapting homes to the landscape in which they stand, bringing the outside in through wall-to-ceiling glazing, balconies and roof terraces.
How eco-friendly are they?
Huf Haus has always been energy efficient and is striving to be close to zero carbon.
With triple glazing that is more energy efficient than most walls, electricity generated through solar voltaic panels on the roof and heat derived through ground or air source pumps, owners can wave goodbye to gas and electricity bills.
How do you get a Huf Haus?
Firstly, Huf Haus is not for self-builders. It provides the architects, designers, planners, builders, even finance.
All you have to do is find a plot, get in touch with Huf Haus, and choose what you want.
You'll get to visit the German factory and choose every element of your Huf Haus yourself.
How long does it take to build a Huf Haus?
"We're pretty quick," says Bindewald. "I've seen conventional builders take nine months to a year to put up a house, but it can be more. A Huf Haus will take a week to be water tight, then a further 12 to 14 weeks for the internal fit out.
"Before that, there's usually six months of design and waiting to get planning permission. And another six months for production and assembly on site, so it's around 12 months in total."
What's it like to live in a Huf Haus?
Perhaps the most famous British Huf Haus owners are Grand Designs' royalty Greta and David Iredale, whose 2003 build was enjoyed by the nation.
Seasoned self-builders, they were thinking about replacing the timber home that they had designed and built themselves at their Walton on Thames site, when a friend told them about Huf Haus.
"I remember it clearly. He came rushing up to us in the garden and said he had seen a fabulous house and he had made an appointment for us to have a look," Greta says. "And when we saw it we were blown away. We were just enchanted. It was perfect because we couldn't have done a self-build at our age, and with Huf Haus you don't do any of the physical work."
The couple then spent two days at the factory in Germany finalising details and choosing fittings. "It was the hardest couple of days' work in our lives." says Greta.
"They got out huge catalogues and threw thousands of questions at us. We thought we had it all planned, but we had to work out everything, down to where all the light switches and the plug sockets went. But they do guide you, and fine tune it all.
"It's like Christmas out there. They have the standard and the deluxe choice, and it's easy to get carried away. But then they give you your quotation and you fall off your chair, and you go back and make changes."
With typical joie de vivre, the couple made the most of the building experience.
"The house went up in three and a half days, glazed, tiled and everything. But we lived in a caravan for five or six months, and we loved it - it was great fun. We were busy all the time, and we were lucky that we had a good summer."
And has the finished house lived up to their expectations?
"Every time I come up the drive, I can't believe it's ours," says Iredale. "It still takes my breath away. It's so peaceful and comfortable, and never too cold in winter nor too hot in summer.
"People say there's an atmosphere and I think it's the fact that they check every nook and cranny to make sure there are no draughts.
"And nothing has gone wrong. They come round every two to three years to see if it needs painting and each time they've said nothing needs doing - although it would mean paid work for them.
"We'd love to do it again, but at 81 and 78 it would be the moving out of furniture and putting it back in that we couldn't face."