If you've been browsing lodges or park homes, you've probably come across the terms BS3632 and EN1647 without much explanation of what they actually mean. They sound technical, and it's tempting to skim past them — but the standard your lodge is built to has a real, practical impact on how you can use it, live in it, and even insure it. Here's what each one means, and why the difference is worth understanding before you buy.
BS3632 is the British Standard for residential park homes and lodges. In simple terms, it's the specification a manufacturer must build to if a lodge is intended for permanent, year-round living — subject to the site's own licence.
Homes built to BS3632 are constructed with residential occupancy in mind, which means stronger requirements around thermal performance, structural integrity, and general build quality than a seasonal holiday home needs. The standard covers everything from insulation levels and heating to moisture control and acoustic performance, all designed to keep a lodge comfortable, efficient and safe to live in all year, including through a proper British winter.
It's worth knowing that the standard itself has recently been updated. BS3632:2023 replaced the previous BS3632:2015 version, tightening thermal performance requirements further — improved insulation values in the walls and floors in particular — along with enhanced moisture control and acoustics. If you're comparing lodges, it's worth checking which version of the standard a home is built to, as the newer specification simply performs better through the colder months.
EN1647 is the European standard that applies to caravan holiday homes intended for seasonal or temporary use rather than permanent residency. Lodges and static caravans built to this standard are perfectly suited to holiday use — weekends away, summer breaks, and letting to guests through the warmer months — but they aren't specified to the same year-round thermal and structural requirements as a BS3632 home.
That doesn't make an EN1647 home lesser — it's simply built for a different purpose. A holiday home used for a few months of the year doesn't need the same level of insulation or moisture control as a home someone plans to live in every day, in every season.
Put simply: BS3632 means "built for year-round living," and EN1647 means "built for seasonal holiday use." Everything else — insulation levels, structural specification, the way the home handles damp, cold and condensation — flows from that basic distinction.
This isn't just technical box-ticking. The standard your lodge is built to can affect:
Where you can use it. Many residential parks require homes to be built to BS3632 as a condition of the site licence, particularly for permanent occupation. Buying an EN1647 home for a park that requires residential specification — or vice versa — can cause real problems down the line.
How comfortable it is to live in. A BS3632 home is built to cope with everyday, all-season living — better insulation means a warmer home in winter and lower heating costs, not just a "nicer to have" upgrade.
Insurance and finance. Some insurers and finance providers ask which standard a home is built to when assessing risk and suitability, particularly for residential park homes.
Resale value. Buyers further down the line will often ask the same question you're asking now — knowing your lodge's specification, and being able to answer confidently, is part of what protects your investment.
At Pathfinder Homes, we build our residential lodges to the current BS3632 residential specification as a matter of course, so you can be confident your home is genuinely fit for the way you intend to live in it — not just built to look the part.
If you're not sure which standard is right for your plans, or which standard a particular Pathfinder model is built to, our team is always happy to talk it through before you commit to anything.
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