Greening the Coach House
Friday, 28 May 2010 10:08
Property Type: Detached
Ownership Status: Freehold
What eco-improvements did you make to your property?:
We saw this house when we moved to Nottingham - not at all what we'd had in mind (a Victorian terrace we could gradually do up ourselves). This, however, was a former coach house (don't think anything too grand here!) that hadn't had anything much done upstairs for 20 years and downstairs for 40+. Think electrics inside pipes, strange tar-paper inside cladding behind the wallpaper, storage heaters (the giant old ones), and asbestos floor tiles. Of course, we fell in love with this one.
Luckily, we found Gil Schalom, a local architect who's been involved with lots of local green projects, not least his own, the Nottingham Eco-House. And he's helped us plan a major refurb!
We spent weeks taking out all the plasterboard upstairs and downstairs, destroying some really horrible decor as we went, and discovering the old bones of the coach-house underneath - Staffordshire stable pavers (like chocolate bars) underfoot; glazed bricks forming the old damp-proof system; an arched doorway; the curve of the old 'flat' roof under the upstairs floor. It was all very exciting.
Then the builders came in - they've torn down all the internal walls (so we can have a complete envelope of insulation with minimal bridging) and dug up the concrete floor (exposing all those old pavers deep down); then put in beautiful glulam beams (instead of RSJs) and d-e-e-p insulation under and around the new concrete pad. The triple glazed windows are ordered, and the south-facing windows made huge and lovely with staffordshire blue bricks around them. The outer airtightness layer is in upstairs, fitted carefully around the improved mansard roof trusses. The solar heating stuff is going up on the roof next week, and the Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery system with all its ducts is in production; in Poland the windows are being made; the ES4 loos are on order. Yes, it is an issue that things are coming from fairly far away, but we're avoiding it where we can. We're using reclaimed parquet downstairs, and FSC British engineered boards (from Chauncey's, in Bristol) upstairs; the kitchen is from Source Antiques in Bath - revamped English Rose, made in the old spitfire factories after the war. Don't think there'll be any new purchases for a few years to furnish it, either - we'll be checking out charity shops and skips! So work is continuing apace, and we hope to be in in August, with our super-insulated house that the PHPP says will need almost no heating (we'll have a woodburning stove, just in case) and bare concrete floors as it dries. Can't wait to live there! If you are interested, we are keeping a diary at www.greencoachhouse.blogspot.com
What positive and negative experiences did you have?:
Negative:Finding we'd be living in our temporary accommodation much longer than we'd thought. Realising that the quote from the builder didn't include the VAT (gulp!) Finding how each decision affects another and another - and that this seriously messes with our heads in decision making! Making the right decisions can cost a lot up-front.
Positive: Chance to work with lots of professionals who are really helping us realise our goals. Seeing the house gradually broken down then re-emerging as a potential living space! Choosing pretty much everything we'll be surrounded by for years to come ourselves!
What are the benefits to your home and lifestyle?:
The expected benefits are a comfortable home to live in, well aired and not too hot or too cold, clean air reducing allergens (we're sneezy). Not having to get one room too hot and run through cold ones, as we have in the past! We should have very low bills - especially once we add the solar PV next year. Feeling we're doing our bit to reduce our energy and CO2 use. Honestly, we can't wait to live there - and get all our stuff out of storage!
What advice would you give to others considering similar improvements?:
Remember VAT (though some of it will be at 5%). Have more money set aside than you let on (to yourself or your contractors) for the things that naturally crop up. It's much harder to predict costs on a refurb than a new build. Find out ahead the dates by which you need to have decided things - like which stove, colours for windows woodwork, and what basins etc you want.
