How do you start an eco refurb? As you mean to continue of course: with lofty environmental intentions.

In my case that means stripping out my home’s old fixtures and putting in steel joists and columns to improve its efficiency and circulation, and future proof it (more on that later).

It's taken some time to realise that I don't like to make things easy for myself - but I do like to make things right. A year ago we moved into a detached 1960s four-bedroom house in Brighton. Hardly the designer home one might expect for a man, who enthuses about good sustainable design on TV, but it took a year and a half to find this ugly house on a nice street and I really believe this 1960s-style house offers us a golden eco-friendly opportunity.
On the plus side it's something of a Tardis. Small on the outside but roomy inside, its large windows make it lovely and light, and it has a generous plot size in a great central Brighton location.

On the downside, it's both characterless and woefully energy inefficient; lacking in roof, wall and floor insulation, and filled with outdated wasteful boilers, appliances, taps and toilets.
But it could very easily become the house of the future: efficient to run and low in CO2 emissions, but also nurturing, and personal – a good home to live in and a great place to bring up my children.