Tag: Victorian

HPH322 : An EnerPHit standard retrofit of a Victorian mid terrace home – with Guy Hargreaves

Homeowner Guy Hargreaves reflects on adapting and expanding his Victorian mid terrace home, retrofitting the whole building to EnerPHit standard.

Interview with Guy Hargreaves

Initially we chatted with Guy Hargreaves (episode 297) about his aspirations for upgrading his period property for energy efficiency, comfort and to future-proof it for a less hospitable climate. He had gone through the design process and gained planning consent to adapt and extend the property, and targeted Passivhaus standard (largely helped by the form or shape of the building) for the project.

In this episode Guy returns after the renovation and reflects on the construction stage as well describing what the house has been like to live in.

Guy has been fantastic in sharing the journey in our membership community, The Hub.

Go behind the scenes of this deep retrofit. Get access to our in-depth video case study in The Hub

Access issues meant a lot of manual labour

The project began in February 2021 with the strip-out but initially everything had to be removed through the front door! As the one-way street was narrow construction waste had to be dealt with immediately, so it was placed into the back of a truck, driven to the builders’ yard and sorted there.

Access improved after a ‘win win’ arrangement

As time went by, Guy managed to negotiate access through a private car park at the rear (on an adjacent road). In return he offered to resurface the car park at the end of the process, fix the lights and replace the fence.

Before the renovation

Visualisation of the proposed scheme (at the rear)

New foundations were prepared for the extension

At the rear of the property a small lean-to extension was demolished and fresh foundations were dug for the new extension which would be the width of the property. A digger was craned into the garden from the car park to make the excavation work easier.

Tonnes of soil was removed to prepare for the new foundation.

Then the concrete went in, followed by a layer of insulation and a floating concrete slab.

Steels help open up the old house, but were not necessary for the retrofit

A key element of the brief was to open up the space and so a couple of walls on the ground floor had to go. Structural steels spanning the width of the house were added to take the loads from above.

Some steels already existed in the house from previous renovations but these needed to be replaced.

A contingency is always essential on a retrofit

It is impossible to predict everything that may crop up during a retrofit which is why a healthy contingency fund is always required. One ‘nasty’ on this project was the condition of the bay.

Although a homeowner’s survey was conducted when the property was purchased it did not flag up any issues. However as the building was stripped back cracks around the windows and crumbling brickwork were revealed, and it became clear that a structural engineer would have to take a closer look.

The outcome was that the bay needed to be rebuilt at ground level with some underpinning necessary at basement level.

Insulation and airtightness strategies change around the building

With a mixture of new and old, brick and timber, combined with planning constraints the technical design utilises several difficult wall build-ups. For example, at the front of the property the appearance had to be preserved and so an internal wall insulation strategy was necessary. This breathable build-up has several layers including a diathonite plaster (the airtightness layer), wood fibre board and a lime based plaster.

The ceiling height in the basement was not as generous as the floors above but removing a 75mm screed layer gave them a bit of wiggle room to add 40mm of rigid insulation.

Up in the attic room rigid insulation was used in the roof. And at the back of the house softer wool batts were filled the timber frame.

Larsen truss built on site for rear extension

The new extension is timber frame and uses a twin stud Larsen truss (300mm) to create a decent size cavity for the required insulation. Cutting and erecting it on site is a simple and cost effective route to achieve high performance.

The room at the top of the house was expanded

A previous owner had converted the loft but the sloping ceilings made it slightly awkward space so Guy planned to open it up on the garden side (south side), which also affords the best view in the house.

The skylights before the renovation

Guy understood the overheating risk of the dormer room

That whole south side we glazed in a rather aggressive and somewhat controversial scheme that is going to be a work in progress over time because that dormer is the top of the house… The heat in the house tends to rise into the dormer and add to the solar gain.

External blinds will be installed if ever needed

While over-glazing will lead to overheating Guy did not have his eyes closed. Instead he made sure that there was a strong back-up plan. So there were plenty of window ventilation options as well a reverse cycle heat pump, which can be used for cooling. However, if the temperature becomes unbearable then the ultimate solution will be external shading.

Guy stepped in as quality control

Much like Mike Coe’s experience in Portree, Guy decided to monitor quality.

He was on site every day checking how the airtightness layer was coming together, highlighting potential weak spots.

Airtightness became a personal challenge

I knew that we would get the insulation right. But I had absolutely no idea that we would get the airtightness right. And the airtightness, it’s like a stop go thing. It’s like blowing up a balloon. If there’s a hole in it you will get found out.

The biggest worry would be areas where the airtightness layer gets hidden by the construction.

Interim airtightness tests highlighted areas that needed attention

Guys likens airtightness to ‘compliance’ in the corporate world. He suggests that those in charge of the results should almost be separate from those doing the work.

Pressurising the fabric of the house and using smoke pens to identify leaks was essential to eliminating draughts and improving airtightness.

Airtightness is really about chasing down your problems.

Pausing construction to perfect the airtightness is not realistic

In an ideal world the required airtightness would be achieved before any finishing work was carried out.

With a team of builders on site it becomes increasingly difficult to address small airtightness issues without progressing work elsewhere in the building.

Delays in ordering increased pressure

With supply chain issues the sequencing on this project added another layer of complexity. Lead times could change overnight.

Architects’ contract administration a good call

One of the more valuable things we did was to engage with my architect in an administration contract, which included a fortnightly visit on site, and that kept a level of professional focus on what was needed, what was coming up, where the timing was, what was being realistic, etc.

The Passivhaus standard became a step too far

EnerPHit is the retrofit standard for a reason. It is hard to modernise existing buildings and this is why it’s a slightly less stringent target.

Although Guy held onto the goal of achieving the Passivhaus standard target of 0.6 air changes per hour (@ 50 Pa) until the ‘grim death’ there came a point where he realised it was too much of a stretch.

Work in the basement apartment had been halted to focus on the main house so that Guy and Susan could move back in as soon as possible.

So the first ‘official’ airtightness test of the main house was after they had moved back in (March 2022). At this point it became harder to carry out remedial work.

And an airtightness test for the basement was still needed for an overall result (which came a few weeks later).

The final result for the whole house was 0.95 (ACH @ 50 Pa).

Knowing the ‘Hurculean’ effort that went in Guy is immensely proud.

That’s what the EnerPHit standard is about… recognising the almost exponential effort in getting from 1 ACH to 0.6 ACH (@ 50 Pa) in a property that’s already built.

Comfort tops the benefits

Guy laughs about being able to wear shorts and a t-shirt almost all year round!

He also points out how quiet and still the house is.

With an all electric house the bills are likely to be 1/5 of what they were before, but clearly there has been a massive upfront investment.

Solar PV is the only missing element!

In some respects the people I’m feeling most envious about today are those who have 10 kilowatts of solar PV on their roofs.

With an efficient heat pump providing heating and cooling for the house as well as the hot water, Guy has got nearly everything for the resilience and future-proofing he wanted.

However, there were not many good options for a solar installation. The flat roof at the top of the house was the obvious one but it only had a couple of kilowatts potential.

I didn’t think that that was worth the trouble, to be honest. But given everything else that we were doing, it was just probably the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Good communication and a stable relationship with your builder is vital

Having been through building processes before Guy has been reminded how important it is to have a stable relationship with your builder. The key to this is staying calm and talking through any challenges.

Changing your builder is a vastly complicated process and it’s made even more so when you’re halfway through a Passivhaus. And you wouldn’t find another builder to want to take it on. So having a strong relationship with the builder is super important.

There is an appetite for retrofit in the UK

Guy has already opened the doors of his home to local community groups interested in retrofit.

There is an enormous appetite in Oxford, and I think probably UK wide, for all or some or most or half of the things that we’ve done to our property.

Watch our documentary of the Kinver project in The Hub

Find out more

Check out part 1 – our interview with Guy before construction began

Visit the website of Eco Design Consultants

Transcript

Download a transcript of this episode.

Passivhaus Open Days

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November 2, 2022
HPH297 : Why retrofit a Victorian terraced home to Passivhaus standard? – with Guy Hargreaves

Guy Hargreaves explains why he wanted to renovate his Victorian terraced house to Passivhaus standard and how this is going to be achieved.

Interview with Guy Hargreaves

Guy Hargreaves is originally from New Zealand, but he met his wife Susan in Australia.

While living in Sydney they bought and renovated a Federation style house in which to bring up the family. When the children were in their early teens, they relocated to Hong Kong with Guy’s work. And after 11 years there, they followed their children to the UK (where they had gone to university and settled).

As Susan was doing a masters in Oxford that became the obvious place to set up home and in October 2019 they bought a Victorian terraced house. Initially they planned to live in the house for a couple of years to get a feel for it, but it quickly became clear that it would need a lot of work to make it liveable. So they started planning a renovation straight away.

The building is set over four floors and includes a self-contained basement flat and converted loft.

A visit to the National Self Build and Renovation Centre was a great starting point

While Guy and Susan were able to lean on the experience of their previous renovation, they were keen to upgrade this property to be a high performance home.

After seeing several Passivhaus homes on Grand Designs over the years they had become interested in the concept, but it was a visit the National Self Build and Renovation Centre (NSBRC) that acted as a catalyst for targeting Passivhaus standard. This is also where they met Alan Budden from Eco Design Consultants, who they would later hire as the project’s architects.

Having studied mechanical engineering at university, Guy felt that discovering the Passivhaus standard was a bit of a homecoming.

“The Passivhaus concept itself really grabbed my imagination, to be honest, and I was hooked.”

Working remotely caused minimal delays

Having gained planning consent (in January 2020) with help from a more ‘traditional’ architect, Guy realised that they needed a specialist for the Passivhaus refurbishment. So they hired Eco Design Consultants to take over the project.

This coincided with the beginning of the global pandemic and consequently the project was progressed during lockdown.

Despite this challenge Guy believes it made little impact on the project’s timeline.

Preserving the ‘period’ feel is important

As part of a three terrace development, Guy was keen to keep the heritage feel of the property at the front.

“We don’t want to replace Victorian sash windows with anything that doesn’t look like the Victorian sash windows that are there now.”

The rear of the building is less important because most houses have been extended over the years and they all look different.

Sketch perspective of the how the rear will look after the refurb

Passion is a driver for targeting the Passivhaus

This renovation will be to Passivhaus standard rather than the slightly less stringent retrofit standard, EnerPHit.

Guy is hoping that it’s not going to be a much heavier lift.

“It’s the passion I have for the Passivhaus certification more than anything. I’m not sure that the internal feel of the property will be much different if it was renovated to EnerPHit certification.”

First floor plan

There are different insulation strategies for different elements of the building

The historic brick facade will remain at the front and back, but it will be insulated internally.

At the back of the house the ground floor will be dug out and a new concrete slab will be set on top of insulation.

In the basement, the top of the floor will be taken off and a Diathonite screed will be laid down.

Interestingly, the party walls will not be insulated at all.

The windows need to be replaced

All windows and doors need to be high performance, so these will be upgraded to triple-glazed products.

The whole building will also be ‘wrapped’ internally for airtightness layer. This layer will come in the form of various materials.

‘Futureproofing’ the building justifies the cost

Guy admits that there are significant costs attached to a renovation of this quality and performance.

However, he bought at a price that reflected that the property needed a full renovation. Also, part of retrofitting this home is to futureproof it against the impact of climate change and rising energy costs.

On top of that, there is no doubt that the comfort levels of the house will be vastly improved and this too, along with Passivhaus certification, may be reflected in what the property will be worth in future.

Their builder was keen to develop skills

Finding a builder with Passivhaus experience was really hard.

So Guy has hired a firm who have considerable renovation experience but also demonstrated a desire to tackle a project of this nature.

PHPP adds another dimension to the project

In addition to balancing cost, quality and speed, Guy says you must always think about performance.

“You’re always trying to balance what you want to do stylistically with what the PHPP model will let you do! So that becomes a fourth dimension. Everything you do has an impact in terms of, will the building perform the way you want it to perform?”

Find out more

Visit the website of Eco Design Consultants

Follow Eco Design Consultants on Bluesky

We are filming every step of this build for our Hub members. Find out more.

Transcript

Download a transcript of this episode.

National Self Build and Renovation Centre

Guy and Susan started their renovation journey at the UK’s only permanent exhibition centre for self-builders and renovators – the National Self Build & Renovation Centre.

Located just outside Swindon it’s a one-stop shop for learning about the build process and sourcing potential suppliers.

They also offer a range of courses and workshops. Find out more by visiting their website.

A tour of Carrstone Passivhaus Plus project

Eco Design Consultants were also behind Carrstone Passivhaus.

Check out this video tour for more information about the house and its design.

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January 23, 2021
HPH131 : Building a home in your garden for your retirement – with Robert Young
Robert Young explains why he decided to build a home for his retirement at the end of the garden and what steps were necessary to create this low maintenance, high comfort dwelling.

Interview with Robert Young

Robert and his family lived in a large Victorian house, which was originally the infirmary for Swaffham’s workhouse. After 30 years there and with his children having left home, he and his wife Jane finally decided they needed to downsize to a property that be cheaper and easier to run, and offer them a high level of comfort.

As the Victorian house had a generous garden, they realised that could easily build a new home within it without diminishing the nature of the existing property.

Robert has always thought that it’s sensible to do things before you have to and so they wanted to prepare for a time when they may not be as mobile.

Building to Passivhaus standard was a goal from the outset

Although the idea of building a house was incubating in their minds it was only after Robert attended a talk at his local rotary club that he gained a clear direction. The theme was domestic architecture and looked at past vernacular as well as future developments. Chris Parsons from Parsons + Whittley spoke of a Passivhaus future where buildings were constructed with much more attention to detail. Some of the benefits included lower heating bills and higher levels of comfort, which immediately appealed to Robert.

As part of their research they went to visit Denby Dale Passivhaus and they were impressed.

A dendrologist assessed the impact of a mature tree on the plot

Their new home – with a floor area of 110m² – would sit on a plot of 500m² but it would have to be shared with a mature lime tree that had a Tree Preservation Order on it.

A dendrologist plotted all the trees in the area and was confident they could build several metres away for the giant lime. The pile foundations and concrete raft would also protect them from any root growth, although this was thought to be minimal.

Give your architect the freedom to do a good job

Robert and Jane’s original brief was simple. They wanted a two bedroom bungalow with en suite facilities, a living room and an open plan kitchen diner.

Other than that they were prepared to trust their architect Chris to come up with the best design possible. They were in no way prescriptive.

The design of their home embraced their biggest constraint

With the lime tree a dominant feature on the plot, the house wraps itself in a curve around it.

Most rooms look towards the tree, except for the living room which gazes back at their old Victorian home.

The tree also provides shade in the summer which reduces the chances of overheating in the Passivhaus.

The winning contractor was keen to do Passivhaus

The specification went out to five local builders, but the winning contractor showed a strong desire to do a good job.

Although they hadn’t built to Passivhaus standard before they put their entire team through the Certified Passive House Tradesperson Course from the Passivhaus Trust.

Robert believes that having the same team on site the whole way through, rather than subcontractors, was a huge benefit.

A covenant was added to the deeds of their old house

Robert and Jane sold their home before the build began and rented a cottage in a nearby village.

They did update the deeds of their old home to include a covenant that stated that a two storey building could not be erected in front of their fence, which would block out the sunlight.

The builders plotted the curve using GPS

Lime Tree Passivhaus is a cavity wall construction.

When the bricklayers were creating the curve they plotted it using GPS facilities, breaking down the units into ever smaller and smaller sections, so that no more than two or three bricks were laid before they took another check on the alignment of the curve.

The build took just 8 months to complete, which was exactly on schedule.

Decisions were often made on a financial basis

As with any build they had to stick to a budget and Robert says that was one of the trickiest parts.

Not everything could be top of the range so they had to think carefully where they wanted to spend their money and make some compromises.

Swapping an old house for a new house was not difficult!

After 30 years in his old Victorian home, Robert anticipated it might be difficult to move . . . but he says personally it wasn’t and it was time to go.

“We’re very comfortable in the house. It meets all the requirements that we have and there were no exaggerated claims about the comfort of a Passivhaus so we’re very happy.”

The UK Passivhaus Awards

This year the UK Passivhaus Awards is focusing on self builds so it’s right up our street! Take a look at the projects that have made the shortlist.

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Robert Young.

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June 4, 2016
HPH024 : Designing Buildings That Are Radically Sustainable Yet Elegantly Simple – with Jonathan Hines from Architype
Jonathan Hines from Architype explains the concept of eco-minimalism and also the very different approach that guides them as a business. We discover how this design philosophy has helped shape an exciting new scheme of 150 Passivhaus homes for the village of Kingstone, Herefordshire.

On the day this podcast was published the development – in conjunction with ArchiHaus – was granted planning approval! N.B. Our interview with Jonathan was recorded on 20th March 2013.

Interview with Jonathan Hines

Jonathan has been a director of Architype since 1989 and his life-long focus has been on achieving sustainability through design.

Keep Buildings Simple

Jonathan explains that Architype’s approach has always been to try and keep buildings simpler in order to make better spaces and achieve higher standards of energy efficiency. Whereas many architects encourage complexity and engineers look to technology for solutions, an eco-minimalistic approach is about making buildings as simple as they can be. Jonathan stresses that this does not mean boring. At Architype they want to make their designs elegantly simple as well as radically sustainable. It’s about simplifying things down to what works best and letting the buildings to do all the hard work in terms of being at one with the environment.

Simplicity Takes Constant Refinement

Far from being the easy route, making a building simple takes longer. It is a process of continually reviewing the designs and questioning if they are simple enough. Are there elements that can be taken out to make the building work better? Jonathan mentions Architype’s early days of Segal Self Build. This was a system of construction, devised by Walter Segal, that was all about paring down construction to the basic elements and keeping it simple in order that people could self-build it themselves. Architype’s roots have always been in understanding simple detailing and keeping the form of the building functional but also beautiful.

People Desire Greater Comfort in Their Homes

Jonathan believes that people have a higher aspiration for comfort in their homes than they did 50 years ago. Regulations also demand greater efficiency and year by year there is increased awareness about the wider sustainability of materials.

The Passivhaus Standard Provided a Logical Framework

As one of the early adopters of the Passivhaus Standard in the UK, Jonathan says that it offered a logical framework to do what they were tending to do anyway. Instead of being guided by intuitive assumptions it provided rigorous analysis, discipline and a quality assurance process in terms of design and construction. It is a tool that actually helps them to achieve things.

One of Architype’s schools that meets the Passivhaus standard

‘Haus’ means ‘Building’ in German

Jonathan explains that Passivhaus can be applied to any type of building. People sometimes get confused by the word ‘haus’ and think it must only apply to houses, but its translation from German means ‘building’. Amongst Architype’s Passivhaus projects are four schools, a major research building for the University of East Anglia, a church in Sheffield and an Archives and Records Office in Herefordshire. In Germany people are doing Passivhaus fire-stations, hotels, hospitals, etc.

Sticking to a Budget is Just a Discipline

If you think a project is going to cost more then the chances are it will! Architype has always delivered sustainable buildings within tight and standard budgets. Jonathan gives the example of the UK’s first BREEAM ‘Excellent’ primary school (for Wolverhampton City Council) which was created with no extra budget. It was achieved by keeping the form of the building simple, the section simple, the detailing simple, the window arrangement simple and so on.

Housing Developers Aren’t Interested in Improving Design Quality or Sustainability

With the exception of one or two smaller scale developers Jonathan believes most big house developers aren’t particularly interested in improving design quality nor sustainability because they can sell what they produce already (as there’s little choice in the market).

Building Houses in Factories is More Efficient

While a lot of construction in the UK is still done brick by brick, for many years Sweden have been building their houses in factories. It offers many advantages including driving up the quality of the finished product and minimising the amount of time needed on site. In partnership with retired Swedish businessman Lars Carlsson, Jonathan has set up a new company called ArchiHaus which aims to bring UK house building into the 21st Century. From first principles all houses will be optimised for Passivhaus, including the site layout. Then the houses will be prefabricated in a new house factory that ArchiHaus intends to establish.

Proposed scheme of 150 houses for Kingstone, Herefordshire

The Scale and Form of New Housing Must be Appropriate

Jonathan talks about this new development in a part rural Herefordshire, where there is a big housing need but where it’s challenging to find appropriate sites. He thinks people generally don’t like new houses because what is on offer is high density, suburban, poor quality and not appropriate for a rural site. Their approach aims not only to be Passivhaus but also higher quality in terms of design of buildings and landscape.

The Landscape For This Development Reflects its Rural Setting

After doing a study of typical Herefordshire vernacular architecture and the character of the Herefordshire landscape, Jonathan describes how they then set out to reinterpret that in a modern contemporary way. Instead of creating a suburban character site with wide roads, kerbs, pavements, fences and parking spaces etc. they designed a layout of lower density, with lanes that wind through a landscape of hedgerows, swales, ditches and orchards. This will make it feel completely different to a normal housing development. It’s also got generous areas of shared open space and allotments areas for food growing.

The Houses are Wider in Frontage and Shallow in Depth to Optimise Use of Daylight

A typical vernacular building in Herefordshire tends to be shallow in depth, wide in frontage and with a roof running along the length. On the other hand most developer houses seem to be narrow in width and deep in plan, which means there is far less daylight getting into the depth of the house. After conducting a Passivhaus analysis it became clear that the best approach was with a slightly wider house that gets more solar gain and better daylight. Jonathan remarks that the traditional vernacular form and the Passivhaus optimised shape actually have a very strong synergy. He doesn’t find this surprising because old vernacular houses were built to maximise their relationship to the environment.

Self Builders Like Light and Airy Interiors

Contrary to the perception that comes through many house developers, Jonathan’s experience with self build clients is that they tend to like airy spaces, slightly higher ceilings and a more open plan feel, with modern materials and modern detailing. Through programmes like Grand Designs he thinks that people have increased their awareness of what design quality actually is.

Architectural Quality is Lacking in Modern Houses

Jonathan mentions RIBA’s Future Homes Commission report from 2012 where they found that although people liked the idea of a modern house they tended not to buy them because what they saw in them was of poor architectural quality. So they end up buying a Georgian or Victorian house, which can offer them light and airy spaces, high ceilings, good sized windows, etc. However these old houses are cool and draughty and are going to cost a fortune to heat. This is because the architectural qualities there outweigh the practicalities. So Jonathan says: “If we can combine the practical things of energy efficiency and lower running costs with good architectural quality then we are on to a winner.”

Striving to Create Better Buildings has Attracted the Best People

Throughout Architype’s nearly 30 years of practice they have always been exploring new ways of doing things, from trying to find more sustainable ways of building and constructing, ways to save energy to looking at different materials that can be used to create more beautiful buildings. This drive for better buildings has attracted people who are personally committed to sustainability and design quality and actually believe in the ability of design to do that.

We Know the Origins of All the Materials we Use

Jonathan explains that over the years they have tried out lots of different materials. Some worked well, others were more difficult or appropriate only in certain situations. Now they have honed a fairly robust palette of what they’re confident are renewable and sustainable materials. This includes timber, insulation made from recycled newspaper, a range of mineral and organic paints and stains, and floor finishes in lino and rubber.

Buildings are Better at Saving Energy Than Generating it

The Kingstone development does not encompass any renewables and Ben asks Jonathan whether that was intentional. Jonathan replies that well designed buildings are really good instruments for saving energy. He does not consider them particularly good generators of energy. For example, photovoltaic panels are often perched in funny places behind chimneys or facing east-west or even north sometimes. This is because people have managed to get a grant or have got a feed-in tariff and they’ll get some return on it.

Renewable Energy Should be Generated on Efficient Scales

If the imperative is to save carbon across the whole world, then every panel that’s put up now should be in the most optimum position available. Jonathan would much rather see solar arrays on the ground in fields, where they can be cleaned and maintained properly. If there’s a separate inverter in 5000 houses, when something goes wrong the householder is probably not going to fix it. On a community scale or even at a regional scale renewable energy starts to make sense. Similarly with wind energy, big wind turbines in the North Sea are preferable to little ones perched on buildings, which don’t go round.

Saving Energy is the Best Route Forwards

Jonathan compares energy to rubbish – it’s good to recycle rubbish but it’s much better not to create it in the first place. So with energy it’s good to have renewable energy but first to use less of it.

Find Out More Information

Follow Jonathan Hines on Twitter

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Jonathan Hines.

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Google+ Hangout

After the success of our first Google+ Hangout, we are organising our next debate on the topic of housing density. Should we focus our efforts on building high or low density housing? If you have strong views on this subject and are already signed up to Google+ we’d love to hear from you. We are in the process of putting together a panel.

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June 5, 2013
What Houses Would the Victorians be Building Today?

One of the funny things about my exploration into what houses we should be building in the 21st Century is that I hear the same messages crop up time and again. This is actually good for me, as someone who’s learning about energy efficiency and sustainable design, because it reinforces the wisdom.

If I only had one message to pass onto a newcomer to self building, it would be ‘to minimise the amount of energy your house will need before even thinking about generating energy.’

While this has been a message I’ve heard repeated in various guises from my early podcasts up until now, do I really understand how far you can take this concept? Probably not.

This is where our podcast episode with Jonathan Hines from Architype is fascinating. I’ve always thought of minimising energy losses as taking a fabric first approach (really good insulation, airtightness, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, etc.) but what I didn’t understand is that this means the design, too. The endless possibilities of the building’s form, for example, will each impact on the energy use. So design decisions can have major repercussions. This is why an emphasis on simplicity should lead to a more energy efficient building. This doesn’t mean boring but something that is elegantly simple (as Architype like to say). It’s a process of refinement.

That’s where I want to consider older houses for a moment. I have always been drawn to period properties in preference to modern houses but have not yet fully appreciated why. Perhaps I’ve hit on part of the answer in my conversation with Jonathan. He mentioned last year’s RIBA Future Homes Commission study:

“It reported some very interesting findings, that people liked the idea of a modern house but they tended not to buy them because what they saw in them was of poor architectural quality. So the things they like in a house are light airy spaces, high ceilings, you know, good sized windows. Now they see those in a Georgian or Victorian house and they don’t see those in the new houses that they look at. So they’ll buy an old house, albeit it’s cool and draughty and it’s going to cost a fortune to heat because the architectural qualities there overweigh those sort of practical things. My belief is that if we can combine the practical things of energy efficiency and lower running costs with good architectural quality then we are on to a winner.”

This is really interesting if we consider what was going on around the time of the Georgian (1714 – 1830) and Victorian (1837 – 1901) eras. It was the years of British Empire and also the big changes set in motion by the Industrial Revolution. Energy was not an issue. The world’s wealth was brought back to London and this was reflected in the grandeur of the architecture.

In today’s world things are very different. Our population is increasing at the same time as we’re squandering our fossil fuel reserves. A lot of materials are finite. Would the Victorians follow the same path now as they did back then? I would argue that it wouldn’t even cross their minds. They’d be looking to what would be the most sense now for the situation we face.

It does seem to me that there are always people with the right answers out there. We just need to find them and listen to what they have to say! That said, I really urge you to check out my interview with Jonathan.

June 4, 2013
Why Tesco has Made me Embrace the Passivhaus Retrofit for Old Buildings

In our recent podcast episodes I stumbled upon a significant split in opinion when it comes to retrofitting old houses to high energy efficiency. There are those who see historic fabric as extremely important and something that must be preserved at all costs. Then there are others who believe that, due to dwindling fossil fuel reserves, the common sense approach is to make nearly all of our housing stock radically more energy efficient.

I concur with both of these arguments, which of course are in conflict with one another. So I imagined that we’d lay this subject to rest, move on and perhaps encounter it again further down the line. However, my wife happened to mention Ponsbourne Park to me.

I like to think I stay in touch with local issues but clearly I’d missed this one (as it’s been bubbling away for nearly a year). Ponsbourne Park is owned by Tesco (the UK’s leading supermarket) and is a site that they use for conferences, etc. I imagine it is far from ideal given the size of Tesco and I can completely understand why they might be looking for something more fitting of a world-class supermarket. So, of course, Tesco submitted plans to redevelop the site. As someone who lives nearby, word had somehow passed me by until this conversation with my wife. She told me that Tesco had just been given planning permission to knock down this 19th century building for their new academy.

This article from the Welwyn Hatfield Times shows you an artist’s impression of the proposed scheme. [I did contact the Tesco Press Office for more information on it, but they have yet to get back to me.]

For more detail you can read through the planning control committee report.

This is where it gets interesting! Tesco’s academy will be state of the art and much more environmentally sound than what currently exists. It has all the benefits of what you might expect from a modern building: it’s more at one with the landscape; the rooms will be much lighter; it’ll be much more energy efficient; it’s likely to have a better air quality inside. For this scheme they’re even going to use combined heat and power (which we talked about in episode 12).

Hang on! If you’d presented me with exactly the same situation a year ago I would have reacted very differently. The first thing I would have expressed was outrage that they are knocking down a period property. I would have written a letter to Tesco complaining about it (assuming my wife hadn’t told me after planning permission had been granted!) and telling them to go and build it somewhere else. Now I’m in a very strange disconnected place. What’s more important here – the past or the future? I would be tempted to say the future because we’ve lived through the past but then our past is really important to light our way into the future. I want both!

In a world where resources are dwindling and change in how we live our lives is inevitable I’m not sure that doing nothing is an option. I desire to retrofit a Victorian property to the Passivhaus or EnerPHit standard. While I had thought twice about it after learning about the significance of historic fabric, I am now thinking again. With the loss of Ponsbourne Park’s 19th century building I have to look at the bigger picture. This is probably only the tip of the iceberg. It is the blueprint of what might happen around the world. To me, losing period properties like this altogether would be far worse than losing a proportion of their fabric (which will often be invisible to the untrained eye). In carrying out this invasive retrofit we would at least be making these buildings future-proof. We know the aesthetics are desirable. We know that we may not be able to preserve their historical integrity but look at the alternative. I know what I favour.

It’s also worth remembering that buildings evolve over their lifetime and often without fundamental destruction to their character. Can you imagine if nobody had fitted electricity, or piped water and gas central heating, how differently we might feel about living in older properties? The need for our existing housing stock to be retrofitted to a low energy standard will add a significant further layer of historic context to most buildings, but surely not to ruin the enjoyment of them?

I went to a meeting with a few of the residents from Newgate Street and was intrigued to hear that they had approached English Heritage to try and get Ponsbourne Park listed. English Heritage considered the application but decided there was nothing special that would afford it this status. So English Heritage – and organisations like this around the world – will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to choosing which buildings to save. In my mind this very small percentage of buildings does not need to be made energy efficient. It is the bulk of the housing stock which needs the serious attention.

Inevitably there will be cases of interstitial condensation, for example, on properties where people have slapped on internal wall insulation without fully understanding the process. This is a necessary evil of the bigger picture.

In the words of one of our recent podcast interviewees, Roger Hunt: “There are two things that are going to happen in the future. One is that we might regret some of the things we’ve done and the other is that we might wish we’d done much better.”

I agree with him but we have to try something.

What is more important to you? Restoring old houses to their natural splendour or preparing them for the future? Please add your comment below.

Podcasts connected to this topic

Episode 8 – Retrofitting a Victorian House to Passivhaus Standard

Episode 10 – Can You Damage an Old Building by Making it Energy Efficient?

January 10, 2013
HPH008 : Retrofitting a Victorian House to Passivhaus Standard #1 – with Tom Pakenham from Green Tomato Energy
Tom Pakenham from Green Tomato Energy describes the practical challenges of making a Victorian house energy efficient. Plus how passive house principles helped a Norwegian explorer in the 1890s.

Interview with Tom Pakenham

Tom explains that he wanted to do something about the way we treat the planet and he believed that the best way to do that was by setting up businesses in the environmental sector. It started with Green Tomato Cars, a minicab company which runs on low emission principles. Then the Green Tomato Kit was launched, a green starter kit for the home. The third business in the group is Green Tomato Energy which exists to help people reduce their environmental impact through their homes. They also offer a consultancy service for low energy building.

New Build Not an Option in London

Tom lives in West London where there are virtually no opportunities for new build and, as he had no intention of moving away from family and friends in the area, it was logical to renovate a property. Most of the building stock is from the late 19th century and early 20th century, and Tom wanted to create a low energy home that was also sympathetic to the cultural heritage and was a beautiful building. A lot of people tend to think of eco homes as looking like bomb shelters or nuclear bunkers. This project set out to dispel that myth.

The Passivhaus Standard is Flexible in Terms of its Application

Over a year and a half Tom was introduced to Passivhaus. The better acquainted he became with the options, the more attractive the Passivhaus standard became. He particularly liked the fact that it was not a prescriptive way of building and that the principles could be applied to the geometry of the existing structure in order to work out a way of making it perform to the low energy standard.

Attention to Detail is Important

After selecting your architect and energy engineer, Tom advises to spend time with your design team to make sure what they’re designing will work within your budget and within how you want to live in the property. Don’t rush this planning stage because this is where a lot of time can be saved further down the line. When assembling your team, look for a builder who is not only technically competent but understands what is trying to be achieved and why. This must also filter down to all other workers. If you fail on the detail, then the whole project can come into jeopardy.

Be Prepared to Learn Along The Way

No matter how much planning is done upfront, when a period property is stripped back there may be some surprises. Tom thinks that as long as you approach the project with an open mind and the understanding that something might change and you might need to learn things as you go along, then you’ll be fine.

The Risk of the Project is More Psychological Than Real

When Ben expresses a concern about the potential for ruining an old building by carrying out this type of extensive work, Tom reminds him that there is a risk but this is not like jumping down a well! If the project has been designed well and the work has been carried out properly, then it’s not an issue. Its structural behaviour and its energy behaviour is something that can be worked out and designed. Changing insulation or cutting off thermal bridges will have an impact on the joists or brickwork, etcetera, but it can be predicted.

Triple Glazed Sash Windows

Tom explains some of the challenges around finding windows. In the end he had to have his windows specially made. The top frame is fixed and the bottom pane opens on a tilt or turn mechanism, so you can open it like a door or tilt it inwards. So they’re not actually sash windows. Triple glazed sliding sashes look unlikely to be become popular due to their cost. The issues include the increased weights necessary to balance the extra weight and also how you create a proper airtight seal.

The big advantage of triple glazing in the city is it acts as a great sound insulator.

Payback in 35 Years

Although this project was one of the first of its kind, there would still be a straight-line payback in 35 years. That assumes no capital uplift in the cost of the house. Also as energy prices rise that payback gets shorter and shorter.

However, Tom doesn’t believe it is helpful to look at it in these terms. He emphasises the comfort and improved air quality of the building: you are creating a great place to live. He gives another example of when you are installing something like a kitchen, you rarely look at the payback and that you really want the great environment it will give you.

Tom’s Top 3 Tips for Renovating a House with Energy Efficiency in Mind
1. Spend more time planning than you think you need. The work is much easier with a proper plan.
2. Make sure you have a good team that understand the objectives and buy into the project.
3. Have enough money to finish. The last thing you want is to be caught halfway through and unable to finish in a completely gutted house.
Watch a Video About This Project (Lena Gardens)

Tom Pakenham and his design team explain the work that was carried out to this Victorian terraced property.

Transcript

Download a transcript of the interview with Tom Pakenham.

Energy Efficiency in the 19th Century

In the last session Ben Adam-Smith mentioned the eco houses from the Home World exhibition in 1981 and he thought that was incredible. However, after attending a talk by Mischa Hewitt from Earthwise Construction at the Retro Expo, Ben is now aware of an eco ship over a century ago.

‘The Fram’ of Fridtjof Nansen was a ship built for polar exploration and had many pioneering designs, including in the cabin:
- Highly insulated cork and felt
- A triple glazed skylight
- An airtight layer of linoleum
- Good ventilation
According to the 1897 publication ‘Farthest North’ the ship had a stove in the cabin but it was never lit because the temperature was warm and comfortable already. In fact they even thought of getting the stove removed!

Motivating Email

Ben reads out an email from a listener, Dr James Shorrock, who is about to renovate his own house. He talks about ‘researching the usual heat pump options’ but after listening to the podcast ‘thinks maximising the building fabric/insulation has got to be the best starting point’. Dr Shorrock has also requested a future episode on SIP panels.

The Construction Industry Podcast

If you like podcasts and you work in construction, Ben recommends checking out The Construction Industry Podcast with Cesar Abeid. There’s relaxed chat with construction professionals, plus Cesar shares some great marketing strategies for your business.

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November 6, 2012