This house was an ex local authority terrace house in south London, very much of its time, with four slightly mean bedrooms sitting over two rather gloomy living spaces on the ground floor. The original windows had been replaced with poor quality UPVC double glazed windows that upset what was once a charming elevation. Otherwise, the house was insulation free. The aim was to improve the spatial layout, and to drastically reduce the energy demand through building fabric improvements. As the initial budget was limited, a whole-house plan was devised and the work carried out in stages.

Method

In 2016, during step 1 the first floor went from four to three more generous bedrooms with a new guest room-cum-study added in a modest extension at the top which looks out towards Crystal Palace. Either side of the new addition, two light shafts have been cut into the existing roof. These pour daylight down into the centre of the plan, transforming the living areas, which have been opened up into one continuous space on the ground floor. As these major works were carried out insulation was added to roof, floor and flank walls.

Step 2, saw the installation of triple glazing and the recladding of the front and rear elevations during spring 2019.

Sustainability

Completion took place during 2023 with step 3. This included joinery, finishes and final air tightening, resulting in an air pressure test result of 0.57 ach (as good as new build Passivhaus). Bob intends to get it certified to the Passivhaus retrofit standard known as EnerPHit in due course.  The energy consumption of the house has been monitored during the project and for 2023 the heating demand was only 8 kWh/m²a.

Another important part of the project was minimising waste and maximising the reuse of existing materials from the site and beyond. The living room joinery was made by Tom Graham using softwood reclaimed from a Florian Beigel fit-out project from the London Met Architectural school. 

Highlights

A highly efficient and carefully designed home which meets the needs of family life.

Splitting the project into phases has allowed ample time to carefully consider each decision.

At the heart of the house is a magnificent oak staircase from which light pours down into the lower floors.