The project library
Big home decisions, written as moments.
Renovations and life events sit together here because the homeowner's question is the same. Not which product to buy, but in what order to do what, and which of the cheap decisions taken early will quietly save the expensive ones later.
Renovations
The decisions that are hardest to undo.
The big build moments. The order of operations matters more than the kit list, because the decisions taken before the plasterer arrives are the ones that quietly become unfixable.
Adding a kitchen extension
We are extending the kitchen at the back of the house; what should we get right while the walls are open?
Six to twelve months from first conversation to working install·£40,000–£120,000 for the buildConverting the loft into a bedroom
We are turning the loft into a bedroom; how do we stop it being freezing in winter and unusable in summer?
Three to six months on site·£45,000–£90,000 for a dormer conversion in southern EnglandReplacing the boiler
The boiler has packed in or is about to; do we like-for-like, or is this the moment to do something different?
One to three weeks from condemned boiler to working replacement·£2,500–£4,500 for a combi swapRewiring an older house
We are rewiring an older house; what should we add while every floorboard is up?
Three to eight weeks depending on house size and occupation·£6,000–£18,000 for a full domestic rewire including making goodBuilding a garden room or annexe
We are adding a garden room; can we make it genuinely usable year round without ruining the running costs?
Six to sixteen weeks from order to occupation·£18,000–£60,000 depending on size and specificationBuying a period home
We have fallen in love with a Victorian terrace; what do we need to know before we own it?
Two to four years to do well·£20,000–£80,000 of fabric and services work, plus the cost of the house
Life events
The quieter moments the house has to grow into.
The quieter moments when the house has to do something new. A baby, a permanent office, a long retirement, a year of rising bills. Smaller in scope, larger in cumulative effect.
Preparing the house for a new baby
We have a baby on the way; what should we actually change about the house?
Three months of small changes·£300–£2,500 depending on what is already in placeTurning a room into a permanent office
I am working from home most days now; how do I make the room actually pleasant to sit in for eight hours?
A few weekends of small changes·£500–£4,000 depending on whether cooling is addedStaying in the house through retirement
We are planning to stay in this house for the long term; what should we change while we still have the energy to manage it?
Spread over three to five years·£15,000–£60,000 over the full programmeGetting on top of the energy bill
The bill keeps going up; what actually moves the number and what is just busywork?
A full year to do well·£0–£3,500 for the no-and-low cost programme