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.
- Project 01/RENOVATIONS
Adding a kitchen extension
- SIX TO TWELVE MONTHS FROM FIRST CONVERSATION TO WORKING INSTALL
- UNDERFLOOR HEATING
- AIR-SOURCE HEAT PUMP
£40,000–£120,000 FOR THE BUILD
- Project 02/RENOVATIONS
Converting the loft into a bedroom
- THREE TO SIX MONTHS ON SITE
- INSULATION
- EXTERNAL SHADING
£45,000–£90,000 FOR A DORMER CONVERSION IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND
- Project 03/RENOVATIONS
Replacing the boiler
- ONE TO THREE WEEKS FROM CONDEMNED BOILER TO WORKING REPLACEMENT
- AIR-SOURCE HEAT PUMP
- SMART CONTROLS
£2,500–£4,500 FOR A COMBI SWAP
- Project 04/RENOVATIONS
Rewiring an older house
- THREE TO EIGHT WEEKS DEPENDING ON HOUSE SIZE AND OCCUPATION
- SOLAR PV
- HOME BATTERY STORAGE
£6,000–£18,000 FOR A FULL DOMESTIC REWIRE INCLUDING MAKING GOOD
- Project 05/RENOVATIONS
Building a garden room or annexe
- SIX TO SIXTEEN WEEKS FROM ORDER TO OCCUPATION
- AIR CONDITIONING
- INSULATION
£18,000–£60,000 DEPENDING ON SIZE AND SPECIFICATION
- Project 06/RENOVATIONS
Buying a period home
- TWO TO FOUR YEARS TO DO WELL
- INSULATION
- WINDOWS & GLAZING
£20,000–£80,000 OF FABRIC AND SERVICES WORK
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.
- Project 01/LIFE EVENTS
Preparing the house for a new baby
- THREE MONTHS OF SMALL CHANGES
- MVHR
- POSITIVE INPUT VENTILATION
£300–£2,500 DEPENDING ON WHAT IS ALREADY IN PLACE
- Project 02/LIFE EVENTS
Turning a room into a permanent office
- A FEW WEEKENDS OF SMALL CHANGES
- AIR CONDITIONING
- MVHR
£500–£4,000 DEPENDING ON WHETHER COOLING IS ADDED
- Project 03/LIFE EVENTS
Staying in the house through retirement
- SPREAD OVER THREE TO FIVE YEARS
- AIR-SOURCE HEAT PUMP
- SOLAR PV
£15,000–£60,000 OVER THE FULL PROGRAMME
- Project 04/LIFE EVENTS
Getting on top of the energy bill
- A FULL YEAR TO DO WELL
- INSULATION
- SMART CONTROLS
£0–£3,500 FOR THE NO-AND-LOW COST PROGRAMME