Family Focused Design – Cromwell Road

Sun 24 Sep 2023, – Sat 30 Sep 2023, Various

Meet your hosts, Emily and Shane

As an architectural designer, Emily is passionate about improving the spatial and thermal functions of homes, which she has now applied to retrofitting her own family home. In just 7 months, Emily and Shane’s standard 1930s terraced house has been transformed into a joyous, spacious, low energy home, boosting both comfort and quality of life – their whole family can now all enjoy watching the birds from the bright kitchen extension!

Emily says: “I am self-employed as an architectural designer. I am passionate about improving poorly functioning houses. I wanted to improve the thermal efficiency and comfort of the house while also improving the layout, and extending as much as possible. The improvement to our life has been huge. We now have a kitchen / dining space large enough to host friends, with a view onto our garden. We have enjoyed watching the birds this spring and the kids are more interested in what’s growing in the garden. The floor insulation has made a massive improvement to our lounge, and now we can’t wait to get the rest of the house up to the same standard!”

PDF case study with more details and links.

Key Features of this home

• Extension to rear, removal of load-bearing wall, re-planning of ground floor
• Insulating under suspended floor
• Insulated plasterboard to cavity walls 
• Reclaimed windows to extension
• Triple glazed bifold doors
• Air source heat pump and new pressurised cylinder to replace combi-boiler
• All-electric house, including induction stove

Tour details

1 hour in-person tours, running:

• Sun 24th Sept 11:00, 13:30, 15:00
• Sat 30th Sept 11:00, 13:30, 15:00

These are in-person tours. Bookers will be sent Location details in reminder emails.  Tour spaces are very limited. Babes in arms and young people (14+) are welcome.

Book your in-person tour on Sun 24 Sept

Book your in-person tour on Sat 30 Sept

 

 

Our hosts top tips 

• Seek advice and make a plan before you start. Speak to someone impartial, who can give you practical advice about how to make your home work better, not just sell you a product. 
• Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Retrofit is an exercise in compromise. Even if you can’t achieve a perfect scenario all at once, don’t let that stop you from starting the process. 
• Take the plunge and go electric! We can all be part of the transition away from fossil fuels. 

 

Return to the full programme

 

Thanks to our 2023 Open Eco Homes funders and supporters

 

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