This five-storey townhouse had single glazing, a failing basement and a 40-year-old boiler. We prepared a whole-house retrofit plan with the conservation officer before any work began.
Careful upgrades
We added secondary glazing inside the original sashes, wood-fibre insulation under the floorboards and breathable lime plaster on the basement walls. A heat pump in the rear garden replaced the boiler.
Energy use fell by 61% in the first year, with no changes to the street elevation.
Interiors were kept simple: pale limewash, oak floors and a new kitchen in the old scullery.
