A typical Victorian Terraced house in Brighton
A project in 3 phases
Our relationship with this client started in 2009 – the renovation started with their bathroom, taking it from a dark and mouldy room to a roomy and cheery space that the family could all enjoy. At the time we super insulated the roof, the rear wall and installed a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system along with natural paints, recycled units and a cork tile floor.
Cork is not the old fashioned product it once was
After completing this work (and giving them time to plan) we returned for major renovation works to the house.
This began with remedial damp works to the front of the house, then the clients wanted to open up the groundfloor to create a family space that would allow them all plenty of room to cook, do homework, socialise and entertain. With the help of our trusted architects we drew up plans to create one big space at groundfloor and to also insulate the space as best as possible without losing any valuable floor space.
The final phase of this project was to install a loft conversion adding a usable bedroom (a space which had previously be used for storage) and an additional en suite bathroom. This would allow this family home to suit all of their needs for the next 30 years.
Background
demolishing the groundfloor supporting wall & rebuilding
Period/Age of House: 1880s
No. Bedrooms: 3
No. other rooms: 4
No. of floors: 3
Floor Area: 144m2 (including the loft conversion)
Cost: Groundfloor works £50k, New Loft conversion £40k,
Wall type: Bungaroosh / Solid
Details
Attaching the steels and aligning for the new stairs was a pivotal moment
Demolishing the bathroom and reinstating with a well insulated vaulted ceiling and an insulated north facing wall was the first stage of this project. Then the most spectacular part was demolishing the internal supporting wall that had been the heart of this house for over 130 years and replacing this with a modern steel supporting structure.
Once all of this major structural work was complete we could begin rebuilding the house. We insulated the ground floor adding 100mm of Earthwool under the joists and 100mm between them before laying the new deck and a cork tile floor. U value: 0.16W/m2K
We installed a new pine wood kitchen and double glazed windows & doors U Value 1.6W/m2K to give what was originally a pretty small and univiting space into the heart of this family home.
this became a light and airy space
Heating & Hotwater
We also installed a new heating & hotwater system incorporating a Vitodens 111W Storage combi boiler – which has an integrated hot water cylinder so that you can comfortably run 2 showers at the same time without sacrificing performance. We moved this into an insulated outbuilding as it is slightly larger than a standard boiler and space was at a premium. Obviously new radiators throughout and all associated plumbing work completed by one of our fully qualified and vetted tradespeople.
Loft Conversion
The insualted walls are 35% better performing than Building Regulations requires
The third phase of this work was installing the loft conversion – this was super insulated with PIR insulation giving a U value of 0.14W/m2K (in the flat roof) and 0.18W/m2K in the walls which are a 15% improvement & 35% improvement respectively on 2010 Building Regulations standards. With additional airtightness measures and quality Internorm european double glazed windows – overall making this renovation nice and toasty warm.
The finished zinc clad loft conversion before the final painting of the rear
Draughts
Wherever feasible we taped and jointed all insulation to avoid leakage for this well insulated renovation.
Paints & Finishes
We used low VOC and either recycled (www.newlifepaints.com) or natural paint through out the house.
Lighting
All lighting was changed to LED lights throughout ensuring that electricity bills in this house were as low as possible (so they could use it in their electric car!).