Is renovation always gut wrenching?

It’s tempting to be put off by the horror stories that appear on social media. Four years in, no loo, freezing cold and still finding rot and damp. You know the sort of thing. Fascinating to watch, but stops you ever biting the bullet yourself.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. It is possible to take it one step at a time to suit your appetite for chaos and your budget.

We completed a deep retrofit - finally

I’ve seen both sides of the story. We did a combination – biting the bullet for the bulk of the house, but leaving out our bedroom and the front room so we had some sort of retreat. We only took on the front room one year later and the bedroom another year after that.

Both have their benefits:

Going full throttle means it can take a shorter time. Total immersion makes it easier to do plumbing, wiring, heating installation. You don’t have the cost and fuss of trying to link up different areas at different times.

BUT

It means the place is a total shambles. Dust is everywhere, difficult to do the washing and cooking, tough to find what you’re looking for. If you have the option and the budget, much easier to move out.

One room at a time makes much less mess. You have the rest of your home to live in, so some semblance of sanity and peace. And it means you have the chance of gathering together the budget for the next step in your own time.

BUT

It takes a bit of handling. You’ll do a lot of door closing to keep heat in the newly warm space and stop it leaking away. There will be some things you can’t do – like install a whole house ventilation system (MVHR) but there are ways around this with single room units. (Very good but not quite so efficient)

We chose not to move out and lived through all the different stages. It was a challenge. I’m far enough away from it now to remember it fondly. It wasn’t always thus! There was plenty of raging along the way!

The big advantage for us was of being able to track the work and support the builder in his lack of knowledge about retrofit. Every evening we would check the work that had been done that day. Always good to do, however you choose to work.

Help is at hand

You don’t have to suffer. One room at a time can work really well. You just need to understand the process so you don’t create problems.

A good way to plan it out is with the help of a retrofit coordinator. They will do a energy survey of your home to clarify what work will give you greatest benefit. They can then tell you how to go about it – either in one go or they can break it down into stages for you. You can find information about coordinators on Trustmark

You can also do this with an eco builder – if you can find one – or an informed architect, an architectural designer or interior designer. Check out first their eco credentials and how much they know about creating energy efficient homes.

Whoever you work with, make sure they understand about decrement delay and what insulation materials will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.

So choose the way that suits you and go for it

Better to get going in a small way than do nothing. Remember, we are saving 75% of our energy usage in our Victorian end of terrace.  And that is not to be sniffed at!

Take a look at What the Builder Won’t Tell You and Beginner’s Guide to Eco Renovation. Loads of information in there about renovation and retrofit. And any questions, just let me know.