Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability

Product Information

Roger Hunt, co-author (with Marianne Suhr) of Old House Handbook, is an award-winning writer and blogger with a particular interest in sustainable and vernacular architecture and the materials and techniques used in construction. He is the author of Rural Britain: Then and Now, a celebration of the British countryside, Villages of England and Hidden Depths, an archaeological exploration of Surrey’s past. How can we make old houses energy efficient without devaluing future sustainability? And how can we do so without compromising their appeal and character? Roger Hunt is an award winning writer and blogger specialising in sustainability, old houses, housebuilding and traditional and modern building materials. He is the co-author of Old House Handbook and the companion volume Old House Eco Handbook.

How should we go about making old houses energy efficient without devaluing future sustainability or the appeal and character of old homes by the use of inappropriate solutions? This practical and essential guide to retrofitting for energy efficiency seeks to provide answers to this and other the questions homeowners of old houses are asking. Whether your house is medieval and timber-framed or a Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian terrace, it can be made more energy efficient and sustainable, and this practical and comprehensive handbook will show you how. Revised and updated throughout, and with a foreword by Kevin McLoud, Old House Eco Handbook includes chapters on the building envelope; roofs and ceilings; windows and doors; walls; floors; paints; energy, airandwater; plus a brand newchapter on retrofit materials. In association with The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, this is a must have for owners of old houses looking to make their homes more energy efficient and sustainable. Chapters Include: 1. Old houses can be green 2. Old house to eco house 3. The building envelope 4. Retrofit materials 5. Roofs and ceilings 6. Windows and doors 7. Walls 8. Floors 9. Paints 10. Energy, air and water 11. Old house for the future Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability by Roger Hunt – eBook Details Join the SPAB on this course to learn how to make your home - whether it is medieval and timber-framed, Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian, detached or terrace - energy efficient and low carbon without devaluing the future sustainability or character of the building.

Revised and updated throughout , and with a foreword by Kevin McCloud, Old House Eco Handbook includes chapters on the building envelope ; roofs and ceilings ; windows and doors ; walls ; floors ; paints ; energy, air and water ; plus a brand new chapter on retrofit materials . Retrofitting should be an holistic process and, for this to happen, it’s essential to know the eventual goal and have a plan or ‘roadmap’. This will enable the most appropriate measures to be selected and their interrelationship with one another to be better understood, even if they’re introduced over an extended period of time as funds and opportunities present themselves. If planning is inadequate, conflicts may occur and work might have to be undone to accommodate future phases of work or to rectify problems. Marianne Suhr is a Chartered Building Surveyor specialising in the repair of historic buildings. After a scholarship with the SPAB, she worked for seven years in architectural practice, then full-time on hands-on repair projects including three very different old houses. For the SPAB she has run over 40 homeowners' courses and numerous 'limedays'. She is co-author (with Roger Hunt) of Old House Handbook, and has written and lectured extensively. A co-presenter of three series of BBC2's Restoration, she recently set up the Old House Consultancy, advising on repairs and alterations in the Oxfordshire locality.

As we learn more and more about smarter ways to make old houses warmer, less damp, draughty and more pleasant places to live, this book is an interesting contribution to this growing area of blending modern insights with ancient buildings and techniques. We review the Old House Eco Handbook by Marianne Suhr and Roger Hunt. Available to buy here. With fairly disastrous consequences to getting it wrong, one way to have a successful outcome is to work towards the EnerPHit standard. This will probably mean employing an architect or other specialist with experience of what they're doing. It might not be cheap or easy but will deliver on energy efficiency and comfort. There is a delicate balance between sustainability and retaining character This practical and essential guideto retrofitting for energy efficiency seeks to provide answers to this and other the questions homeowners of old houses are asking. Whether your house is medieval and timber-framedor a Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian terrace, it can be made more energy efficient and sustainable, and this practical and comprehensive handbook will show you how. This one-day course will be held at the SPAB headquarters in London - an opportunity to view the inside of the only remaining Georgian house in Spital Square. The building dates from around 1740 and originally belonged to a Huguenot silk merchant. It was rescued from dereliction by the Spitalfields Trust before being sold to the SPAB in the early 1980s. In association with The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, this is a must have for owners of old houses looking to make their homes more energy efficient and sustainable. Old House Eco Handbook A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, reviewed

Getting here

Roger Hunt, co-author (with Marianne Suhr) of Old House Handbook, is an award-winning writer and blogger with a particular interest in sustainable and vernacular architecture and the materials and techniques used in construction. He is the author of Rural Britain: Then and Now, a celebration of the British countryside, Villages of England and Hidden Depths, an archaeological exploration of Surrey’s past. He lectures on building-related issues, is a judge of annual awards for new housing and serves on the editorial board of the SPAB magazine. His latest renovation project is a 1900 house on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, USA.

Outstanding course. It was our wedding anniversary present to one another and was well worth it" - Home owner Now in its second edition, Old House Eco Handbook, A Practical Guide To Retrofitting For Energy-Efficiency and Sustainability by Roger Hunt and Marianne Suhr, with a foreword by Kevin McCloud, is published by White Lion Publishing in association with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. It is a companion to the authors’ bestselling Old House Handbook. “Three green cheers for this book, which mixes an erudite analysis of the latest building science with practical advice and demonstrations of best practice.” Kevin McCloud, author, broadcaster and designer Drafts actually make you feel colder than the building really is, so introducing secondary glazing or draft proofing around windows can make a big difference to comfort levels. What must not be forgotten is that few old buildings are the same, even in a terraced street where each house may initially appear to be identical. This brings challenges as there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution and each scheme must be considered on its own merits to ensure the correct specification and detailing. Another key issue is occupant behaviour. A building that is occupied all day potentially needs different solutions to one only occupied at night. The course is relevant for those who live in, use or manage period properties (pre-1919), and is a popular introductory one-day course for professionals who may need to brief their clients on improving the energy efficiency of their homes. With opportunities to ask questions throughout the day, the course also offers an opportunity to talk over lunch and learn from fellow attendees who may be facing similar challenges.

Step-by-Step Projects for Self-Sufficiency

I’m passionate about trying to make buildings sustainable and cut our carbon but at the same time we’ve got to have places that are accessible, enjoyable and important to people.” It’s essential that the roadmap is all embracing. It must consider everything from walls, windows and doors to roofs, floors and chimneys together with strategies for ventilation, water savings, heating efficiency and energy generation. When deciding on a retrofit strategy the interrelationship between these elements has to be understood. For example, draughtproofing without controlled ventilation may lead to poor air quality, condensation and mould growth. Unintended consequences is a phrase that increasingly crops up when considering energy efficient retrofits to old buildings. This is partly because there is much that is still not understood about what happens when retrofit measures are introduced into older structures. More worryingly, unintended consequences often result from the fact that retrofits are not always well thought through in terms of selecting appropriate solutions and considering how they might interact with one another.

This practical and essential guide to retrofitting for energy efficiency seeks to provide answers to this and other the questions homeowners of old houses are asking. Whether your house is medieval and timber-framed or a Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian terrace, it can be made more energy efficient and sustainable, and this practical and comprehensive handbook will show you how. The Old House Eco Course will be relevant primarily for owners of period properties (pre-1919), but also for building conservation professionals who may need to brief their clients on improving the energy efficiency of their homes. Getting the retrofit techniques wrong in a breathable type of construction can store up problems for the future in terms of damp and condensation. COVID-19 Health and Safety Measures: We ask all delegates to bring and wear their own mask during the workshop. Hand sanitiser will be available. Our measures are subject to change in accordance with Government guidelines. The book is written in a logical, smart and accessible way. There will never be a one size fits all solution, but books like this do help to provide readers with a palate of ideas and possible options to ensure restorations are done in as sensitive and effective a manner as possible. As we aim to live in more sustainable ways it also makes sense to bring into the 21st century many old and wonderful buildings that just need some TLC. In this way we can reap the benefits of the smart new ways that are evolving to restore and renovate older buildings.A risk of coming in and doing a complete retrofit of an old building is that it can lose some of the character which makes us love them in the first place. Join the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) to learn how to make your home - whether it is medieval and timber-framed, Georgian, Victorian or Edwardian, detached or terrace - energy efficient and low carbon without devaluing the future sustainability or character of the building.