Where to start - 1970's refurbishment

[four_candles]

It looks like I have the ideal candidate for a proper refurb - a 100m2, 4 bed, 1970's semi in the brutalist style(!), major renovation was last done in 1990's and seems well maintained but nothing since then apart from cavities filled in 2010...  It really is the classic project building. 

 

I know enough to look closely at the building envelope first (currently 25mm of loft insulation and relatively new cavity wall insulation, old DG, no floor insulation). Main gable end is north facing and no windows, south is a link-detached garage and bedroom above. East (rear) and West (front) have large glazed areas, roof pitched due east and west. 

It has old system boiler, dodgy electrics, a garage under a bedroom we will convert, bathroom from 30 years ago, kitchen from similar time ago...No extension planned.

 

Although an 'ugly duckling' a fetching shade of Scottish grey harling, non-symmetrical window lines etc, but it is dry, solid, flat plot, plenty of plot space around it.

 

I am thinking of bringing in an architect - both to advise on thermal insulations and any renewables, and perhaps advising on making it look nicer from the outside...It may even keep cost down to have someone on board who can advise like this.

 

Any advice or places to start making plans welcome!

[Iceverge]

15 minutes ago, four_candles said:

I am thinking of bringing in an architect - both to advise on thermal insulations and any renewables, and perhaps advising on making it look nicer from the outside...It may even keep cost down to have someone on board who can advise like this.

 

Architects often excel at the utility and asthetics of buildings. Some treat insulation etc as an inconvenience and just copy and paste manafactuers details with little further thought. 

 

 

Pictures please would help.  The more the better. I quite like brutalism. 

 

Welcome also! 

 

 

 

 

[SteamyTea]

44 minutes ago, four_candles said:

Any advice or places to start making plans welcome

You are in the right place to start making plans.

45 minutes ago, four_candles said:

am thinking of bringing in an architect - both to advise on thermal insulations and any renewables, and perhaps advising on making it look nicer from the outside

As above.

An Architect is probably not the place to find the solutions to reducing energy usage.

Thermally, houses are quite simple. Stop the air leaking out, then insulate, a lot.

As it has cavity wall insulation, make sure it has not failed anywhere. Unexplained damp on walls is a giveaway.

Probably worth getting hold of a thermal camera, overheating the place, then take pictures all around it, late at night.

 

Don't get bogged down with 'eco' technology at this stage. Find out what is easy and effective to do first. Then you will know what needs to be done second, third ....

[Nickfromwales]

4 hours ago, four_candles said:

It may even keep cost down to have someone on board who can advise like this.

Oh, dear lord!! No. Try the opposite. Architects draw great pictures, and then say "oh, it's 5 o'clock, bye" when it gets down to anything regarding technical detail / insulation / airtightness / and any slight hint that they may need to calculate or consider plant space and mechanical thoroughfares etc, and they're gone faster than you can say " where's the architects car gone?" when you spot their oversights / omissions.

Wrong professional for this I'm afraid.

You'll be able to get  bags of info from here tbh, just start bashing away at the search facility and topics and get stuck in . Put the time and effort in doing your own research and then you won't need these people. Ask questions here and the answers will soon follow   

[ETC]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

Oh, dear lord!! No. Try the opposite. Architects draw great pictures, and then say "oh, it's 5 o'clock, bye" when it gets down to anything regarding technical detail / insulation / airtightness / and any slight hint that they may need to calculate or consider plant space and mechanical thoroughfares etc, and they're gone faster than you can say " where's the architects car gone?" when you spot their oversights / omissions.

Wrong professional for this I'm afraid.

You'll be able to get  bags of info from here tbh, just start bashing away at the search facility and topics and get stuck in . Put the time and effort in doing your own research and then you won't need these people. Ask questions here and the answers will soon follow   

The old cliches really are the best - painting the architect as the “Arfur Daly” type in his Jag on the golf course with his Rotary friends in his sheepskin coat charging a shed load of cash to draw a pretty picture or two. You must’ve had a really bad experience with your “architect” - if he or she was actually an architect.

 

Get the right professionals and contractors on board who have the right experience and who can deliver your project on time and within your budget. There are plenty of people like this about - not on Instagram or TikTok - who will save you money and give you a great design.

[Nickfromwales]

28 minutes ago, ETC said:

The old cliches really are the best - painting the architect as the “Arfur Daly” type in his Jag on the golf course with his Rotary friends in his sheepskin coat charging a shed load of cash to draw a pretty picture or two. You must’ve had a really bad experience with your “architect” - if he or she was actually an architect.

 

Get the right professionals and contractors on board who have the right experience and who can deliver your project on time and within your budget. There are plenty of people like this about - not on Instagram or TikTok - who will save you money and give you a great design.

 

I work on clients' bulds, and speak from what I've seen on pretty much every project, not just "chatting shit" here, me old china mug

Bad experience, should read expectations either not met, or worse. Not just my words, clients words also. 

 

On the flip side, some great architects ( and keen architectural technicians ) out there, who seem to be struggling to get recognition and a foothold in the industry.

 

Only my own opinion from hard evidence on live projects, so don't worry about me having too much of an impact on the poor architects  They'll be just fine.

[Marvin]

Hi @four_candles

 

Sounds interesting. In my humble opinion:

 

You should start with client requirements. Before you go looking at what someone else thinks you want, draw up a list of the items you typically find in a 4 bed house and divide between what you do want and what you don't want.

 

If this is your forever home you'd better be thinking about level access from the street, through the house and out into the garden, a little bit wider internal doors and a down stairs loo and shower.

 

If this is your forever home you should spend more money installing insulation than on installing heating.

 

Lots of help on BH. 

 

Good luck. 

 

Marvin

[Kelvin]

I agree with @Nickfromwales based on a sample size of one. Our architect has been poor at answering any questions about insulation approaches and related items so much so I stopped asking. 
 

There’s a good website here where can model your fabric build up. 

 

 

[Russell griffiths]

@Nickfromwales

Its china plate. 

Not china mug. 

 

China plate- mate. 

Stick to welsh buddy leave the rhyming slang to the Londoners. 

🤦🏻‍♂️🤣

 

[SteamyTea]

29 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

rhyming slang to the Londoners. 

 

 

 

[four_candles]

Thank you all, some good advice to ground back in airtightness and insulation.

 

A question: it has double glazing, and a fairly chunky square looking frame and deeper gap between glass panes, only one blown unit. That said, they creak, need some adjusting to sit in frames and generally look old. Is it diminishing returns time to look at replacing them? I am tempted as two are floor to ceiling, 3m wide units - so the heat loss is relatively large from them as they make up most of one wall in a couple of rooms.

[Nickfromwales]

On 31/03/2023 at 09:31, Russell griffiths said:

@Nickfromwales

Its china plate. 

Not china mug. 

 

China plate- mate. 

Stick to welsh buddy leave the rhyming slang to the Londoners. 

🤦🏻‍♂️🤣

 

"Who's coat is that jacket?"  

[Nickfromwales]

On 31/03/2023 at 11:10, four_candles said:

Thank you all, some good advice to ground back in airtightness and insulation.

 

A question: it has double glazing, and a fairly chunky square looking frame and deeper gap between glass panes, only one blown unit. That said, they creak, need some adjusting to sit in frames and generally look old. Is it diminishing returns time to look at replacing them? I am tempted as two are floor to ceiling, 3m wide units - so the heat loss is relatively large from them as they make up most of one wall in a couple of rooms.

If the're letting drafts in, then defo upgrade.

[Iceverge]

On 31/03/2023 at 11:10, four_candles said:

Thank you all, some good advice to ground back in airtightness and insulation.

 

A question: it has double glazing, and a fairly chunky square looking frame and deeper gap between glass panes, only one blown unit. That said, they creak, need some adjusting to sit in frames and generally look old. Is it diminishing returns time to look at replacing them? I am tempted as two are floor to ceiling, 3m wide units - so the heat loss is relatively large from them as they make up most of one wall in a couple of rooms.

 

They may not be that bad and some adjustment might stop the drafts for now.

 

I would be wary of buying any windows unless you really have the final design sorted visualised. They're two expensive to buy twice. 

 

[TheMitchells]

Any update to this with photo's would be nice to hear.  As I am planning my own referb of 70's bungalow. 🙂

[Andehh]

We had a 1970s timber frame, already extended a few times. In reasonable condition, but when we looked at a big extension... It was cheaper to knock it down and start again.

 

Youve gotta consider this!