Eco VISION

Remodelling a large but neglected home in north London has unlocked its hidden potential as a warm and spacious family home

- Alison Wall

HOMEOWNERS Sarah and Paul James

LOCATION London

PROJECT Single-storey side, rear and loft extensions with energy-efficient retrofit

SIZE 429m²

BUILD ROUTE Architect managed

CONSTRUCTION Steel with timber frame infill and mineral wool insulation

BUILD TIME Two years

HOUSE COST Undisclosed

BUILD COST Undisclosed

WORDS Alison Wall

PHOTOGRAPHY Will Pryce

When Sarah and Paul James first saw the 1930s white pebble-dashed house they would go on to renovate, they needed large amounts of imagination - and nerve. It had the proportions needed to make a large and comfortable family home, but the property was cold, dark and poorly extended.

"It was in a terrible state, but luckily I can see beyond the grot," says Sarah. The family chose to stay in the house for a year, to see exactly what problems would emerge. It turned out to be a long list: there was a large obtrusive pillar in the middle of the kitchen extension; extensive glazing in the conservatory that led to overheating in the summer; a loft conversion that had them banging their heads against the rafters; a noisy and inefficient hot water pump; and a leaking roof.

The couple were then faced with the classic conundrum: should they demolish and rebuild or refurbish? "We did a cost analysis before we went out to tender and found that even with the saving on VAT it wasn't worth knocking the house down and rebuilding, so instead we decided to gut the building and refurbish it," says Sarah. With that out of the way, they faced their next dilemma: where to live during the works.