A short guide to radical retrofit

Green Building Store takes you through the key principles of undertaking a radical retrofit of your home. The film uses two real-life projects in West Yorkshire to illustrate the key principles for whole house retrofits, drawing on principles from the Passivhaus low energy building standard. The film looks at why it is important to pay attention to insulation, airtightness, continuity of insulation and ventilation when undertaking a radical retrofit. The film also explores what to consider when choosing internal wall insulation (IWI) strategies for radical retrofit projects.
Download technical briefings on the projects featured in the film here: www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk/...

[@markp8295]

Excellent work, great detail and educational. Thank you.

[@elorateq3672]

I would love to do this on my draughty, cold, damp flat, but my main issue is finding someone qualified to do the work. I wish the government would invest more in training - even if it was on a loan basis - and that there were more companies like yours across the UK!

[@mightyconker3903]

Any decent plasterer

[@waqasahmed939]

I got an air tightness test done, and told them that I'm trying to go for the PassivHaus standard
So I probably won't get that far however, I told them that basically I want to get my air tightness right down. I'm currently at 7.66. I can easily get to below 5, if not 3 by basic air sealing up
If I ever get an extension, I'm definitely making sure that it's built to PassivHaus standards from the get go

[@jonathonhoggarth6473]

Great video; good work.

[@fedegoeswoods3142]

Very interesting video! Thanks

[@opentrail]

Great video and left wondering how long such a project takes as most of the changes seem very invasive/complete rebuilds rather than retro fits. There must be a cost/benefit analysis step against retrofitting an old house versus demolition and starting from scratch, surely. Pity that one of the buildings had used cement mortar on yorkshire stone, rather than lime.

[@weare_21degrees]

In both of these projects demolition wouldn't have been an option (one was a listed building, the other is a semi-detached house). The demolition/ retrofit debate would be an interesting one to have more research on, in terms of expense and overall carbon emissions. The cement mortar pre-dated our involvement and there was no point in removing it as it didn't appear to be damaging the stonework. Detailed technical briefings on both of the projects can be downloaded from our website: www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk/technical-resource/

[@johnshields3658]

Great video. What is the recommended approach to radon dispersal in places like the Peak District?

[@mayanova8152]

Would you recommend using these materials on solid brick walls, old Victorian build?

[@weare_21degrees]

It really depends on the specific property - please email [e-mail] and we can give you some more advice and point you in the right direction.

[@billyholiday302]

I don't get why the internal insulation is vapour permeable. Surely there should be a vapour barrier on the warm side of the insulation to stop the moisture in the internal air from saturating the insulation and condensing when it hits the cold stone outside.