An older house can often be transformed for a fraction of the cost and carbon of rebuilding. Here is the checklist we use.
When a house no longer fits the way a family lives, the first instinct is often to demolish and start again. Frequently, that is neither the cheapest nor the most sustainable answer.
We begin with a structural and services audit. If the frame is sound, a renovation can re-plan interiors, open up to the garden and transform the façade at a fraction of the cost and embodied carbon.
Rebuilding makes sense when the structure is compromised, the plot allows significantly more built area, or the layout simply cannot be rescued. Either way, the decision should be made with clear numbers on the table.
