Author Archives: Jo

March 2011 At the end of March work on the One Planet House was completed.  The tenant has already noticed that she is saving £20 a week on her electricity bill and is pleased with her new cosy home. We … Continue reading →

The final work on the house was to seal up the chimney and to install mechanical extract fans into the kitchen.  Unfortunately neither of these small tasks proved simple!  The original plan was to insert a chimney balloon into the … Continue reading →

We had wanted to use the pavatherm woodfibre board for the external wall insulation at the back of the house as well as internally.  However, we were unable to find a system (render + insulation +fixing) that was guaranteed.  Unfortunately … Continue reading →

We are installing pavatherm woodfibre insulation on the internal walls at the front of the One Planet House.  This is a breathable system that will be finished with a lime plaster.  The lime plaster has a 7 day drying time … Continue reading →

The timber frame windows that we are using for the project were a significant hamper on our progress. Their manufacture was delayed due to the snow, which meant that they were not delivered in time to go into the bathroom … Continue reading →

A solar thermal panel (sufficient to supply 60-70% of the household’s hot water demand) was installed on the south facing roof along with solar photovoltaic panels to produce electricity.  The output of these two technologies will be closely monitored.  A … Continue reading →

So far only the the new kitchen has gone into the Decent Homes house.  Last week some of the new windows arrived.  However, 2 of the windows sent by the manufacturer were the wrong size and have been sent back.  … Continue reading →

The new bathroom pod in-situ, which the resident is able to use while the other work goes on.  The bathroom pod will be rendered to match the render that will be put on top of the external wall insulation in … Continue reading →

Work started on site for both the One Planet House and the Decent Homes house at the beginning of December.  However, the heavy snowfall in December led to significant delays for the windows and other deliveries.  In addition, more asbestos … Continue reading →