We're ramping up retrofit up at our living case study
10 January 2025 • Community,Corporate,Our Insights
We're ramping up the retrofit of our extensive renovation at our property in Cambridge, with work well underway for its transformation utilising sustainable building innovations.
The redevelopment started in July, and following last month’s roof upgrade and solar PV installation, activity on site has really ramped up. The most recent works include:
The installation of a rainwater harvester tank in the garden
Foundations have been dug and footings are in for the side and rear extensions
Concrete base has been completed for the garden home office and the self build structure is almost complete
All structural work inside the property has been completed, including steel beams in place and some walls removed
The property is being sprayed with an innovative liquid membrane ahead of insulation being installed to help keep the property airtight
Insulation has been completed in the loft and after the New Year will continue to be installed on the ground floor and in the cavity walls of the side extension
Duncan Turner, Project Manager at The Cambridge explains:
“Things are really taking shape now for the property. With all structural work done the team can properly assess what they’re working with and begin its next phase of works to ensure the airtightness of the property and insulation from top to bottom. We decided to include the rainwater harvester system as part of our water management for the property and that has been a really interesting process to see first hand what’s involved.”
The rainwater harvester system is an innovative addition to the energy efficiency measures being installed at the property. The large tank is installed just underground in the garden. It can hold approximately 3,000 litres of water and will effectively recycle rainwater using its rainwater management system. This water can then hen be used in the house to flush the toilets, water the garden and run water to the washing machine.
We want to showcase that sustainable living is achievable for everyone and to play its part in the decarbonisation of the UK housing market. To do this, we are renovating and retrofitting an unremarkable 1930s semidetached house in Ferndale Rise with modern, energy-efficient solutions, to improve the EPC rating of the property from D to B.
Key sustainability improvements considered for the project include:
Insulation (wall, floor, roof)
Improved glazing
Air source heat pump
Mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery
Electric underfloor heating
Solar panels
Rainwater harvesting
Green roof on side extension
Duncan added:
“An increasing number of people are committed to making environmentally positive upgrades to their homes. But it’s often difficult to know where to start. That’s why we’ve created a living retrofit case study using a fairly typical semidetached property to show what can be done while providing practical, affordable solutions.
“We’re on a steep learning curve and we want to share the lessons learned and tips for our members and the wider Cambridge community so they might consider implementing energy efficient solutions for their homes.”
We're documenting the process and sharing our learning along with tips and advice from industry experts and links to skilled local tradespeople, including project partners Koru Construction, Pip Architecture, Rethink Buildings, and RHBC Ltd Building Control.
When completed, the house will be added to our unique Rent To Home initiative, under which we rent homes to aspiring first time buyers at just below market value and up to 70% of their rent could be returned to use as a deposit when they buy their first home with us.