REAL PROJECT ECO RETROFIT
Aline Knowles has restored and upgraded her 1960s modernist house to create a highly energy-efficient and sustainable home of the future
WINNER BEST GREEN HOME
Sponsored by Internorm Windows UK Ltd
HOMEOWNER Aline Knowles LOCATION Southwest London PROJECT EnerPHit retrofit renovation
HOUSE TYPE Detached, three-storey, four-bedroom 1960s house
SIZE 180m²
BUILD ROUTE Builder and subcontractors
BUILD TIME 12 months HOUSE COST £1.7 million BUILD COST £498,000 VALUE £2.2 million+
WORDS Debbie Jeffery PHOTOGRAPHY Juliet Murphy
This house is one of a kind, there’s absolutely nothing else like it in the area,” says Aline Knowles of the southwest London home she shares with her partner, Ross. “I love the blocky 1960s Brutalist style, the front balcony and reverse-level layout, but living with aluminium single-glazing for five years meant we froze in the winter months and the windows rattled whenever a bus drove past.”
Built in the garden of a neighbouring property, the pebble-dashed house was jaded and damp, and it hadn’t been touched for the past 40 years. “My brother’s a sustainability expert, and introduced me to architect Richard Dudzicki, who’s a certified Passivhaus specialist and founder of RDA Architects,” explains Aline, who previously trained as an architect herself. “Together, we worked to upgrade the house and make it as energy efficient as possible, while staying true to the original design.”
IMPROVING THE LAYOUT
Built on three storeys, the house has a highly glazed upper living area. “We knocked through the small separate kitchen to make the top floor completely open plan, then we re-clad the ceiling in timber to help keep that log cabin feel,” says Aline, who also replaced the narrow spiral staircase with a more practical design.
On the middle floor, two cramped back bedrooms were combined to create a spacious master suite, and two small bathrooms have been knocked into one to accommodate a bath, shower and double sink. “Sacrificing one of the five original
bedrooms allowed us to have larger rooms and a far more logical layout,” Aline explains.
“One of the biggest changes is on the ground floor, where we’ve moved the front door and converted a useless narrow carport into a multi-purpose entrance and study,” she continues. “Our architects applied for planning permission for the external alterations, as we�
