Better homes from the ones you own

terraced homes

38

EPC band for most homes, before and after (modelled)

D to C

months from contract to practical completion

7

Thirty-eight socially rented terraced houses on two streets in Seaforth, most rated EPC band D. The front elevations carry decorative brick detailing at first floor and eaves level, so external insulation on the street side was ruled out. We designed a split approach to PAS 2035: internal insulation on the fronts, external insulation on the rears and extensions, cavity fill to the extensions and new loft insulation, then took the scheme through planning, tender and the contract as contract administrator. Practical completion was certified on 25 June 2025, seven months after the contract date.

What we did

1. Street fronts left untouchedThe decorative brick fronts are insulated from inside, so the streetscape and the character of both streets do not change.
2. Rears wrapped from outsideRear walls and extensions take rendered external insulation, including walls shared with private owners and alleyways, subject to agreement with each landowner.

Homes

Terraced houses with decorative brick fronts and rear extensions

Measures

Internal wall insulation to front elevations, External wall insulation to rear elevations and extensions, Cavity wall insulation to extensions, Loft insulation, Ventilation upgrades

Our role

Architect, PAS 2035 retrofit designer, contract administrator and principal designer

For

Housing association

Funding

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Wave 2

homes in the programme

151

house types, all drawn to one set of details

20+

Liverpool neighbourhoods

5

A housing association programme to over-clad and render scattered street properties of traditional brick construction in Old Swan, Kirkdale, Wavertree, Childwall and Clubmoor. The planning statement covered 124 homes on 13 streets, and the post-contract stage grew to 151 homes. We surveyed the stock, drew each house type, made the planning applications, wrote the specification and schedule of works, and supported the works on site. By July 2021, 32 homes had been handed over and 21 were in progress.

What we did

1. Thinner boards in the ginnelsShared passages between houses take a thinner board to limit the loss of width, while the main walls take the full thickness.
2. One detail set across many house typesMore than 20 house types were drawn individually, all tied back to one common set of details.
3. Everything on the wall comes backSatellite dishes, lights, meter boxes, street signs, downpipes and soil stacks are taken down and put back on the new render.

Homes

Brick cavity-wall terraces and semis across more than 20 house types

Measures

External wall insulation with a render finish, Roofline and rainwater goods

Our role

Architect: surveys, house-type drawings, planning applications, specification, schedule of works, tender documents and post-contract design support

For

Housing association

Funding

European Structural and Investment Funds

original sashes surveyed, numbered and kept

55

Grade II listed Georgian houses, now flats

4

the cost of new sashes, for repair and secondary glazing

2/3

listed building consent granted

Nov 2018

A grade II listed terrace of four early 19th century houses on Great George Square, divided into flats. The sash windows were single glazed and draughty, and the pink cement render on the rear was failing. We surveyed and numbered all 55 windows and priced three options: new double glazed sashes, secondary glazing, or draught stripping alone. The housing association chose to keep and repair every original sash and add secondary glazing inside, with the rear render replaced in lime. Listed building consent was granted in November 2018.

What we did

1. Repair over replacementEvery original sash is kept, eased, adjusted and draught stripped.
2. Secondary glazing on the insideSlim secondary glazing fits inside the window, so the street sees the original glass and glazing bars.
3. Costed options firstWe priced new sashes, secondary glazing and draught stripping window by window, so the client could see that repair and secondary glazing came in at about two thirds of the cost of replacement.
4. Lime render to the rearLoose cement render is stripped back and replaced with lime render to the original profile.

Homes

Grade II listed early 19th century brick terrace of four houses with stone dressings, three storeys and basement, now flats; rendered rear with bow-fronted outriggers

Measures

Sash window repair, Draught stripping, Secondary glazing, Lime render repair

Our role

Architect: survey, options appraisal, heritage statement, listed building consent and window schedules

For

Housing association

homes in the SHDF contract

132

EPC band, existing and minimum target

D to C

contract let

Aug 2024

A housing association decarbonisation scheme for 132 socially rented semis and terraces on the Walton estate in Clubmoor, built between 1919 and 1936 where the date is recorded and rated EPC band D, with a minimum target of band C. The existing walls were not suited to further cavity fill, so external wall insulation was preferred. As retrofit designer we produced the retrofit design for each home, alongside planning drawings, the specification and tender documents. The contract was let in August 2024 with completion programmed for March 2025.

What we did

1. Designed home by homeEach of the 132 homes has its own retrofit design.
2. Ventilation designed with the insulationVentilation was designed alongside the insulation, with old fans replaced by new extract fans in kitchens and bathrooms.

Homes

Inter-war brick semis and terraces, 1919 to 1936

Measures

External wall insulation with a render finish, Loft insulation, Replacement windows, Ventilation upgrades, Roof renewal where needed, Solar PV on some homes

Our role

Architect and PAS 2035 retrofit designer, and part of the employer's inspection team; retrofit design for each home, planning and tender documents

For

Housing association

Funding

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Wave 2

solar PV panels on the rear roof

12

planning permission granted

Jan 2024

A post-war concrete end terrace in Norris Green with a dash render finish. Under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund the housing association asked us to design a PAS 2035 fabric first upgrade: external wall insulation, cavity fill, loft and floor insulation, new windows and doors, a new roof and solar panels. We surveyed the house, drew the existing and proposed plans and elevations, and wrote the specification. Planning permission was granted by Liverpool City Council in January 2024.

What we did

1. Fabric firstWalls, loft and floor are all insulated and the windows and doors replaced, with solar panels on the new roof.
2. A finish that matches the streetThe dash aggregate render is chosen to match the existing finish as closely as possible, so the house still reads with its neighbours.

Homes

1940s/50s precast concrete end terrace house with a render finish

Measures

External wall insulation, Cavity wall insulation, Loft insulation, Floor insulation, New windows and doors, Re-roofing, Solar PV

Our role

Architect and retrofit designer: survey, planning application and specification

For

Housing association

Funding

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

London Road: shops below, flats above

34 to 58

street elevations repaired, London Road and Hotham Street

2

paint, so the old walls can breathe

Mineral

the shops kept trading throughout

Open

34 to 58 London Road is a terrace of shops with flats above on London Road, with ornate stucco cornices, parapets and panels on the older buildings. By 2020 the render and paint were delaminating, cornices and parapets were cracked and open to the weather, and the fire separation between the shops and the flats above needed upgrading before a housing association refurbished the upper floors. We specified and managed the external repair and fire precaution works for the freeholder while the shops stayed open and the windows were replaced by the leaseholder. Scaffolding went up in September 2020 and site photos record roof, render, fire separation and other repairs through to mid 2022.

What we did

1. Strip back to sound materialLoose paint and render were removed back to sound material, and larger areas repaired before any decoration.
2. A finish that lets the wall breatheA breathable mineral paint was chosen for the render and stucco, so moisture in the old walls can escape rather than blistering a plastic paint.
3. Fire separation between shops and flatsThe fire separation between the shops and the flats above was upgraded, with alterations for smoke vents and ventilation.
4. Keeping a high street tradingAccess, skips and the hoist were routed through the rear service yard and back street, and contractors worked to method statements agreed with each shop tenant so London Road stayed open.

Homes

Rendered and stuccoed terrace with shops below and flats above, ornamental parapets and cornices

Measures

Render removal and repair, Mineral paint to render and stucco, Parapet, cornice and ornament repairs, Roof repairs and new rainwater goods, Fire separation between shops and flats, Alterations for smoke vents and ventilation, Drainage repairs

Our role

Architect and contract administrator for external repair and fire precaution works

For

Landlord of a shop and flat terrace

maisonettes in two four-storey blocks

36

when the blocks were built

1950 to 1966

completion programmed

Oct 2021

Beechwood Gardens is two four-storey blocks holding 36 two-storey maisonettes, the upper homes reached by an open access deck. The walls were brick, partly finished in pebbledash. We surveyed the blocks, modelled every maisonette type in SAP before and after, produced design options and CGIs for the client, and took the scheme through planning, building regulations and tender. In August 2021 the new roof was complete, windows were 90% fitted and insulation boarding was under way, with completion programmed for October 2021.

What we did

1. Insulation depth as the design toolThe insulation is set at different depths, so panels step in and out across the elevation and break up two long blocks.
2. Render and brick effect togetherPlain render and two brick-pattern render finishes are set at different levels across the elevation.
3. Modelled before it was drawnOur SAP assessor modelled each maisonette type as existing, with external wall insulation, and with the access deck enclosed, so the client could see what each move achieved.

Homes

Two four-storey blocks of two-storey maisonettes, built 1950 to 1966, with solid and cavity brick walls and deck access to the upper homes

Measures

External wall insulation with render and brick-effect finishes, Replacement windows, New roof covering and roofline, New ground floor front doors

Our role

Architect and SAP assessor: surveys, energy modelling, design options and CGIs, planning, building regulations and tender pack

For

Housing association

Funding

European Structural and Investment Funds

flats in six three-storey blocks

54

design options shown to the client in CGI

6

planning granted

Mar 2020

Cherry Lane is six three-storey blocks of flats in Clubmoor, 54 homes in all, built around the 1960s. The housing association asked us to design it alongside Beechwood Gardens in autumn 2019. We surveyed the blocks, drew six design options in CGI, and took the chosen scheme through planning, building regulations and tender. Planning was granted in March 2020. The works ran on site through 2021, block by block, and residents reported warmer flats once the insulation was on. Our photographs from October 2022 show the finished blocks.

What we did

1. Six options, one mixWe showed the client six design options in CGI. They chose a mix of them and asked for each gable end to look a little different.
2. Taking a cue from across the roadThe homes directly opposite already had insulation with brick effect low down and render above. The brick-effect finish here follows them.
3. No plain render boxLight render, two brick-effect finishes and dark frames around some windows are set at different levels, so a fully insulated block still has a pattern to it.

Homes

Six three-storey blocks of one and two-bedroom flats, nine to a block, built around the 1960s with cavity walls

Measures

External wall insulation with render and brick-effect finishes, Replacement windows to the flats and communal areas, New roofs and roofline, A new communal entrance door and ramp to one block

Our role

Architect: surveys, design options and CGIs, planning, building regulations, specification and tender pack, and design support during the works

For

Housing association

Funding

European Structural and Investment Funds

flats in a 1966 three-storey block

6

EPC band in the brief, with a fabric ready for A later

C

on site, August to October

2023

A three-storey block of six two-bedroom flats built in 1966, part of a joint SHDF Wave 1 bid led by the city region. The brief asked for EPC band C now, and a fabric that could reach band A later without more insulation. As retrofit designer we wrote the retrofit design for each flat, and the drawings, specification and schedule of works. The works were on site in August to October 2023.

What we did

1. Two layers on the wallThe cavity is filled and the whole block is then wrapped in external wall insulation with a render finish.
2. Fabric targets set for the futureThe fabric was designed so the block can reach EPC band A later without more insulation.

Homes

1966 three-storey block of six two-bedroom flats with brick cavity walls

Measures

Cavity wall insulation, External wall insulation, New roof covering with solar PV, Loft insulation, Replacement windows, Ventilation upgrade

Our role

Architect and PAS 2035 retrofit designer: retrofit design for each flat, drawings, specification and schedule of works

For

Housing association

Funding

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Wave 1

tenanted homes

4

pairs of semi-detached houses

2

planning permission granted

June 2021

Two pairs of semi-detached houses on Sandeman Road in the L4 area of Liverpool, owned by a housing association. The aim was to improve the energy efficiency of the homes by overcladding the walls with insulated render. We drew the existing and proposed plans and elevations, gained planning permission in June 2021, wrote the outline scope, then sat on the site progress meetings. In October 2021 windows and roofs were complete on all four houses and the insulation was going on, with tenants at home.

What we did

1. Tenants at homeThe windows, roofs and insulation went in with the tenants living at home.
2. A render colour from the council's listThe planning consent limited the finish to four pale colours; Wheaten was picked on site.

Homes

Two pairs of two storey semi-detached houses with hipped tiled roofs and brick cavity walls

Measures

External wall insulation, Replacement windows, Re-roofing

Our role

Architect: planning, building regulations and outline scope of works; attended site progress meetings

For

Housing association

flats brought back into use

4

listed, in the Princes Park conservation area

Grade II

stuccoed townhouse

1850s

practical completion

Jan 2019

This is a Grade II listed 1850s stuccoed townhouse of three storeys and a basement in the Princes Park conservation area, split into four flats and empty for some time. The roof, render and porch needed repair, and the windows had been replaced with non-original ones. We secured the consents, drew the scheme and acted as employer's agent and principal designer for a Liverpool 8 community housing association. Work started in March 2018 and practical completion was certified on 7 January 2019.

What we did

1. Sashes put back as they wereThe non-original windows were replaced with timber sashes using slim double glazing, set in the original openings with glazing bars in the original pattern, and the rear windows were changed back to the building's original style.
2. Insulate inside, keep the stuccoThe external walls were insulated from inside, so the listed stucco front is unchanged while the flats are warmer.
3. A breathable finish for the renderRender was repaired and painted in mineral paint, keeping the stucco look and cutting future maintenance.
4. A sound roofThe roof was relaid using the original slates where they could be saved.

Homes

Grade II listed 1850s stuccoed terraced house, three storeys over a basement, in the Princes Park conservation area

Measures

Internal wall insulation, New timber double glazed sash windows in original patterns, Roof relaid with reclaimed slates, Render repaired and painted in mineral paint, Sound and fire upgrades between flats, New heating, electrics, kitchens and bathrooms

Our role

Architect, employer's agent and principal designer

For

Housing association

empty flats brought back into use

5

tendered contract period

26 weeks

practical completion

July 2018

This large circa 1900 semi-detached house had been split into five flats and stood entirely empty. Surveys found it in poor repair, with poor insulation and sound separation. We drew up the scheme and tender package and acted as employer's agent and principal designer under a design and build contract for a Liverpool community housing association. Work started in October 2017 and practical completion was certified on 4 July 2018.

What we did

1. Insulate the walls from insideExternal walls were insulated from inside, keeping the red brick and stone dressings of the front unchanged.
2. A sound roofThe dormer over the top floor flat was rebuilt, and the bay was given a new flat roof.
3. Quiet flatsWalls between flats were given sound insulation, with a new fire alarm across flats and common areas.

Homes

Circa 1900 semi-detached brick house with dormers and bays, already split into five flats

Measures

Internal wall insulation, Loft insulation, New flat roof to the bay, Floor insulation to the kitchen, New dormer, Sound insulation between flats, New heating, electrics, fire alarm, kitchens and bathrooms, Brickwork, joinery and rainwater goods repairs

Our role

Architect, employer's agent and principal designer

For

Housing association

homes in the Canning conservation area

13

buildings of flats in Wirral conservation areas

6

listed building consents and conservation area approvals

2013 to 2015

Thirteen homes in Liverpool's Canning conservation area, most in listed Georgian terraces, and six buildings of flats in Wirral conservation areas, including listed 1840s villas in Clifton Park and Rock Park. The windows were single glazed, draughty and in places beyond repair, and at Rock Park the originals had been swapped for top hung casements. We surveyed every window, wrote a heritage statement for each building, drew each elevation with every sash marked to keep and repair or replace like for like, and secured the listed building consents and conservation area approvals between 2013 and 2015.

What we did

1. Repair firstSound original sashes are kept, eased and draught stripped, with timber shutters retained or remade to match, and slim secondary glazing added inside where needed.
2. Like-for-like where replacement was justifiedNew timber sashes go in the existing openings, with original glazing patterns and opening sizes kept.
3. Glazing bars the conservation officer could acceptSlim double glazed units are held by slim timber glazing bars in a traditional profile, with handmade glass proposed for the outer pane in the Percy Street heritage statement.
4. Original patterns backAt Rock Park the inappropriate top hung casements are replaced with sliding sashes in the original openings, restoring the pattern of the Italianate fronts.

Homes

Listed Georgian and Greek Revival terraces in Canning, and 1840s stucco villas in Clifton Park and Rock Park

Measures

Sash repair and draught stripping, Replacement timber sashes, Slim double glazing, Secondary glazing, Shutter repair

Our role

Architect: survey, heritage statements, listed building consent and conservation area applications, and tender information

For

Housing association