The aims of the project
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To enable the occupier of the house to use as little fossil fuel as possible yet have a reasonably comfortable and convenient lifestyle.
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To help others to make decisions about what steps they could take to improve their houses; as well as owner occupiers I would particularly like to encourage other landlords or property investors.
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To encourage any occupier of the house to live in a sustainable way.
Some of the principles that I tried to follow
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To use sustainable materials as much as possible
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To reuse materials where possible or if not, to find second hand materials that will do the job
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Where buying new items, try and get the most environmentally friendly
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Not to be too smart or concerned with fashion – clean, fresh, usable
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To take time and not rush into decisions
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To accept that there will be compromises due to time and money
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To keep costs down as far as possible and ensure a reasonable payback on expenditure
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To record the extra cost of using sustainable materials.
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To record why decisions and options were made and taken.
This is a different project from what an owner occupier would undertake: they might well do far more than I did (see what else I would do if I lived in the house). Conversely, what I did is more than a normal developer/landlord would do because it is unlikely these kind of works would add a huge amount to the property. However, agents are saying that an energy-efficient house can sometimes now command a premium.
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Aims