I read a faintly interesting article (it didn't go into enough depth for my liking) in Homebuilding and Renovating magazine this morning, while T (nine months, and with limited control of his extremeties) tastefully coated himself, me and the table in pitta bread, yoghurt and orange pith. It was basically comparing the 'greenness' of renovating an existing house versus demolishing and rebuilding. It didn't analyse building on an empty plot, which we can safely assume has exactly the same pros and cons of rebuilding, but without the demolition before you begin and the ready supply of recyclable materials from the old house.
It hasn't really occurred to me to consider renovation. Three reasons:
1) I'm a bit of an all or nothing girl, so the idea of an eco make do and mend (which is how I would view altering an existing house to make it greener and capable of supporting a degree of self sufficiency) doesn't really appeal.
2) I like things to look nice, for all their greenness, and the log cabin/straw bale/ homemade type aesthetic appeals to me a lot, whereas an ex-council house with a windmill sellotaped to the top doesn't.
3) There was a three. When I started to write this list, there were three reasons. It'll come to me.
This article came to the fairly logical conclusion that if a massive renovation is needed (new foundations, new roof, lots of structural work) it may well be greener, and more practical, to start from scratch. Any extra CO2 emissions from a new build will be balanced out in only a few years by the lower day to day emissions. Unsurprisingly, if it's a newish house in decent nick, it's probably better to renovate.
Anyway, while I was reading this hugely not-shocking article (although it was useful to see some very simple comparative figures laid out in front of me), I realised that a renovation could actually be a good option for us financially. It's usually less difficult to get a mortgage for an existing house, and it would mean we could convert it little by little over a longer time period rather than having to get everything done in one go before having a habitable property.
I can see this intellectually. I appreciate that if we did a good renovation it could be less stressful and greener than a new build. But. Despite all the logic of this, I have to say I still covet the idea of an eco self-build project. There's no getting away from it - the consumer in me wants a pretty Swedish log cabin style house that I can be involved in from the ground up.
Someone remind me of this post in five years time and we'll see how much my opinion changes with the harsh pressures of real life. Hopefully I'll be able to consider it minus the orange pith/pitta bread coating.
Still can't remember what point three was.
It hasn't really occurred to me to consider renovation. Three reasons:
1) I'm a bit of an all or nothing girl, so the idea of an eco make do and mend (which is how I would view altering an existing house to make it greener and capable of supporting a degree of self sufficiency) doesn't really appeal.
2) I like things to look nice, for all their greenness, and the log cabin/straw bale/ homemade type aesthetic appeals to me a lot, whereas an ex-council house with a windmill sellotaped to the top doesn't.
3) There was a three. When I started to write this list, there were three reasons. It'll come to me.
This article came to the fairly logical conclusion that if a massive renovation is needed (new foundations, new roof, lots of structural work) it may well be greener, and more practical, to start from scratch. Any extra CO2 emissions from a new build will be balanced out in only a few years by the lower day to day emissions. Unsurprisingly, if it's a newish house in decent nick, it's probably better to renovate.
Anyway, while I was reading this hugely not-shocking article (although it was useful to see some very simple comparative figures laid out in front of me), I realised that a renovation could actually be a good option for us financially. It's usually less difficult to get a mortgage for an existing house, and it would mean we could convert it little by little over a longer time period rather than having to get everything done in one go before having a habitable property.
I can see this intellectually. I appreciate that if we did a good renovation it could be less stressful and greener than a new build. But. Despite all the logic of this, I have to say I still covet the idea of an eco self-build project. There's no getting away from it - the consumer in me wants a pretty Swedish log cabin style house that I can be involved in from the ground up.
Someone remind me of this post in five years time and we'll see how much my opinion changes with the harsh pressures of real life. Hopefully I'll be able to consider it minus the orange pith/pitta bread coating.
Still can't remember what point three was.
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