Planning a home refurbishment is a chance to consider comfort, ventilation and energy performance together. Start with the building before choosing individual upgrades.
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Aspire Building
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Should energy improvements be part of your refurbishment?
Yes, they are worth considering while the wider work is being planned. Refurbishment changes how a home looks and functions; energy retrofit focuses on improving the performance of an existing building. The two can be coordinated, but the right measures depend on the property and require appropriate assessment.
RICS’ residential retrofit standard sets requirements for its members providing retrofit services. Its emphasis on informed professional advice is a useful reminder to assess the home before selecting individual products.
Create a brief covering both everyday use and comfort. Which rooms feel difficult to heat? Where do you notice draughts or condensation? Which spaces will change use? Add photographs, existing plans and any available inspection or installation records. These observations help frame the questions for the project team; they are not a diagnosis.
002
Why plan for the whole home?
The Energy Saving Trust’s retrofit guide recommends considering how improvements interact across the home. A plan can be delivered in stages, with each stage supporting the eventual outcome rather than creating avoidable conflicts.
Separate decisions into three groups: repairs or investigations needed first; measures to include in the current refurbishment; and future improvements to allow for now. Ask a suitably qualified assessor which options suit the building and what further information is needed.
Bring the agreed advice into the refurbishment brief. Record where openings, service routes or access may need to be coordinated before new finishes are installed. Ask who owns each design decision and which specialist will check the proposed detail.
An energy performance certificate can be a starting reference, but it does not replace a project-specific assessment. Existing defects, construction type and planned alterations all need to be understood before work is specified.
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Consider ventilation alongside insulation
The Energy Saving Trust explains that insulation and draught-proofing can increase airtightness, making suitable ventilation especially important. Treat ventilation as a design question alongside the proposed improvements, rather than something to resolve after the rooms are finished.
Ask the project team how fresh air will be supplied and stale air removed, particularly where bathrooms, kitchens or room layouts are changing. Discuss how the proposed system will be used, maintained and explained at handover. Do not block existing vents to address a draught without suitable advice.
Where there are signs of damp, leaks or condensation, arrange assessment of the cause before covering the affected area with new finishes. A refurbishment programme should allow time for investigations and any resulting change to the agreed scope.
Keep the chosen materials and details together in one schedule. This gives the people designing, supplying and installing the work a shared reference and makes questions easier to resolve before installation.
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What should you ask before work begins?
Use these questions at the planning meeting: What is included in the current phase? Which investigations are outstanding? Who is responsible for specialist design? How are building fabric, ventilation and services being coordinated? What information will we receive at handover?
Also agree how the household will use the property during the work. Identify rooms that must remain available, access for deliveries and how decisions will be recorded. Changes to a layout can affect the sequence of several trades, so review them together before confirming dates.
Aspire discusses home refurbishment across London, Essex and Suffolk. We can discuss how your building work fits an agreed project brief, with specialist assessment and design identified where needed. This guide does not represent a property-specific retrofit design or an energy-performance guarantee.
Tell us about your home and plans, including any assessment or drawings already available.
