Old House Project - Interior and services

The Old House Project is now nearing completion. The project’s outcome will be evaluated fully when concluded, but Historic England (HE) is already calling it ‘hugely successful’. Gone is the forlorn and forgotten structure that we first found in 2017. The building’s ancientness remains, but our work has brought it a sense of ‘good health’. The threats from squatting, vandalism, pillage and arson are now long-gone. The building will soon need a purchaser to enjoy it and appreciate its very special qualities. Could that be you?

Externally, the repair work to St Andrew’s is complete. A recent addition has been guttering, supplied and subsidised by manufacturer and SPAB-member Longbottoms Foundry. Nearly completed is the new ancillary building, which provides garaging and storage and will house the air source heat pumps. The new garden wall, of rammed earth dug from the site, links the old building with the new garage. Behind the earth wall is an oak frame forming a covered walkway – expertly made by builders Owlsworth – to be topped by a roof of terne-coated steel. Architect Mal Fryer designed this sheltering wall as a result of pro-bono acoustic modelling from experts at Socotec who showed that it produced a garden area where road noise was much reduced. The arrangement of wall and ancillary building follows pre-application advice from HE and the planning authority that an extension should not be directly attached to the old building. The project has involved many discussions with the council – most very constructive but with some compromises needed to secure consent.

Inside the building, installation of services including the heating system – fitted by local specialists Grummant Heating – is nearly complete. Over the lifespan of the project, air source heating technology has advanced so much that a system far superior to that which would have been possible at the outset is in place. Excavation of floors has been limited, and the system mostly relies on large wall-mounted radiators. Throughout, pipework and wiring have been routed to minimise impact on building fabric. Insertions have included a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system. This is not something we would have contemplated unless required – and not something we would feel necessary or appropriate for most historic buildings - but it was a stipulation of the planning authority. Despite its grade II* listing, because the house had been disused for 50 years, the planners deemed it to have lost its established use as a dwelling. Planning permission for domestic use had to be sought – in effect, St Andrew’s will be a brand-new dwelling adding to the housing stock. This has had advantages for us in terms of VAT, but a resulting compromise is that the council has attached conditions to safeguard air quality for occupants of the building. Hundreds of occupied houses close to the M20 have no provision of this kind, but St Andrew’s ‘newness’ will bring a bonus for its future residents, in terms of internal air quality. Still to be completed is the comprehensive secondary glazing system, supplied and subsidised by SPAB members Storm Windows. The secondary glazing has been carefully designed for the building, following a visit by Mitchell Reece, Storm’s Technical Manager, and will complement the skilful historic window repair by Owlsworth and glazier Robert Croudace.

Ceilings and less substantial walls within the building have been insulated with Warmcel wood fibre board and then lime plastered. This change would not have been suitable for the interior of some grade II* listed buildings, but St Andrew’s relatively plain and simple internal walls have allowed the insulation to be applied with little impact on the building’s fabric or character. The change is also a necessary part of installing a low temperature heating system which does not use fossil fuel, and of retaining the historic roof form. Specialist lime plasterers have done an impressive job in allowing the character and contours of the interior to remain. The performance of insulation and plaster will be monitored, once the building is heated, with equipment installed by Professor Bill Bordass of the Technical and Research Committee, assisted by University College London PhD researcher Toby Cambray.

The project now moves into its final months before a buyer is found. Visits from potential buyers are welcome and expressions of interest can be made to us. Open days are planned for May 2025. Visit our website for details.