Whole house refurbishment, fabric energy efficiency upgrade and Air source heat pump installation to a two-storey detached 1960s house.
Our lecturer on the pilot retrofit co-ordinates course Bob Prewett, had done a passive house model and design for this house and was looking for a trusted builder to take on the project management and build of this deep retrofit.
The client picked this house as it was prime for retrofit and has spent years on her retrofit journey, learning and planning.
Prewett Bizley Architects realized this for her and designed a very thorough deep retrofit which included triple glazing, a high level of insulation and air tightness, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery and an air source heat pump. The finished house is massively energy efficiency and was removed from the gas network. Our client calls it her Eco house and is over the moon.
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Whole house refurbishment, loft extension and rear addition to a two-storey semi-detached
period home.
Our clients realised that as well as requiring substantial redecoration and extensions to the
ground floor and loft, heating and energy efficiency would need addressing. Using knowledge
gained from the Retrofit Coordinator’s course taken through our connection to the FMB, and
our long and successful experience in refurbishing period properties, we took control of the
design process in-house, from planning permission to detailing for a
whole house
approach to
increasing energy efficiency.
The clients approached us with a leaky, old, badly maintained, inefficient period building wanting a refurbishment and extension, with external wall insulation. The moment the clients approached us we knew this was the perfect opportunity to increase our knowledge and properly enter the world of retrofit.
The clients’ main objectives were to turn their very draughty, expensive-to-heat, dilapidated house into a modern, efficient family home, which after gaining our retrofit coordinator diploma on a pilot scheme we were perfectly placed to do.
For us, the further objective was to accelerate our learning on the delivery of a whole house retrofit, rise to the challenge and deliver an energy efficient building with no unexpected consequences like mould growth or bad air quality.
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The clients approached us with a leaky, old, badly maintained, inefficient period building wanting a refurbishment and extension, with external wall insulation. The moment the clients approached us we knew this was the perfect opportunity to increase our knowledge and properly enter the world of retrofit.
The clients’ main objectives were to turn their very draughty, expensive-to-heat, dilapidated house into a modern, efficient family home, which after gaining our retrofit coordinator diploma on pilot scheme we were perfectly placed to do.
For us, the further objective was to accelerate our learning on the delivery of a whole house retrofit, rise to the challenge and deliver an energy efficient building with no unexpected consequences like mould growth or bad air quality.
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Earl and Calam have done a great job insulating the floor at the front of our 1905 terraced house. This is the first part of a larger retrofitting project. Nik (The Managing Director) explained the options and answered all our questions. It was evident that he has a great deal of experience and knowledge. The price looked high initially. A detailed discussion convinced us that the proposed approach would lead to a higher quality outcome. Nik's collaborative approach enabled a problem to be averted when, following discussion, it became clear that he had been misadvised over a product detail. Nik dealt with a supply problem by finding and fitting slightly thicker insulation at no additional cost. It took longer than expected for the floor work to start, but once started it was completed on time. In summary: Earl and Calam have done a great job. Nik and his team clearly care about delivering a quality outcome and have the knowledge, experience and commitment to do so.
Earl & Calam Builders built us a new kitchen diner, which included gutting what used to be there, taking down a wall, some structural work and a full refit. Their work was of a very high standard from the start. Nik made sure the plans were as slick and smart as they could be, maximising space and creating nice long lines. They paid excellent attention to detail. Nothing was too much trouble and communication was easy throughout. And the team were very nice to have in the house: friendly, trustworthy and helpful. We highly recommend them!
Earl and Calam did a really nice job on our renovation. Nik spent a lot of time at the start taking us through different options and had some great ideas. The team looked after our property well and lent us an oven while our kitchen was out of action, which was very helpful. The work came in on budget and was of a very high quality - we were really happy with the outcome. Communications could have been better and times and the work took twice as long as initially due to reduced manpower. However we were on a particularly tight timetable and most of it was done by the expected end date. We’d recommend Earl and Calam for renovations, particularly if you want the personal touch.
E&C's attention to detail is fantastic and will talk you through any decisions carefully. We were particularly impressed with the design process, their thinking through of tricky problems and one particular design alteration mid-build, which had a marginal cost increase but transformational in appearance. Clients are not going to discover disastrous things happening after the event. There are also no nasty budget surprises during the build. And if that means it's a bit slow - then that's a fair pay-off. Having builders in the house for months is a traumatic experience. E&C really do minimize that pain and are completely trustworthy.
From the moment we met Nik and his team we knew they would succeed in giving us the perfect family kitchen. By no means a straight forward build - involving a lot of structural work and correcting some nasty hidden surprises, with great attention to detail and a real enthusiasm for design we were extremely happy with the service we received and will definitely use them again for our next project!
Great workmanship and came in on budget. The team were very professional and happy to help. Nothing was too much bother. Very happy with the end result.
I can't speak highly enough of E and C's work. From the start I felt I was in safe hands. I had quite an extensive flat refit after a burst water main affected the area and I was kept abreast of work at all points and the workmanship of his team is brilliant in all areas. Nik was always available to answer any questions and made a very stressful situation a lot easier. I can't speak highly enough of their work.
Nik and his team have been a pleasure to work with throughout. Nik is extremely good at being upfront about costs, delivering on time and is extremely reliable. I would have (and indeed have had) no reservations about recommending his workmanship highly to others. The attention to detail is amazing and he is full of good ideas and suggestions that have really made the end result individual to us. The work Nik has done for us has been done in tranches, as agreed, and the kitchen portion has been completed for around 2.5 years ago and I am still completely happy with it. It is rare to find someone who is such a pleasure to work with and in whom you have total trust that the end result will be to the highest standards and who really invests in the end vision of his clients. The works Earl and Calam carried out for us where - Gutting and damp proofing our lower ground floor, putting in a new kitchen, some structural works including taking back an archway. Laying new stone flooring in lower ground floor, laying new timber flooring in hallway, rebuilding staircase, re-configuring front garden to include leveling and building a new storage cupboard, laying natural stone over top. Decorating house throughout, overseeing new electrical points throughout and the installation of a wireless alarm system and building additional storage.
We bought a well priced but run down Edwardian property in South London which required major refurbishment . We needed a new kitchen and bathroom to be designed and built from scratch, new flooring throughout, as well as rewiring, replacement central heating and extensive redecoration including new doors and a refitted basement room and staircase. Earl and Calam were fantastic throughout the entire process and advised on costs, materials, planning and design, and managed all aspects of the job very smoothly, including electricians, plumbers, floor specialists, carpenters, decorators, carpet fitters, plasterers and tilers as well as remodelling two entire new rooms. They made sure all the work was done to an exceptionally high standard and that everything complemented the period and style of the house. The whole refurbishment was done on time and on budget and we are delighted with the quality of the results. Highly recommended.
We had an extension made in 2008 and all our bathrooms were remodelled. New wires and plumbing on large parts of the house and a new heatingsystem . The previous foundations on the existing extension had to beredug ( deeper ). Earl & Calam did a highly professional job and the standard of work was very high and above all the quality. It has really 8 years later stood the test of time. Throughout the process the communication was good, when a problem arose ( as it does when doing massive buildingwork) a solution was found. The carpentry skills were to a high standard and their contacts in subcontracting other skilled professionals were good too so the plumber was great, the decorator, the specialist flooring guys. Not only did they do an amazing job with my stone floor but I had this beautiful reclaimed herring bone parquet flooring that arrived in dirty minute pieces that were later magically transformed into my beautiful polished floor. They are great with smart storage solutions. One of the bathrooms the architect had designed but the other one Earl& Calam designed for me and it is great. Would def recommend and use again
Our kitchen is superb and we have found Earl and Calam to be very professional and everyone involved have been a pleasure to have around. They were courteous, helpful and polite and very well organised. If you have to have builders in your home, these are the people you can trust