Retrofitting ramps up at our living case study
05 March 2025 • Community,Corporate
The extensive renovation at our 1930s semidetached property in Cambridge continues, with work well underway for its transformation utilising sustainable building innovations.
Work started in July 2024, and following last month’s developments on the side and rear extensions, the property is quickly transforming into a modern home. The most recent works, all of which contribute to improving its overall energy efficiency, include:
Rear and side extensions built
Upstairs rooms plastered
Electrics going in
Plumbing going in
Bathroom design tweaked
All liquid membrane work completed to help with the airtightness of the home
Insulation almost completed
Duncan Turner, Project Manager at The Cambridge explains:
“It’s so exciting to see what has been achieved in recent weeks. Although there is still a bit to do, the project has reached a milestone with the property looking like a modern home. With the entire building having a liquid membrane applied to help achieve airtightness, the rear and side extensions almost complete and various rooms nearing completion, our focus can turn to integration of key features such as the air source heat pump and the supporting electrical and plumbing work that involves.”
The project has revealed opportunities to include several innovative sustainable features, such as liquid membrane technology. Taking the property back to brick allowed for the liquid membrane to be painted on to almost every surface in the house, which will help achieve airtightness once completed.
Adam White, CEO, Intelligent Membranes said:
“The project team at The Cambridge came to us and asked ‘what would you do to make sure this property is airtight and as energy efficient as possible’ which meant we could plan which of our products could be used where for maximum impact. Our liquid membrane products have been used throughout the property, and we can’t wait to see the finished result.”
We want to showcase that sustainable living is achievable for everyone and to play its part in the decarbonisation of the UK housing market. To do this, we're renovating and retrofitting an unremarkable 1930s semidetached house in Ferndale Rise with modern, energy-efficient solutions, to improve the EPC rating of the property from D to B.
Key sustainability improvements considered for the project include:
Insulation (walls, floors, loft, extensions)
Improved glazing
Air source heat pump
Mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery
Underfloor heating, downstairs and some areas upstairs
Solar panels
Rainwater harvesting
Green roof on side extension
Duncan added:
“An increasing number of people are committed to making environmentally positive upgrades to their homes. But it’s often difficult to know where to start. That’s why we’ve created a living retrofit case study using a typical semidetached property to show what can be done while providing practical, affordable solutions.
“We’re on a steep learning curve and we want to share the lessons learned and tips for our members and the wider Cambridge community so they might consider implementing energy efficient solutions for their homes.”
We're documenting the process and sharing our learning along with tips and advice from industry experts and links to skilled local tradespeople, including project partners Koru Construction, Pip Architecture, Rethink Buildings, and RHBC Ltd Building Control.
When completed, the house will be added to our unique Rent To Home initiative, under which the society rents homes to aspiring first time buyers at just below market value and up to 70% of their rent could be returned to use as a deposit when they buy their first home.
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