A design and build refurbishment project — a collaboration between the property owner and award-winning architects ATArch. The design approach was to remodel the existing house to include a loft conversion, new en-suite bathroom, replacement family bathroom, open-plan ground floor living, hand-made kitchen with Blum Tip-On Blumotion drawers, and extensive external amenity and landscaping improvements. In addition, a thorough approach to upgrading the building fabric and energy efficiency, where measures included: the selection of materials with low embodied energy; external wood fibre insulation and through-colour natural lime render; new timber windows; new door sets with hardwood sills and new insulated loft roof. All air-tightened vigorously. Significant attention to airtightness and workmanship in construction was adopted to achieve an exceptional test result that is well inside the top 15% of new-build houses being tested today of a similar scale. A new solar thermal panel, new hot water tank, and renewed plumbing throughout include a slaved solar circuit to towel rails in the bathrooms, providing background heat during the daytime. Additional gable windows were introduced to not only take in panoramic views but also to provide additional solar gain. Together with a new wood burner, the majority of the heating requirements for the refurbished home are provided in an exceptionally energy-efficient way so as to minimise energy costs and reduced carbon emissions.