1980s brick house retrofit 2025

1980s brick house retrofit

We purchased a 1980s brick home that was poorly insulated, had single glazing and gas heating / appliances. The north and west facing windows had no protection from the sun. Doors, windows and chimney were poorly sealed – gaps and draughts everywhere! So far, we have added insulation, sealed gaps, upgraded to double glazing on most windows and doors, installed external shading on 4 windows, and fitted honeycomb blinds to most windows. We now have an all-electrical, solar powered house with a battery. We take a proactive approach to managing our home’s temperature and energy use, taking advantage of electronic monitoring and home automation systems. As a result, we so far have a net credit with our energy supplier, and a home that is always a comfortable temperature. The benefits go beyond cost savings: it has transformed the way we live and how we use energy.

We have also converted the traditional European style garden to a lower maintenance, more drought resistant native plant garden and nature strip. This is still a work in progress! We have a productive vegetable patch and composting system and are planning rainwater tanks and drip irrigation for the veggie beds. Our garden has wildlife friendly features such as native tussock grasses, bird baths, lizard lounges and a bee hotel.