Services for householders

We’re an independent, not-for-profit service helping householders plan and deliver home retrofit with confidence. From our base in Manchester, we provide impartial advice so you can understand your options, avoid common risks, and be confident in your decision making at each stage of your retrofit journey.

1. Getting Started

We start with a short phone call to understand your aims and see if our service is right for you. We’ll help you set clear priorities and map out next steps for your retrofit journey.

2. Planning Your Retrofit
Our expert surveyors carry out a detailed home visit and use our Home Retrofit Planner to thermally model your home and test different scenarios - from insulation and ventilation to heat pumps - so you can see the benefits, risks, and indicative costs. If you’re planning an extension, we can model how that might affect your retrofit options.

You’ll get a tailored plan showing the improvements that best match your home, budget, and long-term plans. (From £750 + VAT, dependent on size of home)

3–6. Delivering Your Project
Whether you’re managing the work yourself or want extra support, we offer:

• Investigative surveys: Including cavity wall surveys, blower door or airtightness surveys and thermal imaging.

• Retrofit specifications: these describe the preparation, materials, method and maintenance for retrofit measures, suitable for simple projects with only a few retrofit measures. (from £200 + VAT)

• Design reviews: If you’re working with another professional, we can review designs, flagging retrofit opportunities and risks to help maximise your home’s potential (from £400 + VAT)

• On-site support: Responses to queries, toolbox talks, and quality checks during construction (dependent on project)

• Retrofit design support: Working alongside your architect to provide retrofit-specific advice and design information Suitable for larger and more complex projects (dependent on project)

7. Monitoring & Evaluation
We’re developing post-completion services to help you measure performance and evaluate efficiency.

• Trusted advice: we’re a non profit offering impartial, independent advice.

• Expert support: our team is a mix of experienced surveyors and architects with expertise in delivering retrofit.

• Local knowledge: we know and understand the housing and communities across Greater Manchester and North West.

We cover retrofit in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, South Lancashire, the western Peak District and south west Pennines. If you’re outside our area of operations we may direct you towards one of our partner organisations.

Notes

We cannot provide contract administration or project management services during construction. We may be able to signpost you to others able to provide this service if you and your contractors are not able to manage this aspect of the work.