1930's house retrofit and renovation - is specialist advice needed?

[justo]

I'm in the process of the final architectural design stage of a 1930's house retrofit and renovation. My architect's approach is to invest in 'fabric first' and allocate remaining funds to design, build and finish. I support his approach as the house is currently very cold and utility bills are high.

My question is: In order for me to make the best decisions on the retrofitting, should I engage with a specialist or should all good architects know enough about the various options to get the best result for the budget? For example, I can't even determine if I should replace the boiler and rads, or if I should opt for a heat/water pump. My architect is good from a design perspective, but he does not advertise himself as a retrofitting specialist. Should I invest in using one?

With specialist advice, I'd like to determine an energy rating to aim for, and then consider what options to use that are within budget. Is this the right approach?

I have asked my architect but would like some independent views from this forum...

TIA

 

[Leo]

A good architect will know this. The key will be in the details of both design and implementation, so a competent builder will be key.

I've posted this guide a few times, worth read to give you an idea of what can do done to your house type and the costs involved.

 

[Micks'r]

For all buildings and especially older buildings (and a 1930's building falls within this "older"category) the management of moisture is paramount. Simply put, if moisture is not allowed exit the building at an appropriate rate then other systems (such as insulation effectiveness of the thermal envelope, for example) will more than likely be compromised.
Not all architects are fully versed in this science.
The fact that your arch is advising taking a fabric first approach is encouraging.
Upgrading an existing building will always need compromises to be made. Ime, having expert advice will make understanding the consequences of the compromises easier and thus the decision making.