Category: Construction

  • Blinds and curtains, a traditional solution

    I have been having quite a long chat with Roz from Little Purple Dot about windows. She has sash windows with brushes installed but still finds they are draughty. Obviously the most effective thing to do would be to add secondary glazing or replace the windows, however secondary glazing looks a bit ugly and new windows…

  • Sign of the future…

    All the estate agents I have seen in Brittany list the energy certificate in the window alongside the house details. Some of them even include predicted emission levels for the houses. Certainly makes some of those cottages look tricky to keep warm.

  • Eco retrofit

    I have been working on a really interesting eco retrofit project for the last few weeks. The house was built in 1922 as part of a Daily Mail Ideal Home Village for that year and is timber frame with lath and plaster walls and cedar tile cladding. The house has cavity walls which are currently…

  • Green Roof Consultancy

    Just a quick one this but quite pleased that last week I registered a new company for the first time. Working at The Ecology Consultancy I set up a new company The Green Roof Consultancy The company is a partnership with Dusty Gedge and Gary Grant. I also helped them with their stand at the…

  • The parrots are back

    My ring necked parakeets have returned. In London the reaction to these is a bit mixed, some people like me get quite excited, others are a bit non-plussed or even hostile. I like them though, each year they come along for about a week. They make a load of noise ( I think this may…

  • Lizards at large

    Lizard catching season has started already and I have been quite successful catching them on a site in South East London. So far I have caught 9 and some judicious strimming has been corralling them effectively. We have a splendid new residence for them in some specially restored grassland. Hopefully we will be able to clear the…

  • Ecobuild

    Had lots of fun at Ecobuild last week. Far too much going on to keep up with everything but still pretty interesting. The one disappointment was the lack of many companies with any actual eco credentials. The overall feeling of most people I spoke to was that most of the exhibitors were selling the same products with…

  • CEEQUAL, Ecobuild and sustainability

    Off to Ecobuild tomorrow. I am on the Ecology Consultancy stand on Thursday but heading along Tuesday and Wednesday to see if I can drum up some business as a CEEQUAL assessor, drop me a line ecoalexander@googlemail.com if you are looking for one. Looking forward to catching up with friends and contacts I haven’t seen…

  • CEEQUAL Assessor Course

    Learning the assessment method and putting it into practice.

  • The Green Register

    Useful course on sustainable construction