How They Pulled It Off: A Terrace House Gets a Sustainable Glow-Up—With Help From Its Homeowners

Welcome to How They Pulled It Off, where we take a close look at one particularly challenging aspect of a home design and get the nitty-gritty details about how it became a reality.

James Morton (a runner-up on The Great British Bake Off in 2012) and his wife, Fenella Barlow-Pay, moved into their traditional red sandstone terrace house, located south of Scotland’s River Clyde, in December 2021. The Edwardian-era property—whose typology makes up 25 percent of the U.K.’s building stock—was once a treasured family home, but hadn’t been touched since the 1970s. While they had little renovation experience, besides the six months James spent as a builder’s apprentice 15 years prior, they were confident they could complete a renovation and rear extension with help from friends, tradespeople, and the guidance of YouTube. The pair, both doctors, did many of these projects on the weekend or at night after putting their two young daughters to bed. "We have very tolerant neighbors," says James.

But eventually, they realized hiring an architect—one with extensive experience in Passivhaus and energy-efficient architecture—was the right move. They connected with Matt Loader of Glasgow firm Loader Monteith before even getting the keys.

"We decided that we wanted to get an architect involved so that it could properly function as a beautiful and sustainable home," says James. They looked at what they could do themselves without breaking the bank as well. A sense of climate anxiety drove this renovation. "This project points toward a solution," Loader says.

The late-19th-century house was structurally sound but poorly insulated, with disconnected interiors and energy-intense systems. Work began at the end of 2022, with Loader Monteith’s involvement ending mid-2024. Now, the once-ubiquitous home is an example not only for their neighbors but also for other homeowners curious about sustainability.