Cheltenham Green Doors 4th Open Homes+Gardens Annual Event will take place on 20th & 21st September 2014. Each home and garden owner will open their doors during the weekend, enabling visitors to see a variety of sustainable new builds and refurbishments. Cheltenham Green Doors 4th Open Homes+Gardens Annual Event will take place on 20th & 21st September 2014. Each home and garden owner will open their doors during the weekend, enabling visitors to see a variety of sustainable refurbishments.

One example of the kind of project which will be on display is a Victorian home which, from the outside, looks like any other property in a typical terrace. But this 1880s three-bedroom house has been transformed inside and out into a sustainable environment that would be the envy of the greenest of people.

Walk into the refurbished solid wall property and you are comforted by its clean air and perfect temperature. Peter Clegg, of Cheltenham Green Doors, began converting the house in 2005. There was damp in the walls and floor and the property, on Oakfield Street in Tivoli, was in need of a complete transformation.

Mr Clegg said: “We had to do everything, so we thought how eco-friendly can we make it? The cost, the structure was already there. It’s not right to knock down these types of properties and build again elsewhere.”

The refurbishment and renewable energy installation means Clegg is making more money than he is spending on household bills and he monitors the figures daily.

The solid wall construction boasts a slate roof with an open fireplace in every room. The front of the house is rendered and the back is red brick with breathable lime mortar.

The interior consists of suspended wooden floors, the walls are lime plastered with decorative mouldings and picture rails. Other features include double-glazed original wooden sash windows, high levels of insulation throughout the house, positive input ventilation, LED and low energy lighting and rainwater storage butts.

Peter added: “When people buy a property they often look at the kitchen and bathroom. They don’t realise the energy-saving appliances you can buy.”

A beautiful garden sits out the back with vegetables growing in square foot patches, including an impressive water feature, a beehive and wormery. Recent additions include 13 solar electricity panels on the home’s slate roof. The house will be open to the public on Sunday 21st from 10.30am to 4pm.

The Cheltenham Green Doors group consists of homeowners from Cheltenham and Bishop’s Cleeve who are attempting a more sustainable approach to everyday life.

This year 28 homes will be opened to the public across the town, double the amount on show last year. Guests can see solar hot water panels, air and water source heat pumps, computer-controlled radiators, LED lighting and sustainable gardens among a range of improvements, and will have the opportunity to ask questions of the owners and occupiers.

For more information and a map of the homes on display, visit cheltenhamgreendoors.org.uk.