Back to the Future for Energy Efficient Houses

Say back-to-back houses to some people and it may conjure up images of a Dickensian street scene. However they still exist in their thousands in Lancashire and many have been experiencing a bit of a renaissance following the recent rise in house prices.

For those of you under a certain age, a true back-to-back property is a terraced house but with another property joined at the rear. Many of these were built in the 1800s for mill workers flooding into the towns and cities.

Alyson Cadd is a Home Inspector and Energy Surveyor who runs a property finding and information service called Property Safari. She has long been a fan of this type of property and extols their virtues for us here.

You could say they were the original high density low cost housing of their day, similar to apartments nowadays. Says Alyson

For a first time buyer whose budget is stretched, a back-to-back is well worth considering as they do have several advantages over an apartment, such as:-

• Your own front door
• Usually a yard or garden at the front
• Usually a cellar and roof space
• Ability to park right outside your home
• No set annual maintenance fees or high ground rents
• No management company and ‘house rules’ about where to hang your washing!
• No neighbours above and below you
• More bedrooms or square footage for your property £

Add to that the increasing importance of energy efficiency and the humble back-to-back really does make a lot of sense. Alyson, who also carries out energy surveys, says

Compared to other older properties the back-to-back can be easier to heat as they have only one wall exposed to the elements, with all the others adjoining other heated homes. This gives them a higher energy efficiency rating.

Finally, stay in the property for a few years and there may be the potential to buy the property behind yours, to enable you to knock through and create a substantial family home with a garden front and back. In fact this is what has been done by many people over the last few decades and now whole terraces of original back-to-back properties have gradually been converted into large terraced houses. You could even get to purchase the Freehold, which is unlikely to happen with an apartment.

As an example of what can be done with a back-to-back, Alyson highlights a typical 2 bedroom property in Gilbert Street, Rossendale, priced at just £92,000. The owner has lived there with his girlfriend for nearly 4 years and has renovated it to a high standard. The traditional exterior belies the contemporary interior and it really is a hidden gem.

Alyson says It is just the right size for single people or a young couple. It is a very warm house and in fact the owners removed the radiator in the living room as it was never used. their last quarter's gas bill was under £60!