Eco living: how to retrofit a Tudor house Marianne and Richard moved in during 2007 and shortly afterwards Max, nearly five, arrived, followed by Charlie, two. "Some of the things we did were pretty low-tech, which I think is important to stress as there is lots of bamboozling technical information out there which can make you anxious about choosing what is right for your home," she says. For example, there was a fairly modern quarry tile floor in the sitting room, which we just covered with thick carpet and a really good underlay. Marianne had already written the highly regarded Old House Handbook with Roger Hunt, and the pair decided to create a companion volume, Old House Eco Handbook to help people living in old homes make them more energy efficient without ruining them. "Old houses, by their very existence, contribute to sustainability," says Roger. They often form the nucleus of a community. They give towns and villages a sense of place and character that modern homes can't. But their owners do need to be comfortable without going bankrupt. The philosophy of the book, which covers every aspect of a home from plastering, to guttering, choosing a fireplace to lighting, is first and foremost to repair what you have before replacing. "If you have, say, a lovely old Georgian sash window, which is letting in the cold air, don't just rip it out and replace it with a modern double-glazed unit," says Roger. You need to see it as a piece of furniture. You wouldn't throw a Georgian table into a skip just because one of its legs wobbled, you would repair it, so why would you throw away a 200-year-old handmade window? He says one of the positive developments in recent years has been the massive improvement in every kind of building material, window covering and glazing option. Secondary glazing is much neater than it used to be, with a slimmer profile that is almost invisible. Shutters, if you have them, work well, and a pair of thick interlined curtains also make a huge difference. All of these options are hugely cheaper than double glazing. Both Roger and Marianne hope the book will empower owners of old homes to feel confident about changing their properties. "I am concerned that the Green Deal is not appropriate for older homes," says Marianne. A corporate energy assessor who has never encountered a wattle and daub wall may make completely the wrong recommendation for insulation which could have disastrous consequences. 'Old House Eco Handbook', £30 from Frances Lincoln, available from March 28