The Ideal Home Show gives No.1 Coronation Street a makeover
One of the nation’s most famous homes, No1 Coronation St, has been given an eco-refurbishment and is on display at the ideal home show.
The Ideal Home Show is back, running until the 27th March at London’s Earls Court. One of the main features of this year’s event is the Ideal Show Homes, built to demonstrate sustainable building technologies and green home improvements. The most popular of which has proved to be B&Qs Ideal Home Refit, which re-creates in exact detail one of the UK’s most iconic houses; the home of Ken and Deirdre Barlow from ITV’s Coronation Street.
A second version of No1 Coronation Street has been created next door and given a green retrofit by celebrity architect George Clarke. Speaking at the show, George said: “The Corrie house represents one of the most familiar British homes; these buildings in their original standard are incredibly energy inefficient – so we’re trying to show how simple and affordable it can be to retrofit houses like these.”
Although the outside of the Coronation Street refit remains in its original form, an open plan layout, glass extension and loft conversion have expanded the property, creating more space and light. Instead of inefficient single glazed windows and an old boiler, the new house has been fitted with double glazed windows, underfloor heating and an energy efficient boiler to make it cheap and environmentally friendly to run.
“We maximised existing space and made every product ecological and affordable. Kitchen cupboards are made from recycled timber for example; there are sustainable floor tiles and LED lights – the simplest things make the biggest difference,” explains George.
Eco products such as a kitchen worktop made of recycled glass, a chair made from crushed up coffee beans and reclaimed timber and an eco-fire which burns vegetable waste can be found in the new and improved version of No1 Coronation Street.
In addition to this, visitors can view the Prince’s House, which demonstrates how a traditional Georgian family home can still be built with eco principles and the Open Plan Living House, an eco-efficient timber home built by Swedish company Jorntrahus. Visitors to the show will also have the chance to browse over 600 exhibitor stalls and get home improvement advice from celebrities such as George Clarke and Linda Barker in their daily seminars.