About

Redstart Projects was founded by Graeme Semple in 2025 – here’s background to the business:

“I provide independent, evidence-based advice on how to retrofit old houses safely, where well-intentioned energy improvements can easily cause harm if applied without care.

I now work with homeowners, architects and contractors to translate conservation principles and building physics into pragmatic retrofit strategies.

I grew up in Crieff, Perthshire, spent my twenties in Glasgow and I have lived in London since 2005. Before training as a Passivhaus consultant, I had a varied career that included a five-year spell in the corporate world and the founding – and subsequent sale – of a small, award-winning decorating and refurbishment business.

In my late forties I began a second degree – an MSc in historic conservation. Like my classmates, I had a long-standing love of old buildings and places. But influenced by the ideas of Stewart Brand in How Buildings Learn, I was interested in going beyond an appreciation for architectural style, to understand what actually makes the most successful buildings work for their users over decades or even centuries.

My generalist background also made me resistant to rigid disciplinary boundaries – I wanted to bring together conservation expertise, building physics and practical construction knowledge in a more integrated and flexible way.

As my studies progressed, I became increasingly interested in aligning the fundamentals of building conservation with the urgent practical challenges facing Britain’s housing stock – the oldest in Europe. This led to a dissertation which explored the tension between energy efficiency and heritage, with a particular focus on solid wall insulation in ordinary old houses. My research included surveys and interviews with dozens of homeowners, academics, conservation professionals and building physics experts.

Alongside my academic work, I spent several years managing a Grade I-listed, late-medieval building in Oxford, where I commissioned primary research that brought clarity to its five centuries of evolution. I have also learned a great deal from skilled friends and family members working as designers, cabinetmakers and builders – knowledge that continues to inform my approach, as well as my confidence and ability as a self-builder.

My practical instincts were first shaped by my dad, Gordon, who ran his own electrical services business for more than 40 years.

A gifted – and still-active – woodworker, builder and renovator, he passed on technical skill and a strong ethic of reliability and clear communication. That approach – doing things properly, communicating clearly at every stage of a project, and respecting both buildings and people – remains central to my work today.”

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