Four years ago I received planning permission to convert my loft into a spacious bedroom, writes Julia Stephenson 

I was also granted permission for three wind turbines, eight solar panels, a wood-burning stove, a hen coop and raised vegetable beds as part of my ambitious plan to create the first carbon-neutral dwelling in Sloane Square.

This victory presented a new dilemma. Who could I ask to do the building work?

Fortunately I was dating a builder at the time but the volatility of our relationship made me think twice.

Perhaps I should ask Reg, a trustworthy and reliable builder I’d worked with before. But the trouble is, he couldn’t grasp the green thing at all.

'Wot!’ he spluttered, 'You want me to save all the tiles when we dismantle the roof and use them again?'

I decided my inamorato would be the man for the job; besides, surely working on the project would bring us closer together?

But nobody shared my enthusiasm.  My mother insisted it would end it tears, while Donnachadh, my eco-coach’s gloomy silence spoke volumes…

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