What The Builder Won’t Tell You By Judith Leary-Joyce Shares The Blueprint To An Energy-Efficient, Healthy Home

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, discover the insider secrets builders won’t share in Judith Leary-Joyce’s brilliant new book What the Builder Won’t Tell You – your plain-English, fear-busting guide to creating a warmer, healthier, cheaper-to-run home without the overwhelm.

What The Builder Won’t Tell You

If you’ve ever stared at a soaring energy bill, felt a stubborn draught snake across the living-room floor, or worried about damp and mould creeping in, you’re not alone. Most of us want a home that’s warm in winter, cool in summer, cheap to run and genuinely healthy to live in – but the world of retrofit can feel like a foreign language spoken by people who’d rather keep you in the dark.

Retrofit expert and much-loved “Instagran” Judith Leary-Joyce released her brand-new book: What the Builder Won’t Tell You – The Essential Homeowner’s Guide to an Energy Efficient, Healthy Home. Written in plain English and the kind of warm, chatty style you’d expect over a cuppa with a very knowledgeable friend, it hands you the exact blueprint you need – without the overwhelm.

Why This Book Feels Different (and Why You’ll Wish You’d Had It Years Ago)

Builders aren’t bad people, but most simply aren’t trained in whole-house retrofit thinking. They know how to put up walls and lay floors, yet when it comes to insulation, ventilation, heat pumps or moisture control, the gaps in their knowledge can cost you thousands – in comfort and cash.

Judith lifts the curtain. With zero jargon and plenty of empathy, she explains:

• Why some “standard” building practices actually make homes colder and damper
• The insider secrets builders rarely share (and why they don’t)
• How to spot the difference between a tradesperson who’s guessing and one who really knows retrofit

Readers say it feels like having a wise, straight-talking mentor sitting beside them on the sofa.

What You’ll Actually Learn – In Easy Bites

The book walks you step-by-step through everything that matters:

• Insulation done right (where to put it, how much, and the materials that actually work)
• Ventilation without wasting heat (goodbye stuffy air, hello fresh without freezing)
• Heating systems that make sense (heat pumps, infrared, wood stoves – the real pros and cons)

Creating a Genuinely Healthy Home

Judith names the elephants in the room – damp, mould, VOCs, radon – and shows you simple, affordable ways to tackle them for good.

Working With Trades (Without Being Ripped Off or Bamboozled)

• How to write a crystal-clear brief
• Questions to ask that instantly reveal who knows their stuff
• Contract clauses that protect you
• Budgeting tricks that stop costs spiralling

Practical checklists to boost comfort now and add serious value when you eventually sell.

Judith Leary-Joyce

Judith Leary-Joyce never planned to become an online sensation. After deep-retrofitting her own 1901 Victorian terrace – slashing energy use by 75 % and transforming a cold, draughty house into a cosy, healthy home – friends begged her to share what she’d learned.

One Instagram post led to another. In under two years she grew from 300 followers to over 140,000 (@ecorenovationhome), all because she explains complicated stuff in a way that just clicks. Her YouTube videos are the same: calm, clear and packed with “aha!” moments.

At 76, Judith calls this work her legacy to her grandchildren – and to yours.

Why Right Now Is the Perfect Time to Read This Book

Energy prices are still unpredictable. Winters feel wilder. Summers are hotter. And more of us realise that waiting for government schemes or magic-bullet legislation isn’t the answer – the power is in our own homes.

Whether you’re planning a full retrofit, just want to stop draughts and lower bills, or you’re about to hire a builder and don’t want to regret it later – this book is your cheat sheet.

Warm, healthy, affordable to run, and built to last.

If that sounds like the home you want, grab a copy and start turning retrofit confusion into confidence today.

Find more from Judith Leary-Joyce now:

Kindle: https://amzn.to/3K85p8u

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3K7aLAR