The Independent's, 'Green Goddess' Julia Stephenson recounts the dramatic eco transformation of her home in Chelsea.

In 2005 I embarked on an ambitious project to extend my top floor flat in Chelsea by knocking into the eaves of the roof and the loft, creating 200 square feet of light and airy space.

Despite living on a busy road my plan was to eventually manufacture my own energy, grow fruit and vegetables and keep chickens – an inner city version of the Good Life. Indeed a friend once remarked that as a mixture of Margo Leadbetter and Barbara Good from the eponymous BBC series, if anyone could embrace the challenge of sustainability in Sloane square, it would be me.

I determined to do this in the thriftiest, most sustainable way. So, instead of ripping everything out then bringing in brand new materials, as is the way with modern building, I decided to take the slow route, re-using what we had. This would cost more in labour (exceeding the saving made from using existing materials) but meant less would end up in landfill. Extending my roof area meant I’d have enough space to install photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and a hen house.

But before I went ahead I made great efforts to reduce my energy needs as well as reduce my wasteful habits. Frugal measures such as turning off lights, installing a water meter (encouraging one to use less water), and cycling may not have the James Bond thrill of seeing turbines whizzing on your roof, but are just as important. 3 experimental compost bins and wormeries took care of all my kitchen waste (having run out of space on my roof terrace I had begun to colonise my neighbours, indeed I am the Bernard Matthews of factory worm farming), while my fanatical anti-plastic campaign meant I hadn’t accepted a plastic bag since 2003.

Changing my lifestyle was one thing, but I didn’t have a clue about how to go about installing renewable energy – I needed advice and quick.

First up, I called in ecotect to the stars, Alex Michaelis and green guru, Donnachadh McCarthy, who successfully negotiated planning permission from the terrifying wardens of the Kensington and Chelsea planning department. The 3 of us practically fainted when we were granted full planning permission for 3 wind turbines, photovoltaic panels, a rainwater harvester and a rainwater flushing loo. Surprisingly there were no objections from our neighbours, but my hunch was that they were all away skiing when the planning signs went up in the street, so our outré plans slipped in under the schussing radar.

Now I had to find a green builder. This was tricky. Reliable Reg, my usual builder, expressed qualms about my purported green methods. `Wot!’ he spluttered, `you want me to save every slate when we’re dismantling the roof!?>

Most fortuitously I had just begun dating a builder, Al, who apart from his penchant for cheap Teletext holidays appeared to share many of my green ideals, happily peeing on each of my 3 compost heaps to aid decomposition, (I would but women’s pee is too acidic). He insisted he would save me a fortune as all his family are in the building game. Despite general insistence that the volatility of our relationship might not survive the stresses of building work I couldn’t resist the prospect of a cheap deal and we began.

Julia, David Cameron’s architect Alex Michaelis, Al Ross the builder, plus Donnachadh McCarthy and his (currently ineffective but he lives in hope) wind turbine in Peckham.

Things started off very well.

The weather was fine, Al and all the brothers were working in fraternal harmony. They quickly knocked through into the loft and built a new roof over the existing one which saved me the expense of building a tin roof. With eco building advisors, Russell and Barry Smith from Parity Projects, on hand to answer all our eco queries, it was all going swimmingly. Suspiciously well in fact.

Then the shit hit the fan. Brother Ken had a blistering row with Al over my MDF ban and stomped off site. Morale hit an all time low. It was raining constantly, the men were covered in mud, and the site resembled a First World War dug out Then Tel, (the most fractious of the brothers) fed up with having to pull nails out of bits of wood for reuse soon followed in sympathy.

Fortunately another brother was drafted in and things got back on track. The new roof was finished, the old one was dismantled and the waste wood re-used or stacked for use in our wood-burning stove*. A sunpipe, a marvellous way of harnessing and magnifying natural light, was built into the roof, bringing brightness into a dark downstairs corridor.

At long last we now had a huge unfinished loft space which we insulated with bags of insulation from B and Q, made from recycled plastic bottles (soft as fleece and much more pleasant to use than the more conventional rock wool).

Parity Projects sourced 8 photovoltaic panels from a supplier who builds them in China and then fills container ships to transport them to the UK. At £800 per panel, this was by far the cheapest quote we had. Once our electrician had connected them we were pumping out up to 1,500 watts worth of electricity on a sunny day and providing roughly half our electricity needs. We’d by now decided to forgo the wind turbines as the wind speeds on my roof made them ineffectual. However technology is improving all the time so we may install some at a later stage.

Eco nirvana was reached when we installed a rainwater flushing lavatory. FSC oak flooring from France, low energy light bulbs and several licks of eco friendly paint were the final touches.

The conversion took around 40% longer than a normal job, and came in at around £40,000 - including all the materials and solar panels. This was less than I had anticipated – but this was one of the many benefits of dating a builder (something I thoroughly recommend, no wonder dating sites report that plumbers and builders are far more popular than bankers).

I now have a light bright bedroom. 3 rescue battery chickens live happily on the roof competing with the worms for our leftovers, along with various tubs and boxes where we grow herbs, fruit and vegetables. The brothers are now on speaking terms again. Al and I survived the traumas and are now engaged. When he’s recovered I am hoping he will build me a house.

Letting Go Of The Glitz is published by Crown Publishing, £8.99

*The wood burning stove (cost £750) has already eaten up 40 bags of wood from the conversion since being fired up in October, and there is no shortage of extra wood to feed it in Central London. If we are out and about in the evening and see a skip in the street, we always take a few bits of wood home with us. This way we save on heating costs and keep waste wood out of landfill.