Wisely, that plan was scaled down and re-envisioned as a single extremely long shed with a double-pitched roof.

WSJ: Zaha Hadid, Farshid Moussavi, Louis Kahn and the Best of 2012 in Architecture

Thanks to its heavily insulated roof and double-glazed, low-emissivity glass throughout, Mayhem Manor's electricity consumption is a modest 8, 300 kilowatt-hours a year.

ECONOMIST: The much-talked-of smart grid prepares to enter the home

She said he left school aged 15 due to his difficult behaviour and worked as a roofer with his father, Nick, but jumped from scaffolding onto the roof of a double-decker bus "for no reason".

BBC: Aylesbury Young Offender Billy Spiller 'like a tornado'

Private companies working on everything from the foundation to the roof of buildings are generating double-digit sales growth as the construction sector strengthens, according to data from Sageworks, a financial information company.

FORBES: From Floor to Ceiling, Construction Companies Growing

For a major overhaul, consider installing photovoltaic cells on your roof, hydronic radiant heating in your floors, double-glazed panes in your windows and low-flow toilets in your bathroom.

FORBES: Julia Cosgrove