COUNTRY STYLE KITCHEN IN THE CITY

View of the architect's kitchen

Although the works to our own kitchen were carried out a few years ago it is only recently that it has been professionally photographed by our esteemed and highly skilled photographer Denis O'Farrell ( http://www.digital-den.blogspot.ie ). The country style kitchen relies on much traditional loose furniture and the floor has a natural untreated spanish clay tile which we finished with linseed oil and floor wax. The small window to the left was originally a glass single door to the garden, before we put french doors in  the bay window, and the cat still, to this day, scratches the wall below the window when she wants to go out. A green Aga cooker (not seen in this photo) completes the picture. The central table is a real treat for dining, pastry making, homework and, on occasion, table tennis!

SERIOUS ENERGY RETROFIT

Work on the extension and alteration to a Victorian cottage in the midlands is approaching completion and the Ballymore Eustace based contractor Pat Doran is doing a sterling job. Many design modifications were made pre-contract but since the work started it has been relatively plain sailing. Watch this space for completed photos in a month or two. The main feature of the design is the interlinked Dining, Kitchen and Garden room with the 2 storey high conservatory. The house itself has undergone a serious energy retrofit also including Gutex breathable dry lining boards (thanks to  MacCann and Byrne in Athboy aka Ecological Building Systems, great chaps to work with).

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE YOUR HOUSE RIPPED APART?

When, as an architect, I walk on site and see the side of a house taken out (as planned) you would normally detect a faint smile on my face. I love the cut and thrust of the building process as I am always looking ahead to the final result when the altered or extended property is completed, looking well and enjoyed by the client.

But what does the client think at this shocking appearance? Probably a feeling of terror and anxiety and a strong feeling of  "Have I done the right thing?". This of course is their dear house, their castle, their private domain and it's half demolished!  Also it is normally the first time they have had such  an invasion on their life. Perhaps I should hide that smile a little more in future but the one thing I won't do (and don't need to thank God) is share their deep felt anxieties.

As an architect I put trust in the builder, the chap who is actually doing the work, and this explains why at the first or second meeting I have with the client I explain to them that I reserve the right to not work with certain contractors, those being the ones I have neither worked with before nor can get good professional references for.

We can never be in complete control of every process but we sure can avoid obvious errors and lack of judgements. The picture is of a Terenure project in Rathdown Park...at that scary stage.

COLLINSWOOD TRANSFORMATION

Deep reveals conceal night time shutters.

Before

Work has just completed  on a simple but effective extension to a semi-detached house in Collinswood off Collins Avenue in Dublin's northside. A pair of roof windows centrally placed over the french doors give a semi-conservatory effect while minimizing heat loss. The ceiling profile in the extension area was raised to further contribute to the spacious and bright effect. A pair of window seats were created at either side of the french doors to facilitate daytime book reading. The increased view of the rear garden has the added effect of increasing the perception of space and helping the Indian sandstone terrace feel part of the extended room. The project also involved the construction of a front porch and refurbishment of 2 bathrooms. The clients expressed delight at both the design and the overall efficiency and skill of the contractor Karl Gray Construction.

New rear elevation

Former rear elevation

DARKNESS TO LIGHT

In just under a year we have completed the extension and refurbishment of a Shankill bungalow for a young family with a special accessibility requirement. The tight budget framework meant that we engaged a particular contractor (Mick Duggan of Dugmon Construction) early and had him with his quantity surveyor work through detailed cost estimates. The design had to go through 2 major alterations in order to match both the budget and the client's needs and aspirations but the result is one all are proud of. The house was dark, dilapidated and poorly laid out but the end result is bright, modern and highly functional. I trust the photos speak for themselves.

UCD O'Reilly Hall WC makeover

On this site I previously published the gents refurbishment in the O'Reilly Hall at University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4 but here is the recently completed ladies WC. In the design I thought it would be interesting to move away from the traditional blue for boys and pink for girls to the more sophisticated black for men and red for ladies. It think it worked but as always I am open to comments.

BALLINTEER GARDEN ROOM

We recently completed a kitchen and garden room extension in Ballinteer. With a combination of external insulation and the installation of a solid fuel stove I think we are in for a dramatic reduction in the gas bill down the years. The roofs of the extension elements, at 2 levels, were kept flat so that the view from bedroom upstairs is preserved. Roof edges are in green copper while roof surface is in a matching colour of seamless flexible resin material (Polyroof).