DRIMNAGH RESIDENCE BEFORE + WEEK 1 & 2
 

Construction works have started on Drimnagh Residence and we are very excited!!

The brief for this project was to design a house for a young expanding family with a separate apartment with its own side entrance.

The challenge was to connect two living spaces that could also work well as one unit. It was a tricky task as we had to incorporate two functional living spaces into a relatively small house. The new design needs to be multifunctional and also fully adaptable in the future.

The idea behind the concept for this project was to create a space within space.

The proposed design consists of a living space for a young family and a separate apartment.  We have designed a double sided kitchen that would serve as a central focal point of the design. Two separate living areas are interconnected by series of entrances that can be opened or closed based on the need.

BEFORE:

Front facade of the Drimnagh residence waiting for her makeover to begin.

 

beforeHouse
Front entrance to Drimnagh Residence before the construction started

 

Below image shows the side entrance to an old extension that served as a utility room. We are rebuilding the boundary wall and renovating the entrance into a side entrance for the apartment.

 

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Existing side entrance before construction

 

The kitchen is the focal point of the proposed design. The existing kitchen below had a limited natural light coming in and a small window with a view into the corridor.

 

The original kitchen
The original kitchen

 

The garage area will be completely transformed into an apartment bedroom area.

 

Existing garage to be transformed into a bedroom
Existing garage to be transformed into a bedroom

 

The original shed adjacent to the house had to go in order to provide a space needed for the new extension. Bye-bye shed, we will not miss you.

 

View from the side entrance onto the existing garden shed
View from the side entrance onto the existing garden shed

 

WEEK 1 –  DEMOLITION

Finally!! The demolition plans are being carefully reviewed and inspected. Oh, a lot of red colour is popping up and, therefore, some walls will need to be demolished. New exciting changes are on the horizon.

 

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Demolition plans are ready

 

Neighbours boundary wall demolished

 

Demolition works in progress
Interior demolition works in progress

 

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1st Floor Bathroom being stripped out

 

WEEK 2 – AND THE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS…

Demolition is moving quickly and the changes are more and more prevalent. The new boundary wall is up, the construction of the extension begun and the exterior shell of the house was completed.

 

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New boundary wall

 

CON1
The construction of the new extension begun

 

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New external walls are up

 

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Walls for the new extension are completed

 

We will keep you posted on a further progress as the time goes on.

 

 

 
 
RANELAGH RESIDENCE – Before


Ranelagh Residence is a job that Susanna and I, at Kingston Lafferty Design have been working on since September 2010, when we first carried out an architectural survey on it. At the time we were both studying for our Masters in London and were yet to set up the company officially. When we returned to Dublin, we were subsequently taken on board to undergo a complete development of the site. It is a job that has captured our attention, consumed a lot of time and required our blood, sweat and tears at times! It has been the best learning experience that we have had to date and so far has involved completing a full planning application, a full tender package and finally a full construction drawing package.


Ranelagh Residence is a beautiful, protected, 19thCentury, Georgian, Townhouse located on a quiet square in South Dublin. Both the property and the rear garden have fallen into a deteriorated state. Proposed works include the complete renovation of the interior, the reconfiguration of the first floor layout, the excavation of the basement floor to increase head height, the demolition of an existing mezzanine bathroom and porch to the rear, the significant excavation of the existing garden, the construction of a double height solid timber conservatory at basement level and the full landscaping of the rear garden.
Now, after completing the long process to get to construction phase, we are ready to begin on site tomorrow with the help of our newly appointed contractors Redbrick construction. This is an exciting day for everyone involved. The project is due to take 25 weeks with a completion date of the 16th of August, all going well! Hopefully there will not be too many nasty surprises along the way. We are going to be documenting the progress each week on the blog so that you can watch the transformation unfold. See below for some of the before pictures…. 
 
The Front door
The view from the entrance hall
The view into the office from the entrance hall
The office
The existing cantilevered bathroom that is being demolished
View to existing cantilevered bathroom from first floor
A view into the what will be the new double bedroom with walk in wardrobe.
First floor bedroom with sloping floor. Floor to be raised to make it level. Partition wall to be demolished to form larger double bedroom.
Hot water cylinders to be removed. Space to be turned into a bespoke walk in wardrobe.
View from rear garden door up to front door.
Rear door to garden that is to be demolished. This will become an archway leading to a cast iron spiral staircase into the double height conservatory.
Steps down to basement from rear door
View from basement up to rear door. Basement level to be reduced to provide more head height. 2x new steps to be added to staircase.
Under basement stair storage. Stone walls to be underpinned during excavation. Hole was dug to determine water level.
Basement bedroom/gym. Walls were covered with plasterboard which has now been removed.
View of kitchen. Timber panels used to cover the walls. Since being removed, the plaster has been revealed to be damp and deteriorating. The kitchen is to be completely transformed.
View 2 of the kitchen. Wall is to be re-built as it is in a poor state.
View out to garden from existing glass porch. Glass porch and existing garden to be demolished. This will become the entrance into the new extension.
The lowest part of the garden. This is the only area at basement level. All to be excavated.
Rear view of house. Existing extension and glass porch to be demolished. Garden to be excavated. New extension to run across full width of property.
View from back of garden