Tag: before

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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