Proposed works

Reason for works

Re-connecting family needs with house design

The house is large and vertically organised to suit the hierarchies and lifestyle of upper middle class Victorian Dublin. The new owners are still trying to find an accommodation between this and their modern lifestyles. The mid 1980s timber frame extension of the (raised) ground floor was an imaginative way of creating a bright, more informal kitchen-dining room while strengthening the connection of the elevated ground floor with the garden (at a time when the garden level rooms formed a self-contained flat).

The new owners consider the ground-floor kitchen small and want an even stronger connection to the garden (a dominant design feature in many current house designs and extensions). As a result, they have considered moving the kitchen downstairs to the main garden level room to rear. They have also suggested that to accommodate informal dining in a new open plan kitchen – and to ensure that the (new) window or doors to the garden would not be shaded by the return to the south and the projecting extension overhead – an extension would be needed. The consequence of such thinking would be that the 242 sqm house would grow still larger (and might result in the demolition of the projecting extension) despite the family not using all the existing rooms: a surprisingly common occurrence.

It is advisable that they assess the house as it is and see how they can adjust their expectations and lifestyle to suit it. Clearly, a further enlargement would remove more original material while creating an even larger volume to heat and light.

One solution that would suit this house is to consider making the current kitchen-dining room a dining room only, linked to a new large kitchen in the rear room downstairs by a dumb waiter. While this approach would create a vertical relationship between food preparation and dining, it allows a good connection to the garden on both levels, better use of existing rooms and the efficient movement of hot dinners and dirty dishes.

Energy efficiency

Returning the dwelling to single use and updating all mechanical and electrical services are a major aspect of the proposed works. Even from a simple perspective of safety, all electrical wiring must be replaced. If the heat loss through much of the building fabric can be reduced (due to improved insulation and airtightness), alongside the use of better controls to less energy intensive heating and lighting systems, the winter-time comfort levels and BER rating of the house will be transformed.

The basement level has suffered due to sporadic use, moisture ingress (likely to be a burst pipe) and mould. The walls have no architectural features and receive little solar gain due to shading by the bank of steps to front and the overhanding timber frame extension to the west-facing rear. It therefore is appropriate to insulate these walls at least internally with an appropriate insulation type (after the suspected water leak issue has been resolved). Warmer wall surfaces with lime finished surfaces will provide a healthier more hygienic environment and greater levels of energy efficiency.

Airtightness works

A combination of installing new – or replacing old – draughtproofing measures at all windows and doors, adjustment and maintenance to the basement door, the lifting of floorboards to allow sealing of the wall-joist junctions within the depth of the intermediate floors and a full energy efficient retrofit to the timber frame structure (including the installation of air tightness membranes) should greatly improve the air permeability overall.

Moisture

The front of the dwelling should be repointed to restore its original appearance and protect the brickwork long term. The brick-faced solid walls of Brighton Road are highly absorptive: a driving rain event will deliver more water into bricks of this house than another. Consequently, the ability of these walls to dry to both sides is particularly important. While other (unmeasured) issues such as the moisture storage capacity of the bricks effect the significance of this, it strengthens the potential value of repointing the mortar joints with an appropriate lime-based mortar.

A survey must be carried out to establish if there is a leaking pipe under the basement floor. Specialist plumbing firms carry out such work. As the mains water supply, cold water and hot water pipe network may require changing due to the reversion to single occupancy, the works associated with the leak, a new pipe network and insulation of the (modern) basement floor can all be brought together as one project. Bear in mind the (hygroscopic) walls need to dry before redecoration can then take place.

Design

The new ‘major renovation’ standard in TGD-L:2018 does not apply to dwellings on the Register of Protected Structures. In order not to confuse the reader, and to reflect the fact that most walls are not being insulated in the proposals below, they have been termed minor renovation projects #1 and type #2.

The proposed minor renovation type #1 works are focused primarily on: fixing the moisture leak and installing floor insulation in basement; repointing of front elevation and possible strengthening to the brick piers; works to roof of the bay, general draughtproofing works and attic insulation; extensive insulation and airtightness works to the timber frame extension; the required heating and plumbing works; installing improved mechanical extract ventilation;

The proposed minor renovation type #2 works increase the minor works in the following ways: full demand control mechanical ventilation system; appropriate internal wall insulation to basement walls and first floor walls; secondary glazing to all sash windows; creation of a new ope in rear garden level basement wall, insertion of windows and doors room to allow it function as a bright kitchen with good links to the garden and installation of a smalls goods lift to ensure ground floor dining room remains in use.