Georgian Two Storey Home

This stunning home is a Georgian inspired two storey in the Irish countryside, built on a one acre site close to their family in a scenic location.

For the owners, the planning process was the most difficult part, with many delays and additional costs that were not planned for. Thankfully for them, planning permission was granted four months after their application had been submitted.

The household had created their own sketches of their house and given them to a local architect who submitted the drawings. They had been advised to keep the designs realistic in order to be in like with the Country Development Plan. This worked out well and there was no need to change the designs for planning.

The couple always knew that they wanted a two storey home with a Georgian style. They also wanted to include a front door with a fanlight, a porch and large sliding sash windows.

They allocated a lot of space to the open plan dining room and kitchen as they knew it would be one of the most used rooms. 

A large master room was an important part of the plan with a walk in wardrobe and an ensuite.

Towards the back of the house, the design included the utility and a plant room, as well as a living room. For practicality, storage laundry presses were added in upstairs along with black fascia and soffits. 

The owners undertook the role of Project Managers. They employed the tradespeople themselves and sourced all of their own materials. They managed the build timeline, everyone's work schedules and the delivery of materials they had sourced. 

An architectural engineer signed off on elements of building compliance at each stage and documentation was used to draw down the mortgage stage payments.

The couple used a spreadsheet, which they updated weekly to keep on track with the project. It included building works, tradespeople hired, quotes and costs paid.

There were key finishes necessary for this home in order to implement the Georgian style, while other elements were not as important and could be scratched to keep within budget. The non-negotiables were a gorgeous front door with accoya timber dressing, wall panelling, extra high and wide skirting, laminate timber floors, 10 inch coving, ceiling roses, four panel extra wide white internal doors with brass knobs and fittings, a curved mahogany stairs with extra wide steps and carpet runner, a roll top bath and double vanity unit for the master ensuite, and a laminate antique fireplace for the living room.

In order to keep these elements and achieve a Georgian inspired home, costs had to be cut in other areas. Only half of the windows (at the front and side) are sliding sash and the rest are traditional double glazed windows or tilt and turn fire safety windows. 

The owners wanted a timber kitchen with natural stone counters but settled for laminate kitchen worktops, meaning they could do the wall panelling in the hall and landing.

Concrete window sills and capping for the entrance piers were used instead of a natural stone finish as this would have been five times more expensive.

Landscaping plans were postponed until after they moved in and the completion of the inside of the house was priortised.

For heating, the house has an air to water heat pump. The family say that their house is warm and have constant hot water. They spend an average of €800 a year on all their heat and water.

Content and photos provided by @home.at.ashfield