Two-up, two-down - and now twice the size

A former Crumlin corporation house has doubled its footprint and earned eco-cred, writes Alanna Gallagher

NUMBER 131 Saul Road was an average two-up two-down corporation house in old Crumlin until architect Sinead Cullen got her hands on it. The sustainable design specialist, who works for a consultancy called Delap and Waller Ecoco, admits to putting her heart and soul into the project.

With the help of graphic design partner Adrian Corrigan, the house went from a modest 60sq m (646sq ft) to almost double that size and it now stands at the bigger and brighter 105sq m (1,139sq ft). Now with three double bedrooms, the house is for sale by private treaty through agent Felicity Fox for €490,000.

A box-like extension was tacked onto the side and back of the pebble-dash property. The visible part is cedar clad, while the rear is built using breathable materials and finished with a natural masonry paint. It is a light house: "We deliberately kept to a neutral palette and let the light speak for itself," says Cullen. The house has a B1 energy efficiency rating.

All the original windows were retained, refurbished and double-glazed. Cullen kept all the original doors too, inserting panels of opaque glass into internal doors to add light. Where doors needed to be replaced she recycled old doors instead of buying new. Natural, mineral-based paints were used to decorate throughout.

The main part of the house features a livingroom with door access to an adjacent and roomy white gloss kitchen. The kitchen is east-facing and light-filled in the mornings. The open-plan livingroom leads into a rear dining area where there is roof lighting and oodles of glazing as well as access to the back garden.

There is solid walnut flooring throughout at ground level which creates a great sense of flow to the house. Soft touches like the off-white linen/cotton curtains on glazing in the diningroom and the hessian carpeting on the stairs and first floor help keep those spaces cosy.

There's also the original parlour or front room, now used as a home office but which would be a cosy sittingroom since they have retained the cast-iron fireplace. If you're working from home you can close the door on your work at the end of the day, says Cullen.

Upstairs there are three double bedrooms. The front room in the original part of the house is spacious with lots of storage; the back bedroom is bijou but still big enough to fit a double bed and some storage. There is a small family bathroom. The main bedroom has oodles of natural light, recessed storage and an en suite.

Out back there is a south-facing garden with sheltered deck area. "The aspect of the house meant we could make maximum use of solar panels," explains Cullen. On the roof there is an evacuated tube solar panel, which is more efficient than the flat plate collectors. It heats half the hot water for the year, Cullen says proudly.