Houzz Tour: 18th-Century Irish Coach House Gets a Glass Lining
A see-through wall lets the owners celebrate original architecture while enjoying their new gym and guest quarters
Sarah Warwick
February 7, 2018
Houzz Contributor. I'm a freelance journalist and editor writing for nationals, magazines and websites. A serial house revamper, I love great design, beautiful interiors and practical solutions.
Houzz Contributor. I'm a freelance journalist and editor writing for nationals, magazines... More
A home that looks old from the outside is often somewhat less revealing of the passage of time on the inside. Period features may be treasured, but the years often change or conceal them. That can’t be said of this Irish coach house and farm buildings, which architect Fintan Duffy converted into a gym and two light, modern, space-smart guest apartments.
Located near the owners’ house, the ancient structures were probably built in the mid-1700s, with additions in the early 1800s. Now a recessed two-story glass wall on the south side — essentially an exterior within an exterior — leaves the old stonework plain to see from inside as well as out. With a minimum of restoration in other areas, it’s a building that wears its history with pride.
Located near the owners’ house, the ancient structures were probably built in the mid-1700s, with additions in the early 1800s. Now a recessed two-story glass wall on the south side — essentially an exterior within an exterior — leaves the old stonework plain to see from inside as well as out. With a minimum of restoration in other areas, it’s a building that wears its history with pride.
Photos by Philip Lauterbach and Sorca Duffy
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who live nearby and use it as a gym and guest quarters
Location: Southwest of Waterford, Ireland
Architect: Fintan Duffy of dhb architects
The historical facade of the old coach house is ingeniously preserved thanks to the glass wall sitting discreetly behind it. On the ground floor is a gym used by the owners, plus a two-bedroom guest apartment (not shown in the photos). The upper floor contains a second two-bedroom guest apartment.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who live nearby and use it as a gym and guest quarters
Location: Southwest of Waterford, Ireland
Architect: Fintan Duffy of dhb architects
The historical facade of the old coach house is ingeniously preserved thanks to the glass wall sitting discreetly behind it. On the ground floor is a gym used by the owners, plus a two-bedroom guest apartment (not shown in the photos). The upper floor contains a second two-bedroom guest apartment.
Every aspect of the building was sensitively renovated. At the entrance on the eastern side, shown here, the windows required restoration. Based on one of the surviving windows, each of the two ground-floor ones was divided into four panes. “We had to guess the arched window,” Duffy says, “so we chose a simple division. It was the same with the oculus window.”
The arch at the top is thought to have contained a bell to alert the agricultural workers, but sadly no trace of it is left.
Duffy got involved with the coach house in the early 2000s, when the roof was fixed to keep it from deteriorating. “It was quite derelict internally and hadn’t been used for decades,” he says. The earlier intervention made this conversion easier.
The arch at the top is thought to have contained a bell to alert the agricultural workers, but sadly no trace of it is left.
Duffy got involved with the coach house in the early 2000s, when the roof was fixed to keep it from deteriorating. “It was quite derelict internally and hadn’t been used for decades,” he says. The earlier intervention made this conversion easier.
Stepping through the eastern entrance reveals a soaring space. “The hallway was left rawer than the rest of the building. It’s really just a space to house the staircase,” Duffy says.
In this area, the walls were left exposed, but the ceiling is plastered. “In the next space, there was more intervention — we insulated a wall at that point — and by the time you’re into the accommodation, you’re into the fully transformed part,” he says.
In this area, the walls were left exposed, but the ceiling is plastered. “In the next space, there was more intervention — we insulated a wall at that point — and by the time you’re into the accommodation, you’re into the fully transformed part,” he says.
The staircase design was inspired by the 18th-century style of grand staircases, and it has a concrete ribbon balustrade and cantilevered steel stairs clad in wood.
The homeowners chose the beautiful tiles that make a feature of the floor.
Tiles: Best Tile
The homeowners chose the beautiful tiles that make a feature of the floor.
Tiles: Best Tile
The coach house is subject to local preservation laws. The changes had the support of the local planning authority because they respected the building’s significance and character. Inserting the two-story glass wall seen here allowed the south-facing facade to be left virtually unchanged.
“We insulated the north side heavily, as well as the roof, to justify the glazing,” Duffy says. No new openings were made on this south wall to prevent overheating of the interior.
“We insulated the north side heavily, as well as the roof, to justify the glazing,” Duffy says. No new openings were made on this south wall to prevent overheating of the interior.
A gap was left between the glass wall and the existing exterior so that repairs can be made to the latter as needed over time.
There was some damage to the openings of the building, especially on this south side, but the architects did the minimum necessary to restore the integrity of the structure. “There was no rerendering and no replastering,” Duffy says. “Internally, it was all left as it was, apart from fungicidal treatment.”
There was some damage to the openings of the building, especially on this south side, but the architects did the minimum necessary to restore the integrity of the structure. “There was no rerendering and no replastering,” Duffy says. “Internally, it was all left as it was, apart from fungicidal treatment.”
The gym is off the hall — the lowest part of the stair balustrade is just visible through the doorway in this photo. Look at the gym ceiling, and you can see the base of a walkway that leads from the top of the staircase and crosses to the guest apartment. “It was important that it looked attractive,” says Duffy of the view from below.
Lights are installed on the underside of the walkway. “We limited lighting so we wouldn’t have too much hanging from the ceilings,” Duffy says.
Ceramic tiles cover the downstairs floors, with underfloor heating keeping the space warm.
Lights are installed on the underside of the walkway. “We limited lighting so we wouldn’t have too much hanging from the ceilings,” Duffy says.
Ceramic tiles cover the downstairs floors, with underfloor heating keeping the space warm.
Upstairs, the walkway to the apartment allows views down through the building. “We left it double-height here, as we didn’t want to overfill the space,” Duffy says. “It’s a buffer zone between the entrance staircase and the apartment.”
The trusses above the walkway are finished in white. “We painted them because they were in the darker spaces of the scheme and it made sense to highlight them with color,” he says.
The walkway flooring is wood parquet, and it’s lit near the floor.
The trusses above the walkway are finished in white. “We painted them because they were in the darker spaces of the scheme and it made sense to highlight them with color,” he says.
The walkway flooring is wood parquet, and it’s lit near the floor.
The layout of both upstairs and downstairs takes its cue from the origins of the home, with a series of rooms and no hallway. “There were three large volumes, and the idea was to connect them in an 18th-century way, where you move from one room to the next,” Duffy says.
Looking through the self-contained apartment, you can see the walkway and the staircase beyond.
Wood floors: Murphy Larkin; steel radiator: Heiton Buckley
Looking through the self-contained apartment, you can see the walkway and the staircase beyond.
Wood floors: Murphy Larkin; steel radiator: Heiton Buckley
The apartment kitchen has sleek handleless cabinets. Here, as in the other rooms, neutral shades let the old building’s character come to the fore. “It draws attention to the original color of the trusses and the walls themselves,” Duffy says.
Kitchen cabinetry: Ryan Roche
Kitchen cabinetry: Ryan Roche
The new interior glass wall runs along the dining table, with the original south-facing facade of the building beyond it.
“Looking south, the view is restricted because you have to find an original window,” Duffy says. “It’s picturesque in the classical sense, and the openings are like picture windows.”
The landscape visible through the old window openings still has the characteristics it bore when the coach house was constructed. “A lot of Ireland’s landscape was set out in the 18th century, with mature woodland and farmland and a lot of pasture,” Duffy says. “It’s bucolic and changes with the seasons.”
A bookcase, seen at the end of the table, is between the kitchen-dining area of the apartment and the seating area beyond. “It divides up the space without doors or solid partitions,” Duffy says. A radiator is behind the grille in the lower part of the unit.
Milano dining table and Adelaide chairs: BoConcept
“Looking south, the view is restricted because you have to find an original window,” Duffy says. “It’s picturesque in the classical sense, and the openings are like picture windows.”
The landscape visible through the old window openings still has the characteristics it bore when the coach house was constructed. “A lot of Ireland’s landscape was set out in the 18th century, with mature woodland and farmland and a lot of pasture,” Duffy says. “It’s bucolic and changes with the seasons.”
A bookcase, seen at the end of the table, is between the kitchen-dining area of the apartment and the seating area beyond. “It divides up the space without doors or solid partitions,” Duffy says. A radiator is behind the grille in the lower part of the unit.
Milano dining table and Adelaide chairs: BoConcept
As you look back through the apartment toward the other side of the bookcase, the doors to the bedrooms are on the left. “There were going to be three bedrooms; then it was reduced to two,” Duffy says. “Because it’s a narrow space of about [16 feet], we decided to plan it without a corridor, and that’s why there are sliding doors to the bedrooms. They mean the beds can take up the full width of [6½ feet].”
Sofa: BoConcept
Sofa: BoConcept
Which door a guest uses to the master bedroom depends on which side of the bed he or she needs to access.
Besides being space-saving in the linear layout, the sliding barn doors complement the coach house with their agricultural style.
Glass above the doors boosts daylight in the bedrooms.
Sliding doors: Murphy Larkin; bed linen: Meadows & Byrne
Besides being space-saving in the linear layout, the sliding barn doors complement the coach house with their agricultural style.
Glass above the doors boosts daylight in the bedrooms.
Sliding doors: Murphy Larkin; bed linen: Meadows & Byrne
The en suite bathroom to the master bedroom continues the neutral color palette, with the exposed beams adding natural warmth.
Tiles: Woodpecker Floors & Tiles
Tiles: Woodpecker Floors & Tiles
The owners wanted to put bunk beds in the second bedroom. Like the double bed, they fully utilize the room’s dimensions.
Rugs underfoot add to the textural range within the home. “It’s very much about working with existing textures, complementing and contrasting, and leaving the old in a more textured state,” Duffy says.
Main builder: Eoin Hunt of Clodagh Construction
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Rugs underfoot add to the textural range within the home. “It’s very much about working with existing textures, complementing and contrasting, and leaving the old in a more textured state,” Duffy says.
Main builder: Eoin Hunt of Clodagh Construction
More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
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Why would you modernize that house? At least stay true to the era and not add random things, especially the staircase.
True to the era would have been horses and carriages, it was never a house. I think it is a very sensitive conversion.
I love this article. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. This is really helpful and well-detailed article.