Wicklow House 1

A 2 storey extension to a traditional rural cottage in the Wicklow Mountains

For this project, we worked closely with the client to see how a small, single storey cottage could be better adapted to meet the needs of the client’s young children and extended family, whilst retaining features of the existing house.  The result was a refurbishment of the existing cottage, a connecting single storey element and a significant two storey extension which would provide a much sought-after, family-sized entertaining room with full accessibility to other family members. 

The extension provides three bedrooms at first floor with a new kitchen, living and utility area at ground floor.  The ground floor is corridor-free and fully wheelchair accessible, to allow the client's father to visit the house.  The steep site topography allows for the roof of the two storey extension to match the height of the existing, single-storey cottage.  In plan, the  extension is set at an angle to the cottage, capturing views to the west and the evening sunlight, with the stairs contained in the volume between the cottage and extension.   The stair volume is expressed with stone and zinc materials to contrast with traditional render and slate of the main house.

Planning permission was granted in June 2021 and work started on site in October 2021.