Wicklow House 2

A single storey extension providing accessible accommodation to a two storey farmhouse in County Wicklow

The client's brief was to extend their existing two storey farmhouse to meet their changing needs as they get older and to enable their now-grown children and grandchildren to stay in the original part of the house.  The extension provides new, step-free ground floor bedrooms including a fully wheelchair accessible bedroom and ensuite shower room, along with separate accommodation for care staff.   The new accessible side entrance leads to a garage accessed from a reinstated historic laneway.

The extension is set at an angle to the existing house following the line of the adjacent field.  The low ridgeline of the extension echoes traditional farm buildings and as a one storey element, feels subservient to the original two-storey farmhouse.  

The client was keen to improve the overall efficiency of the existing farmhouse, moving away from a dependency on oil for heating.  The proposed energy strategy for the entire house comprises an air source heat pump and whole house ventilation system with solar panels located externally.   The extension is designed with highly insulated, airtight external envelope and underfloor heating. The existing farmhouse will be future-proofed with new thermally-efficient windows & doors, insulation retrofitted into the roofspace and external rendered insulation.