Posts Tagged ‘refurbishment’

Allingham Arms Hotel, Bundoran

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

Under the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) we have been trawling through old files, before committing them to the shedder and we came across this old photograph of the Allingham Arms Hotel in Bundoran as it was back in the 60’s and 70’s.

It reminded us of the exciting times we had working with the late Sean McEniff.  He was a man of seemingly boundless energy and a drive to move forward, at speed.

Original Allingham Arms Hotel 1960-1970's

Original Allingham Arms Hotel 1960-1970’s

In the late 1980’s we were engaged with Sean in adding to his hotel in Letterkenny, the Mount Errigal (previously the Ballyraine).  During design discussions he announced that he had just purchased the Allingham Arms and asked us to work with him on the development of the hotel.  From the start there was opposing views on the best way to commence that development.  One option was to refurbish the existing building and to extend it, thereby getting an income stream started in the shortest possible time.  The option we favoured was the demolition of the existing and the erection of a new hotel set on the front of the site as close to the sea as possible.  As architects, we also wanted to showcase our skill by creating an extension to the wonderful Bay View Terrace, but in a modern format.  We lost the argument and photos below show the early 1991-92 development.

Bay View Terrace

Bay View Terrace picture from Twisted Limbs & Crooked Branches

 

Allingham Arms Hotel 1990's

Allingham Arms Hotel 1990’s

Allingham Arms Hotel - Dinning Room

Allingham Arms Hotel – Dining Room

Allingham Arms Hotel - Cafe Bar

Allingham Arms Hotel – Old Cafe Bar

Ironically the hotel proved so popular that we have been adding to the building ever since and in 2006 we finally got to build an extension to the hotel on the seafront to make use of those magnificent views.

We were delighted recently to see that the success of the hotel under Peter, Elizabeth and family has brought it to four-star status.  It’s come a long way since 1991.

Allingham Arms Hotel

Allingham Arms Hotel

Allingham Arms Hotel - Cafe Bar

Allingham Arms Hotel – New Cafe Bar

Refurbishment and extension to family dwelling, Co. Leitrim

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

One of the most enjoyable aspects of our work is witnessing architecture make a family fall in love with their home again. This was our experience of a recent refurbishment and extension to a family dwelling in Co. Leitrim.

Everything about the pretty village of Leitrim, that attracted them twelve years ago, still appealed to our clients. They had simply outgrown their first home. Family visits from Donegal were now an expanding entity in themselves as cousins for their two girls arrived along.

Entertaining family was never going to be compromised by this pair, so they came to us seeking to expand and open up their kitchen-dining space and to find a way to incorporate a snug sitting area.

Although the site is narrow we were able to add on a small extension to the side. We flooded the new extension with light from above, as well as improving access to an existing patio garden directly from the kitchen, with the addition of new glazed doors.

Reconfiguring the existing internal layout created a transformation of the boxed, defined spaces too often the property developers’ layout of choice. The look of the new space is contemporary, a light filled soothing palette of whites and blue greys with pops of colour in the soft furnishings.

Now at the end of a busy working week our clients like nothing better than to avail of the stunning amenities Leitrim has to offer and return home to the space that more than ever is the heart of their home. We know they are sure to maximise their new kitchen over the holiday period. We wish them and all Allan Curran clients and friends a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Our clients wanted to open their house up to create more room for entertaining family and friends, and although the site is narrow we were able to add on a small extension to the side. We also removed a few walls inside the house, so that with contemporary finishes, fittings and furniture the whole look and feel of the house has been transformed. Our clients are delighted with the light- filled Scandi- feel of their new kitchen, dining and living areas and are sure to make good use of them over the holiday period.

Co. Leitrim Before

Co. Leitrim After 1

Co. Leitrim After 1

Co. Leitrim After 2

Co. Leitrim After 2

Co. Leitrim After 3

Co. Leitrim After 3

Co. Leitrim After 4

Co. Leitrim After 4

 

 

Co. Leitrim After 5

Co. Leitrim After 5

Co. Leitrim After 6

Co. Leitrim After 6

Co. Leitrim After 7

Co. Leitrim After 7

 

Refurbishment, renovation and extension to existing 1980’s dwelling located in Co. Fermanagh

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

Much of modern domestic architecture and especially those aspects associated with house extensions is based around two features – daylight and access to the patio (and the garden beyond). Both these aspects are designed to make the best of the little sunshine we get in Ireland. Actually, when we approached the month of May you might be surprised to know that during May and June, our sunniest months we get on average between 5 hours of sunshine a day in the northwest and 7 hours a day in the south east. There are, of course, no free lunches. Windows cost approximately 4 times as much per square meter as an insulated block wall and while triple glazing is now almost standard you also lose 6 times more heat through a triple glazed window than you do through the same area of insulated block work.

Garden room

Garden room – exterior view

Garden Room

Garden Room – interior view

external view

Garden room external

 

view to rear

view to rear

When it comes to the cost of creating a patio the sky can be the limit, but with some consideration of the materials, the layout and the levels, you can achieve an attractive area on which to enjoy the outdoors at a reasonable cost. In this particular case we managed to reduce the original quotation by almost 50% just by considering those various aspects.

 

timber cladding

Timber cladding

Patio

Archive find !

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

While having a spring clean in the office we found this old photograph of the  Allingham Arms Hotel, Bundoran, Co. Donegal before the extension and renovation.

Allingham Arms Hotel archive

Allingham Arms Hotel archive

Allingham Arms Hotel

Allingham Arms Hotel – existing

 

 

Refurbishment of existing dwelling at Henry Street, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

We’re delighted that one of our projects features as the cover home in Ireland’s Homes Interiors and Living April issue – it’s a refurbishment of an existing waterfront house on Henry Street in Enniskillen.  The photos here give an idea of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of our work, but with fourteen full colour pages including stockists and suppliers, why not have a look at the magazine – on sale now!

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – before

 

 

Refubishment Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street, Enniskillen – after

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – living area before

 

 

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – new living area

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment at Henry Street – dining area before

 

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – dining area

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – kitchen before

 

 

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – Kitchen

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – bathroom before

 

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – cloaks

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – bedroom before

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – bedroom

 

 

Henry Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – lower area

 

 

 

Herny Street

Refurbishment of Henry Street – Living area to lower level

Refurbishment, renovation and extension of 1980s dwelling located Co. Fermanagh

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

As part of the refurbishment a good portion of the existing ground floor was reconfigured to put a kitchen/dining space at the southern gable with an increased window size to maximise the light and the view. The old kitchen was turned into a “winter snug” that was separated physically from the garden room with a screen but this was glazed to maintain a visual connection and once again to maximise the southern light, feeding as many spaces as possible.

1980s refurbishment and extension

Existing interiors of dwelling

 

 

1980s dwelling

refurbished main living room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first floor bedrooms and dressing areas were also reconfigured to give two top quality bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and additional storage space.

 

1980s dwelling

New extension to rear of dwelling

1980s refurbishment

View of new glazing to extension

We have a growing awareness, as we pull ourselves out of the recession and start to build again, that there is a distinct shortage of sub-contractors.  The contractor, Stephen Farry, has done his best to keep to the programme but is continually delayed by the sub-contractors, who,  in turn, are stretched to meet the growing demand while honouring long standing relationships.  In short, delays that we are experiencing on many jobs are nobody’s fault, just a symptom of a general shortage of skilled labour.

In this, and many other cases, we are left to rely on the clients understanding and tolerance.  So far that has been forthcoming and the work is proceeding, albeit at a slower pace than hoped for.

1980s dwelling

Refurbished bathroom

1980s refurbishment

Refurbished Dressing Room

 

Refurbishment, renovation and extension to existing 1980s dwelling located in Co. Fermanagh

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

In the early designs it was envisaged that the refurbishment needed to include a half or two storey extension to accommodate the client’s brief which gave the extension a form similar to the existing but with a much more contemporary feel. However, when they revised their brief the reduced accommodation could be incorporated into a single storey. Adding a single storey extension to the existing format of the refurbishment was problematic without using a flat roof, which the Client wanted to avoid. We therefore devised a delta wing roof which, as well as avoiding a flat roof solution, gave us a number of positive contributions to the project.  It provided a clear distinction between old and new while a deep overhang created much needed shadowing for the wall of glass that was important to the Client in order to link the garden room to the landscaped patios and beyond.

To further accentuate the separation between traditional and contemporary the “garden room” extension is to be clad in natural cedar contrasting with the heavier wet dashed block work of the existing dwelling. The refurbishment and extension are designed to passive house levels of airtightness and insulation.

Refurbishment of 1980s dwelling

Refurbishment of 1980s dwelling – Delta wing roof taking shape.

1980s refurbishment

Refurbishment and extension of 1980s dwelling – block work and steel to Pavilion extension

Refurbishment, renovation and extension to existing 1980s dwelling located in Co. Fermanagh

Posted by Allan Curran Architects

As Enniskillen architects we were approached by a Client looking to start a refurbishment project.  He had purchased an existing 1980’s dwelling to which he wanted to add more reception areas, to make best use of the south facing aspect and to modernise the existing building, all in a very short time frame.

The project was to be carried out in two phases, the first was to make changes to the existing house to make it habitable and allow the clients to vacate their old house. The second phase involved an extension to the rear but a key question quickly arose, how to join old to new. It was agreed that it was important, visually, to differentiate between the two so the design for the second phase called for a departure from the traditional style of the existing building and one which also allowed the clients to put their own mark on their future home.

1980s refurbishment

Front of existing 1980s dwelling before refurbishment

  

1980s Refurbishment

Rear of existing 1980s dwelling before refurbishment

It was very important to resolve this issue quickly in order to get the design into the planning system and keep the project on schedule. At the same time the issue was so fundamental that rushing it wasn’t an option. The essence of the layout involved bringing the garden to the southwest into play as an outside extension of the new ‘garden room’. This was to be the area where friends and family would gather but it would also be an area from which you could view both old and new together so it needed careful consideration.

We discussed it with our client, changed it around a fair bit and eventually came up with a very different solution.

1980s refurbishment - early design of extension to rear

1980s refurbishment early design