Diarmaid Brophy’s house in Dublin 7 is just 99sq m but every centimetre of space is designed to functionIt’s about making the most of the floor area you already have, in order to limit the amount of additional space you need to add, meaning more money can be spent per square metre instead of spreading things too thinly, he says.
The plot, overlooking a green, sloped down towards the railway embankment. It was south-facing to the rear and not overlooked. But the house didn’t relate to its different levels, he says, so he terraced it internally, so that it stepped down into the garden. By way of extending the footprint, he only added a single room to the back, a sitting room of about 30sq m .
The sitting room is down one more level and housed in a single-storey extension that is surrounded by garden. The ground floor now measures about 95sq m . Brennan used contractor Devine Building. He estimates it would cost €3,000-€3,500 per sq metre to do something similar today, so the ground floor would cost €285,000-€332,500.
But before she drafted any plans, she carried out a light analysis on the house to see how the sun falls on the property. “This is critical when adding space to small homes because light makes a space feel more generous. Ceiling heights are another consideration.”“Open plan has waned in popularity. It looks great in photos but isn’t always great to be in. Most now want spaces that can interconnect but that can also be closed off when required. They want spaces with doors.