The Crescent area in Limerick’s Georgian Neighbourhood. A red-bricked four-storey building in Limerick city centre had the ideal location for Maria O’Gorman Skelly and her husband Ciaran and their two children, Suzanne and David.
“Noel Kerley did a wonderful job in the renovation and extension of this period house, which was in need of a huge refurbishment and modernisation,” she says. “In his design and extension, he was very sympathetic of the period of house throughout, and we were able to retain many original features, shutters and the original sash windows at front. Then, while extending the house, we duplicated the period feel throughout.
“The previous owner had lived here all her life, and when she passed away it lay empty for a few years,” he says. “It was in quite a lot of disrepair and needed to be rewired, with new bathrooms and kitchen put in. It also needed to have part of the roof replaced and the staircase was a bit of a hazard as it seems to have been there since the start.
Culligan says this is how they felt about their home renovation, as they wanted to keep as much of the old house as possible, but, like the house in Bruges, the stairs were not fit for purpose. “Older buildings tend to be heavily compartmentalised and were not designed for how we live our lives today, so it is important to look at the spaces available, as they may not meet your needs,” he says.