The Black House
Marty and Chris bought a 1970s bungalow on the edge of Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, solely for the stunning location and spectacular panoramic views. The pebble dashed bungalow, which had been poorly added to over the years, did not represent their way of living as top Northern Ireland food bloggers. They wanted a house where they could entertain and provide a space large enough for their legendary invite only ‘dish you were here’ supper evenings, while also creating a bright family home.
2020 Architects were tasked to take this small roomed, poorly insulated, dark existing house and, on an incredibly tight budget, create a dramatic modern home. The build brought a little theatre to this stretch of the coast while providing bright, open-plan living spaces. It was quickly concluded that the shell of the original house was reasonable to adapt in terms of costs and the existing form – which sits comfortably on the site; however, the extensions and alterations to the original shape were helping to create the insipid and uninspiring 1970s house.
The bungalow before the works started. |
2020 Architects stripped the house back to its core; the layout was simplified to provide a generous living space with maximised views by adding a wall of glass. The existing window openings where replaced with minimalist fenestration or frameless glass where possible.
The original roof structure within the living/kitchen/dining space was retained and the ceiling vaulted to use light in this area without incurring severe cost implications. The obligatory walk-in larder and utility space was added at the rear as a discrete flat-roof extension.
The Black House after completion. |
The bathroom layout was re-designed to exploit the dramatic views, with high quality tiles and sanitaryware incorporated to transform the space. The master bedroom was wholly changed to include a walk-in wardrobe, en-suite and sauna. Frameless glass was used in place of a standard window unit to obtain full advantage of the sea view.
The house was well insulated and wrapped in black corrugated metal to complement its surroundings; rainwater goods were reduced and hidden to set off the dramatic form. Initially a polished brass door was specified for the main entrance. However, to maintain budget, the clients opted for a yellow PVC door.
Marty and Chris are now turning their attention to the garden and grounds. They intend on creating a garden room complete with a fire, patio and landscaping to include flame red flowers set along the black backdrop.
[edit] About this article
This article was written by Robert Barrie MCIAT. It previously appeared in CIAT’s AT Journal, Issue 129, Spring 2019. It can be accessed HERE.
More articles by CIAT on Designing Buildings Wiki can be found HERE.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Avoiding planning permission pitfalls.
- Basements in buildings.
- Hiring an architect as a domestic client.
- How to build a garage.
- How to build a porch.
- How to find a builder.
- Kit house.
- Licence to alter.
- Line of junction notice.
- Listed buildings.
- Party Wall Act.
- Planning permission.
- Refurbishment.
- Renovation.
- Self-build homes.
- Self-build home: project plan.
- Types of room.
--CIAT
Featured articles and news
The CIAT principal designer register
Providing assurance and verification of the capability and competence of registered ATs.
Building Safety recommendations and Northern Ireland
The NI roadmap to improving safety in high rise residential.
BSA residential sector competence standards guidance
BSAS 01:2024 Organisational Capability Management System Standard - Competence Assurance.
Specifying rendered external wall insulation for fire safety
How to interrogate the evidence provided to the specifier.
The benefits of writing articles for your organisation
How to create a profile for your organisation and publish for free.
No Falls Week. The importance of safe working at height
What to expect and what is on offer to avoid accidents.
Scottish Government action to reach net-zero targets
Retrofit expert group highlight critical actions needed.
A forward thinking, inclusive global community of members.
From engineered product life-spans, to their extension.
Circular economy in the built environment
A brief description from 2021. Where are we now?
CLC publishes domestic retrofit competency framework
Roadmap of Skills for net zero.
Understanding is key to conservation.
Open industry engagement survey seeks responses
Institutions and the importance of engagement.
National Retrofit Hub unveils new guide
Digital Building Logbooks and Retrofit: An Introduction.