Seeing the light

INTERIORS: In just eight weeks, this couple had a light-filled modern extension added to their home in Glasnevin. How did they do it? EMMA CULLINANgets the story behind this speedy and hassle-free build

NOW THAT THE property market has had its foundations rocked, it has become local lore that instead of trading up, people are more inclined to rethink their homes to get more out of them. That was the case with Sonali and Pat Bourne who, with their two daughters and their dog, Logan, were beginning to outgrow their rather dark house in Glasnevin.

“We needed more space: the house used to end where the kitchen is now,” says Pat. “We thought we might sell and move to a bigger place but with the way the property market went that was not an option.”

So the couple scoured the internet and came across designs by Odos Architects and liked its contemporary style. “We were bowled over by the stuff they did but thought that maybe it was top of the range,” says Sonali. They decided to consult the architects in the hope that they may have a solution, and that was when Dave O’Shea of Odos suggested that they might like to try the NowHouse model.

NowHouse began in 2009 when Odos teamed up with construction company Shomera to offer clients more affordable, design-led extensions. But, as much as the cost appealed, it was the speed of construction that swung it for the Bournes: the build was going to take all of eight weeks. NowHouse extensions typically cost between €1,400 and €1,575 a sq m for new-build work, depending on materials used, and around €600 to €700 for remedial works. Prices for a standard extension vary widely, but range from around €1,000 to €3,000 a sq m.

“It would cost the same as if a contractor and his crew came and built a traditional bricks-and-mortar extension,” says Pat. “But we were driven by the time factor.” The family decided to wait until the beginning of the school holidays and they left their home in the hands of the builders, spending three of the weeks in west Cork.

By this stage the couple knew a bit about the construction process, having visited a Shomera building – a house by the same architects and the Shomera factory – in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath, where they were shown the process. The transparency of it appealed to Pat: “Sometimes builders can baffle and blind you.”

There was a team of two to three builders on site for most of the construction. “It was really quick, really clean, there was no big machinery and the panels were designed to fit through the front door, so there was little disruption to the neighbours.” The result is a 40sq m glassy extension that has a kitchen and dining area just beyond the main house and then a thinner section that allows a courtyard on either side. The doors open so that the interior and exterior become one. Plus there’s a covered seating area at the back of the rear garden, with built-in storage.

The couple love it, but Sonali admits that her main aim was having a new kitchen. “I wasn’t as focused on the extension.” That left Pat to pursue his dream of something that was modern and different. “I didn’t just want a box.”

“When they came up with the design,” says Sonali, “Pat said, ‘that’s exactly what I want’, but I wasn’t so sure and the day I came here during the build, and the back of the house had gone, I thought I might cry.”

But now – sitting at her generous wooden table by Mango Crafts in Kenmare, that necessitated the architects having to change the plans to fit it – she says, “I’m very glad we went for a modern look and I love the glass. The light here has made a huge difference.” Pat adds that if they had had a traditional box extension then the kitchen “would be pitch dark”.

“It is like a totally different house. When we had a functional, modest family home it was fine, it did what it said on the tin, but there were not options. This has opened up a whole new world of options. There’s no TV in here, we don’t need one, we can watch birds in the water feature through the glass. It’s like being in the country.”

Now the television is in the front room, along with a fire, for a cosy retreat and a place the teens can bring their friends to. Now that the kitchen (made by In-House) is no longer separate from the main living space, everyone tends to gather here, with cooking, eating, chatting and homework all happening in the one area.

It has even changed the family’s body clocks and energy levels. “We were not morning people before,” says Sonali. “If it was a dark day the house would be very dark, but now, as we are having breakfast, when the light comes up people sit up straight and start chatting, you can watch the mood change. You don’t get much light in Ireland but here there is so much more than I imagined it could be. We never, ever feel closed in.” The couple did once briefly discuss the option of curtains or blinds, but decided against them.

And each member of the family appreciates the light in their own way, as Sonali says: “Sometimes I come into this room and find a daughter or the dog, just basking in the sun.”