House design guide
What Cavan wants your home to look like
Cavan County Council requires new rural homes to blend seamlessly into the countryside by using natural landscape hollows and slopes for shelter rather than sitting prominently on hilltops. The council expects houses to have simple, traditional forms (like narrow-plan cottages or long houses) and to preserve existing natural features like hedgerows.
Accepted house types & forms
What they want to see
Encouraged by the guide
Sheltered and low-lying siting(7, 9)
Build houses within natural hollows and dips in the landscape, utilizing existing vegetative cover and trees for wind shelter and screening.
Aligning driveways with hedgerows(9)
Driveways should run parallel to or along existing hedgerows rather than cutting across open fields.
South-facing orientation(10)
Orient the house toward the south to maximize natural solar heat and light gain, which reduces overall heat loss.
Narrow house plans on slopes(11)
Use narrow plan forms or sit the building perpendicular to the slope to absorb level changes naturally without extreme excavation.
Simple shapes and forms(13, 14)
Incorporate simple elevations, proportions, and forms that break down the overall mass of the dwelling.
Correct chimney placement(17)
Chimneys should be placed directly through, or as close as possible to, the roof ridge line, or be flush with the gable.
Traditional dormer styles(17)
Use traditional/wall dormers or gable-fronted dormers that maintain proper proportions and balance.
Traditional hardwood doors(17)
Install doors that feature traditional designs with symmetrical, vertically sheeted timber and a hardwood finish.
What gets refused
Discouraged by the guide
Elevated and exposed siting(7, 9)
Building on highly visible, elevated hilltops or ridges that damage the scenic character of the rural area is not permitted.
Breaking the skyline(5, 7, 9)
Dwellings in drumlin, upland, and highland areas must not break the skyline.
Removing hedgerows(9)
Avoid removing existing mature hedgerows and do not divide the site unnecessarily with a driveway.
North-facing slopes(9, 10)
Avoid building on north-facing slopes due to poor natural light and increased exposure to prevailing winds.
Deep excavations on hillsides(11)
Avoid deep excavations, wide house forms on slopes, and cutting massive, permanent scars into the landscape.
Bulky house forms(14)
Do not construct single, massive, bulky, or excessively wide and deep floor plans.
Foreign roof forms(14)
Avoid oversized roof spans and foreign roof shapes, such as Dutch hipped roofs.
Inappropriate chimney shapes and locations(17)
Avoid tall, thin, 'extruded' chimney types, and do not position chimneys directly on the slope of a roof.
Modern door materials and styles(17)
Avoid elaborate or ornate door designs, glazed paneling, PVC doors, and aluminium doors.
Materials & finishes
- Stone (traditional for cottages in the Cuilcagh - Anierin Uplands of West Cavan) (Page 4)
- Hardwood finish for external doors (Page 17)
- Avoid PVC and aluminium for doors (Page 17)
Roofs & form
- Simple forms and proportions like Cottage, Long House, and T-shapes are highly encouraged (Page 13)
- Chimneys must be positioned flush with the gable or through/close to the ridge line (Page 17)
- Traditional/wall dormers or gable-fronted dormers are the accepted styles (Page 17)
- Avoid large roof spans and foreign roof profiles such as Dutch hipped roofs (Page 14)
- Avoid placing chimneys on the slope of the roof or using thin extruded types (Page 17)
Siting & landscape
- Siting in sheltered hollows with natural vegetative cover is preferred (Page 7, 9)
- Dwellings must not break the skyline on drumlins, highlands, or lake catchments (Page 5, 7, 9)
- Utilize the gentlest part of the slope to minimize earthworks and landscape scarring (Page 11)
- Keep driveways aligned with existing boundaries/hedges; do not cut through open fields (Page 9)
- Observe site-to-house plot ratios: maximum house footprint is 4.5% (up to 138 sqm) on a 3/4 acre site, and 3.0% (up to 183 sqm) on a 1 1/2 acre site (Page 8)