House design guide
What Donegal wants your home to look like
The council wants rural houses to look like they are a natural part of the landscape rather than dominating it, by using a site-led design approach that adapts to local slopes and weather. Homes should have simple traditional shapes, use a limited selection of local materials, and preserve existing trees and dry stone walls. New designs must respect the local countryside and capitalize on natural sunlight and wind shelter.
Accepted house types & forms
What they want to see
Encouraged by the guide
Siting along contours(Page 10)
Position buildings to run along the natural contours of the site to blend sympathetically with the terrain.
Solar gain and orientation(Page 10)
Design and orient the house to maximize natural sunlight and heat, keeping windows smaller on the north side and larger with vertical emphasis on the south side.
Preserving existing boundaries(Page 11)
Retain existing dry stone walls, established native hedgerows, and mature deciduous trees where possible.
Subordinate outbuildings(Page 15, Page 17)
Ensure that garages, stores, and annex buildings are smaller, simpler, and styled to match and complement the main house.
Traditional roof pitch(Page 16)
Use a roof pitch between 35 and 45 degrees to match traditional rural designs and provide maximum wind and rain resistance.
Local stone(Page 17)
Use locally sourced stone where stone is integrated into the design to reflect and reinforce the character of the area.
What gets refused
Discouraged by the guide
Building on crests and shoulders(Page 6)
Avoid constructing homes on the crest, ridge, or shoulder of a slope due to high visual exposure.
Unnecessary site excavation(Page 6, Page 10)
Significant excavation to create a flat artificial building platform is not acceptable.
Obtrusive sites(Page 10)
Constructing houses on highly elevated or exposed sites that detract from the visual character of the countryside will not be permitted.
Breaking the skyline or waterline(Page 10)
Buildings must not be sited where they break the skyline or waterline when viewed from surroundings.
Front rainwater downpipes(Page 16)
Avoid a clutter of rainwater downpipes on the front facade of the house.
Ill-proportioned bay windows(Page 16)
Avoid large, poorly proportioned glass panes on bay windows; keep them simple and matching the house's other window details.
Materials & finishes
- Locally sourced stone
- Restrained palette of materials and finishes
- Finishes that reflect the colors and textures of the Donegal landscape
- Green construction materials (such as low carbon cement and sustainable timber)
Roofs & form
- Linear plan form (narrow plan with modest scale and vertical emphasis on gables)
- 35-45 degree roof pitch
- Visually robust chimneys located along the ridge
- Plain and simple eaves and flush verges
- Wall plate dormers
- Segmented overall massing to reduce the apparent scale of the house
Siting & landscape
- Siting along existing contours to avoid running across slopes
- Utilizing naturally occurring tucks and hollows for shelter and privacy
- Retaining and rebuilding traditional dry stone walls to match local style
- Using existing tree clusters and groupings of farm buildings as a natural backdrop
- Determining house orientation by sun, wind, and landform rather than the nearest road
- Submitting a detailed native species landscaping schedule with planning applications