Design guide · Kildare County Council
Rural House Design Guide (County Development Plan 2023–2029, appendix 4)
The council's guidance on siting and designing a house in the countryside.
Kildare County Council · 2023 · 69 pages
Ask this document
Answers come only from the text of Rural House Design Guide (County Development Plan 2023–2029, appendix 4), each claim linked to its page. They are not advice; check the page itself.
Free, with a daily limit.
- 4.HOUSE DESIGN 20 Deep plan, boxy shapes like figure 4.5 should be amended to accommodate narrower plans as in figure 4.6 that can be linked to break down the mass. Figure 4.5 – Double deep plan. Only 50% of the house can benefit from solar gain and light penetration. Figure 4.6 – Narrow plan design, no need to sacrifice floor area required. All rooms benefit with more exposure to light and solar gain. Figure 4.7 – Example of a floor plan and site layout for a single storey design proposal which breaks down the mass using narrow plan elements.
- 4.HOUSE DESIGN 21 4.4 – Proportions Traditional rural homes maintained a balance of proportions between the walls and openings (windows and doors) by demonstrating three key factors: - Height of the building relative to its openings, with openings exhibiting a vertical emphasis. - A high solid-to-void relationship (e.g., greater wall surface area than windows and doors). - A simple composition with symmetrical arrangement features. A comprehensive proportioning system should be applied to contemporary dwellings to ensure that the new house relates to its surroundings. Many building elements have a certain size, which may be pre- determined by the manufacturer, the size of each element should be perceived relative to the sizes of the other elements around it. Careful consideration of proportion should be given to solid-to-void ratio and overall elevational composition. Irish rural houses are generally characterised as being simple buildings, with horizontally proportioned roofs sitting on horizontally proportioned walls that are counterbalanced by elements with a strong vertical emphasis such as gables, chimneys, and windows. Roof proportion is an important consideration to allow the dwelling to be adapted if required to accommodate the future needs of a growing family. This must be done tastefully without excessive pitches or overhangs. Figure 4.8 – Traditional house and narrow floor plan which maintains a balance of proportions. This balance is upset by using much larger horizontal emphasis windows that reverses the solid to void relationship (i.e., the windows dominate) producing a structure that looks weak and unbalanced, lacking the simplicity and strength of traditional buildings. Notwithstanding the preference for a horizontal emphasis on window and door openings, a mix of vertical and horizontal openings can work in more complex and contemporary design proposals. See figure 4.3 above.
- 4.HOUSE DESIGN 22 Windows do not have to be small to respect tradition. Larger windows can offer spectacular views, help maximise light penetration and solar gain. However, the length to width ratio needs to be considered. In many cases, a series of smaller windows with vertical emphasis, or of square proportion, sit more comfortably than large horizontal openings. A few solutions that can be employed to integrate larger windows into rural buildings are outlined in Section 5 of this Guide.
- 4.HOUSE DESIGN 23 Key considerations: - Ensure the dwelling is suitably in proportion with the site. - Design a dwelling that can be absorbed by the site and of a size that sits well within the surrounding landscape. - Provide interesting layouts, connect narrow plan elements as opposed to using deep plan layouts. - Break down the massing of structures by using narrow plan elements to obtain the required floor area. Single storey linked with 2-storey is often a successful strategy. - Remember solar gain and light penetration being maximised using narrow plan elements. - Window and door openings should be proportionate with the wall area. A vertical emphasis is preferred but horizontal openings can also work.
- 5. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 24 This section deals with the architectural elements of a home and focuses on the design details which are essential to the success of the appearance of a new house in the landscape. The elements discussed are: x Roofs/ Dormers/ Chimneys x Windows x Doors x Porches x Conservatories x Finishes/ Materials/ Colours 5.1 – Roofs/ Dormers/ Chimneys: Roofs in rural areas give buildings their distinctive profile. Indigenous rural houses tend to have simple roof shapes, usually with side gables and with slopes between 35-45 degrees. A simple roof form with non-complex roof profiles is preferable. The number of ridge lines and valleys should be kept to a minimum. Some of the more common roof profiles used in the countryside are illustrated in figure 5.1, while appropriate edge details and treatments are noted in figures 5.2 and 5.3. Figure 5.1 – Common roof profiles Figure 5.2 – Appropriate minimal roof edge treatment Figure 5.3 – Avoid roofs with large overhangs which result in the roof sitting like a ‘lid’ on the building.
- 5. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 25 While pitched roofs are most common, other shapes are possible, but great care should be taken to ensure that they are in keeping with the overall design concept; inspiration can be taken from the typical agricultural buildings found throughout the county for example. Figure 5.4 – 3D Image of barrel roof proposed to shed at Goatstown, Naas, Co. Kildare Rooflights and Dormers: If rooflights or dormers are used, they should always suit the roof they sit within in terms of scale and materials. Rooflights flush to the roof are acceptable. Figure 5.5 – Example of traditional rooflight flush with slate detail; Naas, Co. Kildare. The use of rooflights is preferable to mid roof dormers especially on roofs that are highly visible. If dormers are preferred / required, a simple wall plate dormer is the preferred form. They should be in the format of a 1 ½ storey dwelling with dormer windows extending upwards out of the main walls of the house.
- 5. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 26 Figure 5.6 – Example of a well-designed dormer window projecting from the main wall Figure 5.7 – Avoid dormers protruding from the roof The continuation of the rendered finish helps to visually unify the dormer with the main mass of the dwelling. Protruding dormers are more visually detached, and this effect is emphasized where another contrasting material such as PVC cladding is used, as shown in Figure 5.7. Figure 5.8 – Simple interpretation of a dormer building form with dormers on the front elevation projecting from the main wall. Figure 5.9 – Contemporary dormer in rear elevation Contemporary style dormers like in Figure 5.9 can also work well in some of the more modern design approaches.
- 27 5. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS Chimneys: With current space heating standards, many new houses will not have open fires or stoves and chimneys will not be required. The inclusion of false chimneys for visual reasons should be avoided. Vent tiles to match the roof colour can be used to terminate ventilation stacks. However, chimneys if required can contribute to the overall design of a dwelling if appropriately proportioned and detailed. They should be located through and across the ridge. In traditional gabled houses they are generally found flush with the face of the wall. Figure 5.10 - Examples of traditional chimneys, located on the ridge. Roofs & Chimneys Key Principles: Roofs should be appropriately scaled and proportioned. Roof coverings on pitched roofs can be slate, tiles, metal sheeting, thatch, glass, zinc, and sustainable green roofs. Roofs may contain solar water collectors and / or photovoltaic systems, which should be incorporated into the overall roof design. The treatment of eaves should be studied carefully and relate directly to the proposed building type. Overhanging eaves should be avoided. It is preferable to use a plaster finish around dormer windows. Chimneys should be substantial, robust and rise generously above roofs. Chimney materials should be appropriate for the style and materials of the walls below. Vent stacks should be enclosed within chimneys. Where this is not practical, vent pipes should be clad where they emerge above roof slopes.
- 5. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 28 5.2 - Windows Windows are one of the most important features of a building. The choice of window style affects the overall appearance of the house. All windows and their subdivisions should relate to the proportioning system of the entire building. Windows with a vertical emphasis generally work better as they help to balance the width of the building and provide better light, views, and articulation between the interior and exterior. Figure 5.11 – Examples of good window division. The arrangement of openings should be kept simple and should normally be of the same size and style across the entire façade. Openings should be placed across the central access of the façade and should normally be symmetrical unless a highquality design allows otherwise. Oversized window features to certain living spaces are permissible, but only where the length to width ratio is appropriate and the integrity of the overall design and balance of the house is not compromised. Window choice is an important design element. Frequently, uPVC windows have openings whose frames sit ‘proud’ of the rest of the frame and appear chunkier or less elegant than a traditional timber sash window, however there are several manufacturers that provide quality modern windows including alu-clad timber windows. Bay windows should be well designed with respect to proportion, scale, and detail. Figure 5.12 – Timber window and uPVC window. Window Colouring: Glazing to rooms often appears as a dark grey when seen externally and a dark neutral colour for window frames helps to lessen the contrast. This can look crisp and contemporary, particularly when seen against light coloured render. Light neutral colours harmonise with rendered finishes, however glazing bars will be more prominent. Light / white coloured frames will be visually prominent if seen against a stone finish or darker render and should be avoided.
- 5. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS 29 Windows - Key Principles: In the interests of sustainable development environmentally friendly materials should be used. Window ventilators must be concealed. Windows to bathrooms should not normally be on the principal elevations. Coloured glass may be used in certain circumstances but avoided on principal elevations. Windows with ‘clip-on’ glazing bars should be avoided. Plain frosted glass should only be used in obscured windows – not patterned or textured. Sash windows should be of the double hung type (a top or bottom hung hinge is acceptable for cleaning or escape purposes only). Panes must also be proportioned so that they are taller than they are wide. Window reveals should be a minimum of 75mm where a subsill is used a minimum of 50mm where there is no subsill. 5.3 - Doors: Doors provide a point of access to the house and thereby separate the outside and inside spaces. Traditionally they were the only element of embellishment on the exterior of a house. Proportion, detail, colour, and simplicity should be the main considerations when designing or choosing doors. The most successful type of doors for vernacular houses are tongue and groove vertical boarded doors. ‘Fanlights or other glazing should not be located within the door leaf itself, except in the case of a pair of clear glazed upper panels in a 6-panel door, or a single clear glass pane with simple frame in a cottage style door. Figure 5.13 – Appropriate simple design vertical sheeted doors.
Source Kildare County Council: Rural House Design Guide (County Development Plan 2023–2029, appendix 4) (2023) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.