Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses

1. Page 51

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 47. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E 5. Interlocking concrete tiles Projecting balconies Projecting eaves, modern bargeboard + box soffit details Applied stonework and decoration Windows with horizontal emphasis + shutters Mock Georgian porticos Bay windows Double garage doors and artificial materials Flat roof additions Traditional chimney and terracotta pot Gables used sparingly to create focal points and enclosure Consistently pitched slate roof and verge detail Painted lime-rich render Simple detailing to window openings Simple porch with suitable door Climbers and shrubs to soften appearance of building and create established setting Subservient building additions Single garage doors of natural material Upper windows beneath eaves Well-proportioned windows with vertical emphasis Unsympathetic Sympathetic C o m p l e x i t y S i m p l i c i t y

2. Page 52

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 48. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E5. Single-storey Houses Try to avoid:  Shallow pitched, hipped roof  Projecting ‘fussy’ bay windows  Applied stonework and decoration  Over-scaled and elaborate door  Randomly placed windows with horizontal emphasis and mixed detailing  Dominant garage addition of artificial materials Small Dormer Houses Try to avoid:  Shallow pitched, over-sailing roof  Over-scaled dormers  Chimney on pitch of roof  Randomly applied quoins  Applied stonework and decoration  Ornate portico  Over-elaborate door  Multi-paned windows flush with façade  Inconsistent detailing around window openings Aim to achieve:  Consistently pitched roof  Minimal eaves and verge  Chimneys flush with gables  Well-proportioned arrangement of recessed openings  Simple porch and door detailing Aim to achieve:  Uninterrupted pitched roof  Eaves with simple end detail  Chimneys flush with gables  Well-proportioned arrangement of recessed openings  Vertical window emphasis with plaster surround and sill  Simple porch and door detailing  Subservient additions (garage/workshop) with similar detailing

3. Page 53

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 49. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E 5. Try to avoid:  Use of breakfront elevation, giving unbalanced arrangement of main elements  Complex hipped roof patterns  Use of UPVc boxed eaves and barges  Elaborate projecting bay windows  Artificial stonework and unnecessary decoration  Poorly divided windows with horizontal emphasis  Sun room with hipped roof and ill-proportioned openings Aim to achieve:  Consistently pitched roofs, with minimal eaves and verge, and chimneys flush to gables  Simply stepped elevation retaining balanced composition and breaking long run of wallplate dormers  Well-proportioned arrangement of recessed openings  Vertical window emphasis with plaster surrounds and sills  Simple porch and door detailing  Subservient additions (sun room) with similar detailing Large Dormer Houses Try to avoid:  Addition of protruding elements to main elevation (e.g. octagonal turret and double bay windows)  Confused ridge lines and gables  Use of UPVc boxed eaves and barges  Poorly spaced and proportioned windows  Over-emphasised door  Unnecessary quoinage and lintel detailing  Dominant garage with ’up and over’ door of artificial material Aim to achieve:  Uninterrupted ridge lines with consistently pitched roofs  Simple plan with extensions in proportion to the main building  Garage in secondary location and of appropriate scale and materials  Balanced door and window openings with simple detailing  Conservatory/Sun room of appropriate scale and natural materials Large 2-storey Houses

4. Page 54

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 50. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E5. Aim to Achieve:  Wide frontage and narrow depth plan forms, with additive elements where required/suitable.  The external appearance of the building should be arranged to reflect the internal plan arrangement.  The main elevation should generally be flatfronted, except for porches, with subtle breaks in the building line used to add interest and to create and define external spaces.  Most two-storey houses should be doublefronted (with central front door).  The range of building materials should be limited and, wherever possible, locally available.  Real materials - stone, timber, slate - are preferable to artificial ones.  A change in material should reflect a change in structural function.  Colours should also be limited, and muted in hues.  Chimneys add interest to the roofscape, and should be carefully located and detailed.  Roofs should be consistently pitched, dark tiled (preferably slate) and with neat eaves detailing.  The proportion of void to solid on any façade needs to be carefully considered. Try to Avoid:  Cumbersome, boxy and near-square floor plans.  Unusual and elaborate forms, complicated roof shapes exaggerated and random changes in ridge line.  Over-scaling of traditional form and altering roof pitch to suit.  Imitation styles, such as haciendas, chalets, log cabins and pattern book designs.  ‘Façade’ architecture and randomly applied external finishes.  Artificial materials (uPVC in particular) should be avoided.  Arbitrary changes of materials.  Excessive use of natural stone.  Bright garish colours, especially in structural elements such as roofs and walls.  Over-sailing roofs and boxed verges.  Irregularly placed or over-large roof lights.  Protruding bay windows and elaborate porches.  Over-scaled or contrasting additions (garages, conservatories, sun rooms).  Ill-proportioned openings, bay windows and dormers. Building Form - Summary Checklist

5. Page 55

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 51. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E 5. Building Elements Materials and Colours The traditional buildings of the County tend to be very simple in form, with limited decoration, and built of a limited range of locally obtainable materials - slate roofs, rendered walls, painted timber windows and doors. Local stone was used for construction of walls, but often concealed by whitewash or rough harl rendering. Exposed stone construction was reserved for outbuildings associated with the main house. Good quality ashlar stonework was rarely used in vernacular buildings, except for architectural detailing such as quoins, lintels and chimney stacks, mainly in estate cottages and in proximity to quarries. Elsewhere cut stone was reserved for important civic buildings (churches, courthouses, schools, etc.) or for large country mansions. The range of contemporary building materials has increased greatly in recent years, providing new opportunities for the creative use of natural products. Artificial materials, including pvc doors, windows, eaves and weatherboarding, fibre-cement slates and concrete roof tiles should all be avoided. Wherever possible, natural materials that are more sustainable should be used. Timber, glass, slate, plaster, lime mortar, insulation such as sheeps wool, rendered and painted blockwork and the appropriate use of stone can be successfully combined to create attractive contemporary houses. Natural materials such as these will also allow good ventilation in the home, which has consequent health benefits. A random mix of materials such as brick, stone and concrete should be avoided. The colour of a new building should aim to blend with surrounding buildings and the local landscape. Bold, vivid colours should be avoided, especially on walls and roofs. Generally the use of ‘earthy’ colours that complement the natural hues of the countryside will be most appropriate for large surfaces (walls). Whites, offwhites and light greys were often the dominant colours of traditional buildings, and can effectively off-set more brightly painted elements such as doors. Windows and their surrounds should preferably also be muted in colour. Simple materials and colours of traditional cottage Applied 2-dimensional embellishments, such as artificial cladding, quoins and columns, should always be avoided 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64.

6. Page 56

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 52. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E5. Roofs and Chimneys The roofs of traditional rural houses in County Limerick tend to be either hipped or gabled, with a consistent pitch of between 40o - 50o. Thatch was progressively replaced by slate as the preferred roofing material, or else with painted corrugated sheeting. Roofs on new houses should aim to be simple, consistently pitched and with special attention paid to edge detailing, avoiding forms that may appear alien to the rural setting. Roofs that oversail the external walls, invariably finished in white pvc, should be avoided. Flat dark tiles (with slate as the preferred material) should be sized to suit the scale of the roof and laid in diminishing courses from the eaves. Rainwater goods should be as discrete as practical, rounded and of cast iron or plastic (painted black). Traditional houses were low with steep roofs (45°) making for a compact building which hugged the ground Large roof-lights can dominate, resulting in reflections of open sky and sunlight. New-build without regard for proportion results in bad balance of windows and unnecessary height. In new building eaves should be kept down and roof pitches should remain +/- 45° Locating well-proportioned dormers within lower ⅔ of the roof helps to ensure that they do not dominate the house ⅔ ⅓ Boxed verges and eaves to be avoided Roof Types Contemporary use of natural slate 65.

7. Page 57

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 53. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E 5. Chimneys are an important characteristic of traditional rural housing, either located on gable ends and breaching the ridgeline of the roof to avoid long slender stacks exposed to the weather, or arranged symmetrically towards the centre of the roof above an internal hallway. In the interests of energy efficiency, it is considered good practice to locate new chimneys centrally, rather than on a gable. Chimneys should be designed with care, ensuring that the proportions and details are appropriate to the size and style of house. Dormers and Roof lights The dormer bungalow house is now a prevalent building form throughout the County. Although many dormers have traditional roots, there are numerous modern examples of over-scaled and bulky dormer additions that can detract from the rural character of an area. Where dormer windows are to be used, to gain additional accommodation in the roof space, they should preferably take the form of traditional types. Again simplicity in detailing and construction is required, avoiding the use of artificial cladding materials. Roof lights of vertical proportions can be a preferred alternative to dormers, but need to be considered as an integral part of the roof design. Randomly placed and different sized roof lights should be avoided. Roof, chimney and dormer types Over-scaledWell-proportioned Bulky roof extension Sloping dormer Large roof lights Well-proportioned Dormers and roof lights Successful new roof and dormers 66.

8. Page 58

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 54. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E5. Neo-Classical and traditional Over-elaborate for rural areas Doorways Doors, Porches and Windows The most important outside feature of a house is the front door (in early dwellings it was sometimes the only one). The traditional door served not only as a means of entry for people and animals, but often as the only source of light. Early doors were made of timber from a series of solid planks, simply hung by metal straps into the stone frame of the house. With the advent of the doorframe during the 16th century, heavy doors could be replaced by framed and panelled doors which were much lighter and fitted more neatly. Doors and their surrounds could then be more elaborate, and by the late 19th century front doors began to have their upper panels replaced with glass, always obscured and often coloured. In new country houses, the front door presents an opportunity for adding interest at the focal point of the main elevation. New door construction should be simple, and preferably of painted timber. While glazed panels in the door and fanlights above admit more light to the hallway, they should be considered carefully in relation to the overall style of the house. Contemporary door and window openings Traditional door and window openings 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72.

9. Page 59

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   C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 55. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E 5. Porches ‘Golden Section’ Well divided Poorly divided Recessed sliding sash with painted surround Elaborate bay Window types Porches are a fairly recent addition to traditional rural houses, usually introduced for providing shelter to the main door. Where porches are considered necessary on a new house, they should be designed as an integral part of the elevation and not as an after-thought. Good quality materials that match those of the house should be used, as opposed to imitation or artificial types. On simple houses it should not be necessary to introduce a different material for the porch. In all cases, the size and shape of the porch should be well-proportioned. Generally the total area of window and door openings should not exceed one-third of the overall wall area. Gable end and north facing walls will usually benefit from an even lower ratio of opening to wall. Windows should usually line-up over each other - although a carefully considered contemporary design can result in a visually balanced elevation with less regular pattern of openings. The size of opening should reflect the function of the room. Very small bathroom, cloakroom or landing windows can contribute to the composition of a façade by contrasting with more expansive openings to principal living areas. Irregularly-sized and too many windows should be avoided Too manyToo wideGood proportion Good contemporary End gables Window positioning Good traditional 73.

10. Page 60

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    C o u n t y L i m e r i c k : R u r a l D e s i g n A d v i c e f o r I n d i v i d u a l H o u s e s i n t h e C o u n t r y s i d e 56. D E S I G N I N G T H E H O U S E5. Inappropriate building extensions and garages Conservatories, Garages and Other Extensions The addition of outbuildings or extensions can be one of the most controversial parts in the design of a house. The relationship of the addition to the overall composition reflects on both the style of the house and how the owners wish to express themselves. The key objective is ensuring that the main house is clearly seen as the dominant element. The scale and detail of additions, garages in particular, should match the balance of the house and be subservient to it. Extensions should generally be built with similar materials to the existing house, and located discreetly to the side or rear. Flat roof extensions should always be avoided. Existing rural house Extending an existing house 74. Well proportioned building extensions

Source Limerick City and County Council: Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses (July 2012) · 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.