028 9032 3760
May 3, 2017
We were engaged to refurbish a 1970’s timber frame building set on a blockwork base on a piled foundation, in the centre of Enniskillen. The site came with its own private jetty and a water frontage to die for. The upper level had the dreaded “beauty board” throughout and the biggest room in the house was just 3.5m x 4.3m. The entire lower level of 143 sq.m was vacant, with the exception of a large oil tank.
The timber frame and roof structure had to be strengthened, a pumping station installed to allow full development of the lower level and some major damp proofing of the existing balcony was required. To improve the aesthetics of this “scout hut” the entire external fabric had to be upgraded. Our Client has requested a contemporary look to match his internal furnishings and fittings but one that would reflect the buildings location on the water’s edge. A metal deck roof, painted treatment to the timber boarding on the upper level, and a stone finish to the lower level were implemented. Rusting steel railings were replaced with glass and stainless steel and the entire building was upgraded in terms of insulation, air tightness and heating/ventilation.
The entire lower level was opened for development and accommodates three bedrooms and a bathroom. Two of the bedrooms have ensuite shower rooms and dressing rooms. The central area at the base of the stairs acts as a “chill” area which, with the bedrooms, all to lead out onto the water’s edge. The upper level features an open plan kitchen, dining, living and study area with the master bedroom at the northern gable and a Utility room at the southern gable.
In order to reduce the noise levels from the adjacent busy road a sound absorbing plasterboard was used on the inside of the elevation facing the road and in addition two of the larger windows where closed up. However, in order that the elevation to the road would not become too bland it was decided to make a feature of the closing of the windows by adding timber slatted shutters, running at 90 degrees to the main boarding, painted in a contrasting dark grey to match the new triple glazed window frames.
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