case study
Hot and cold Highly glazed, well proportioned, angular designs have some very exciting qualities, lending homes a truly contemporary feel. But living in a house like this can take some getting used to, as Craig and Clare Adair of Co Antrim found out. The same red cedar was used on the house as on the gate.
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e’d always dreamed of living in an open plan house, but never got a chance to experience it. So when our architect suggested we visit a few homes he’d designed, we couldn’t wait to see what they would be like,” says Craig. “And we weren’t disappointed, we loved how bright and airy these spaces felt.” Their existing home was in need of an upgrade – its 900 sqft size was now too small as the family had expanded, and having been built in the 1930s the couple found it hard to heat. “Also the bungalow really didn’t make the most of the site; we have a lovely view but couldn’t enjoy it unless we went outside.” They first considered extending at the back and above, in parallel with a renovation, but it quickly made more sense to demolish and start from scratch. “Considering the amount of work that would have gone into the renovation, and as new builds are VAT exempt, both from a construction and cost point of view it was easier to build new,” adds Craig. “It also removed the headache of having to go through an energy upgrade as we wanted to get a really well insulated house. Considering our past
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