• Contractor: Seosamh Lalor, Garryhill, Co. Carlow
  • Cost: € 1,450 / m2
  • Completion: Summer 2019

An Irish couple with two college-going children, living in the U.S.A., were looking for a home for extended vacation stays and ultimately to become their retirement home.

They wanted an easy to maintain house with technology for remote monitoring and management e.g., the heating can be switched on/off as required. The house is concealed on the site with no visibility from the public road for both privacy and security.

A single level layout was developed for sustainable ‘whole of life’ living. The children’s bedroom wing is separate to the parents’ zone to be opened when the entire family travel. A key requirement was an outdoor covered living space which is perfect for the Irish climate. An outdoor fireplace adds warmth for those extended summer barbecue evenings when it can turn a bit chilly.

The entire design was developed, and project managed remotely using Skype, DHL and lots of WhatsApp messages. We, the architects, were a little anxious, when the clients turned up to stay in the house for the first time, not having visited for over six months. Would they like the colour scheme in real life?


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After a recommendation from a builder friend and from our first phone call with Vivian, we felt we were in safe hands. We found him and his team to be a highly engaged, thoughtful, and professional group to work with. The ability to listen to our dreams and guide every detail from the positioning of the house within the site to the choice of paint colours; we would not change a thing. First Class to all the team for fulfilling our wishes even with the added complication of being overseas during this process. We have our dream home now thanks to Vivian.

- Fiona & Liam Doyle, Ballickmoyler, Co. Laois

Plans & Drawings