Architect’s suburban dream home is a hidden treasure

IF you don’t find treasure buried at the end of your garden, why not put it there? That’s what architect Mark Collins did.

Buying a suburban, three-bed semi-detached house in Cork’s main Douglas Road in the mid-2000s turned to gold for him, as it came up for sale with a side/rear garden with outline planning for a new, further building, a dormer bungalow.

With 20 years’ design experience under his belt, it’s not surprising that he saw scope for something a bit more worthwhile, more interesting, and site specific – seen here now in all of its completed glory.