DIY Tips

RESTORING A PERIOD BEAUTY TO PERFECTION

Improving a period home must be done the right way or you may pay a high price, Kya deLongchamps reports

Buying into the soul-stirring loveliness of an old building is the stuff of many a fantasy, and has drained the emotional and financial reserves of countless souls brave enough to shoulder a full project. It could be a collapsed cottage, a sadly faded farmhouse or a loftier piece of Georgian grandeur, but the problem of approach is often the same. The vast majority of period buildings in Ireland have little protection against unsympathetic improvements, and the results are scattered all over the country, a showcase to confused intentions.

BEYOND THE DREAM

It’s vital to decide if you really want a genuine old house as opposed to a new home constructed to look like an old one. There’s nothing to stop you building the chassis of a Victorian-style villa bar planning permission. Authentic old buildings, however, are not standardised. Cranking them open to retrofit the comforts and fashions of modern life may do more damage to the integrity of the house and your wallet than starting from scratch.

Radical period purists are determined creatures, going as far as stabilising bulging walls and foregoing central heating if the fabric of the building or its contents would be in any way compromised by its inclusion. Happily, most old houses don’t demand this level of self sacrifice. It is possible to strike a balance- protecting even a humble slice of our architectural heritage and producing a liveable family home. Considerable research of the right materials and professionals with experience and passion for their field is critical to making the right decision for the building inside and out.

GETTING IT RIGHT

Hugh Dorian works in the highly specialised field of building conservation. His celebrated Stoneware Studio near Youghal in County Cork, is a first point of call for many getting to grips with the lime-based mortars and paints. These materials are not simply traditional but best in terms of performance for many old buildings inside and out.

“Often,” Hugh argues, “people don’t embrace the concept of restoration wholeheartedly. Some are attracted to an old building for all its charms and ‘character’ and then proceed to do their utmost to change it. When colleagues from abroad visit they are taken aback with our fascination with plastic. Plastic windows, plastic doors, plastic gutters and pipes, even plastic paints. With masses of online information it is now so easy to do a little research and learn how to repair correctly. How to maintain an old buildings style, to appreciate and respect its construction type, the stone, brick, slate, thatch, wood, iron and lime mortar, that makes it special.”

If you think this is all over-sensitivity about perfecting the proportions of 19th century dados and civilising cast iron downpipes, think again. When you come to sell, a house vandalised with rude renovations, positions orphaned of their original features and dodgy repairs will be noticed for all the wrong reasons.

Hugh Dorian explains that a period project needs balance above all. “It’s is a simple algorithm between authenticity, comfort and cost. Good insulation, good ventilation and good heating can all be incorporated into old buildings, listed or otherwise, using the appropriate materials and techniques. The main culprit for cold and draughty houses is often not the building itself, but the inappropriate repairs that have occurred over the last 30 or 40 years. The challenge is to reverse these and restore the comfort.”

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Traditional materials and the skills associated with their application are now in high vogue as their beauty, sustainability and health benefits are appreciated in new builds. This revival offers home owners with period properties a catalogue of formerly buried skills, so there really is no excuse. Well, bar one excuse and, of course, it’s financial. Re-building, extending and/or restoring a period building can cost more metre per metre than building a bog standard new home.

Get to know the building as intimately as possible before you do anything to titillate it cosmetically. If the survey was made by your mortgage company, their non-specialising surveyor has probably presented you with a ghoulish list of problems. If the state of the house demands it, now is the time to bring in a conservation specialist. If the place is a wreck and you are determined to do a first class job, your money will be concentrated on stabilising and improving that essential envelope of the building — roof, walls, floors, windows and exterior doors.

Hugh emphasises that most conservation specialists are passionate about the past but very much living in the present. “Some of us are just as comfortable with nano-technology facade protection and cleaning systems as we are with lime putty and horse hair plasters. If you have a damp patch in your basement, or if you have to fill a crack that keeps re-opening, a modern solution might be the way to go. Someone advising or supplying you with materials and services should have alternatives to discuss to allow you to choose.”

Intense detective work on the fabric and layout of the building will establish what really has to be done, and provide a chronology of what has been carried out to change or maintain the building in the past. If the house is listed with your local planning authority as a protected structure you will have to apply to their conservation officer before carrying out any changes. You cannot, say, stick up a satellite dish without permission.

HOME AGAIN

What makes most old buildings fascinating is the successful layering of additions that add up to create them. Finding a bridge between the periods can be a real challenge, but the results can be fantastic, allowing dramatic changes from extensions to floor changes that still respect what was there before your family history was imprinted on the building.

Hugh adds a final piece of great advice for anyone with their heart tangled up with an older property. “Save, protect and freshen-up as much as possible with materials compatible or similar to what was originally used. This doesn’t have to cost the earth. A pot of distemper to refresh a wall, a bag of lime mortar to repair some cracks and holes, etc., may be all that is required.’

* With thanks to Hugh Dorian of the Stoneware Studios Ltd., Pilmore, Youghal, Co. Cork. Tel: [phone]. www.stonewarestudios.com.

* Useful Contacts: The Irish Georgian Society www.igs.ie. (Building Skills register, funding and lots of information on the period home). The National Heritage Council www.heritagecouncil.ie. Tel: [phone]. Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government www.environ.ie. Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland www.riai.ie. Tel: [phone].

Q&A

Q. My sash windows are rattling and very inefficient at keeping out draughts. Should I have them refurbished or would PVC equivalents look as good?

A.The visual impact of uPVC windows is not in keeping with the character of historic buildings. Energy efficiency in historic single-glazed windows can be improved through repairs, draught-proofing and shutters or curtains. Double-glazing to existing sashes is possible but it should not be to the detriment of the historic fabric or frame proportions.

Q. I am considering extending my property which is a standard Irish farmhouse c.1890. Would a modern extension finished in wood cladding look all wrong and how can I find the right architect for the job?

A. An addition should not detract from the existing structure and setting and a conservation expert should be consulted. Conservation expertise is available via the RIAI website and the Irish Georgian Society Skills Register.

Q. Would the installation of central heating with radiators damage a very old house if it’s put in to supplement open fires and stove heating?

A. Introducing new services can damage existing historic fabric and requires careful consideration. Where possible, existing service routes and vents should be re-used.

Q. A house I’m viewing is a protected structure. What does this mean for future improvements to the house?

A. The owner of a protected structure is legally obliged to prevent it becoming endangered. Improvements are possible but should be discussed with the local authority conservation officer.

* Answers provided by Helen Devitt MRIAI, of Helen Devitt Architects. Website: www.helendevitt.com. [e-mail].