Victoria Falls

This Victorian mid-terrace redbrick house in Dublin 8 underwent a stunning renovation and extension that was completed last year, turning it from a cold and draughty home into a super low energy NZEB dwelling, and cutting its energy demand by 94%.

Owner Fiona Whelan had bought the small, single-storey house in the early 2000s and commissioned architect Daniel Coyle to draw up plans to tear down the existing small extension and replace it with something more modern. The emphasis was on creating flexible and adaptable spaces, and the ability to close off or open up rooms.

The design and planning permission was granted in late 2008, but just as the boom was clearly turning to bust, “we just parked it for a few years and... we just decided to live in the house as it was,” says Whelan.

By the time they re-engaged in 2017, Daniel Coyle had developed expertise in energy efficient building design, having completed a master’s degree in energy retrofit, and now wanted to bring the house up to (nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard.

The old extension was knocked, and a new super-insulated extension, with Xtratherm insulation under the floor and mineral wool in the walls and roof, was built in the garden.

The old walls were insulated with a special capillary-active insulation and plastered with lime to protect them. The whole house was made airtight using tapes & membranes from Ecological Building Systems.

The finished house is now heated by a NIBE air source heat pump, and has a total energy bill — excluding plug loads & appliances — of just €34 per month.

Fiona Whelan says: “I absolutely just love getting home and to just sit there at the back and look at the garden come rain hail or shine, because it’s floor-to-ceiling glass and it’s kind of in the garden, and it’s just magic. I don’t know what to say, except I’m just the luckiest person in the world.”