Case Studies - Ava Housing

Completed Project Case Studies

Each house and each homeowner will have a unique criteria and set of requirements. Here we provide some case studies of completed projects for inspiration and clarity.

CASE STUDY 1

Beaumont Pilot House

Client testimonial:

“I’m excited to be one of the first people to take part. Ciarán and the team really listened to me and came up with a design for downstairs that’s just right for me. I’m very proud of my new home and to have welcomed a renter to live upstairs. We can live independently, but are there if we need each other. “

This pilot project was carried out on a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Beaumont. All the works were carried out within the existing footprint of the house with no requirement to extend.

Downstairs the layout was reconfigured to provide a comfortable living space, a bedroom to the front of the house and a larger bathroom with level access shower. The kitchen area and sitting room create spacious living for the homeowner. In the hallway an additional glass door was included to provide privacy while still allowing daylight to enter.

Upstairs the original bedroom, en-suite and bathroom were kept as they were. The front two rooms were combined to create a kitchen and living space for a renter. All interventions upstairs are designed to be reversible so in the future the home can easily revert back to a three-bedroom family home.

The house was fully rewired, and all sockets and switches were put at a more accessible height. Downstairs all doors were widened to allow clear widths and ease of movement. Our homeowner had recent energy upgrade with external insulation being applied just prior to the Ava Housing works. A new front door was installed in order to create a larger lobby space.

The homeowner moved back into the house just before Christmas 2020 and a renter moved in early 2021. The homeowners bright sense of style can be seen throughout this demonstrator house.

CASE STUDY 2

Clondalkin Pilot Project

Client testimonial:

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, I think it’s a wonderful idea. It keeps the older person where they are secure and feel happy, and then it gives them the security of having someone else in the home which ,if you are living on your own, means a lot to you. It also gives someone else a home. Growing up here, as most of my growing up was in this home, it has the memories of family and all the get togethers we had in it. It is one of the reasons this project has come along at the right time. I can stay here and I still have all my memories, they’ll still be here.”

Homeowner Testimonial from SEI video

This pilot project was carried out on a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Clondalkin. This house is very similar to the base design originally created by our architects and is a house typical of mature neighbourhoods in Dublin. The existing garage to the side of the house offered further room to create a large and very comfortable living space downstairs for the homeowner whilst also creating an independent space upstairs for a person to share. Downstairs, the breakfast room was transformed into a new spacious shower room adjacent to the new bedroom which was also made larger. The front room of the house remains a living room with the addition of a sofa bed to accommodate guests. The real transformation for the homeowner was the new kitchen and living area that was designed to reflect the homeowners love of books, reading and cooking.

Upstairs, the original bedroom and bathroom were retained. The front two bedrooms were combined to create a new living space and kitchen. The construction interventions upstairs are minimal so that the house can easily revert back to a family home in the future. The homeowner decided to keep the hall open and shared to retain the natural light and encourage a natural level of interaction.

Our homeowner had previously installed multiple energy efficiency upgrades and so the main fabric work was the installation of sound insulation between the ground and first floor for acoustic separation. The whole house was also rewired.

A renter has moved in and the homeowner is happily settling into her new space downstairs. The entire process took 1 year with the homeowner moving out for a period of 8 weeks to allow for the building works.