Traditional Stone Cottage in Ireland Upgraded for Modern Living

A builder by trade, PJ McClay had previously constructed his own family home in County Donegal, Ireland on a three-acre plot. It was on the same land that PJ found his next project: an old stone cottage restoration, which he now uses to host his extended family during their frequent visits.

At first, the cottage was nothing but a stone shell being rapidly taken over by trees. “One room had five trees growing in it,” says PJ. “Our neighbours remember the former inhabitants moving to England and abandoning the property 60 years ago.”

Old stone cottages are common around Ireland. “They’re hard to purchase because people are sentimental and don’t want to sell. Yet, they don’t get fixed up because people want newer homes,” he says. On the contrary, now that PJ’s cottage is fully restored, it has attracted praise around Ireland and beyond. The refurbished home has three bedrooms, discreet state-of-the-art technology and even a cinema room, all while remaining sensitive to its original character.

Overcoming Renovation Obstacles

Achieving the fantastic, finished result that PJ has wasn’t an easy feat. The first hurdle of a long project was achieving planning permission. “It took a year to get consent,” says PJ. “Each restoration project like this is treated individually, so previous ones are no guide. The rules aren’t necessarily strict, but in order to achieve what’s needed to renovate these homes, the process is complicated.”

Dwindling desirability for older homes in Ireland has meant that, over time, cottages like this one were abandoned. Meanwhile, the skills and technology required to maintain and restore them are also disappearing, so updating a home sensitively in the way planners are looking for isn’t straightforward. “Lime, thatch and so on have more or less gone away,” says PJ. “Everyone uses cement and concrete blocks now, but if you use those in old houses, they become damp because they need to be able to breathe.”

Through dedicated research and his own expertise, PJ knew the cottage needed more specialist treatment to create a comfortable, healthy living environment. “On the inside, we used insulating lime render, which is breathable and has improved the energy efficiency of the stone wall by 50%,” he says. “The exterior is finished with Beeck mineral paint which is also breathable.”

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The cottage sits on several acres of land in Co Donegal. PJ wanted to increase the tree cover onsite and planted a wildflower meadow

When building the extension, he used conventional masonry and plaster. Although he insulated the extension to the highest specification, PJ says it was noticeable even during the construction works just how much warmer the original part of the building was.

From the front elevation, the cottage appears as three distinct sections, but the new extension is virtually undetectable as new. It is roofed in green fibre cement, which is designed to look like a tin-roofed byre. Traditionally, such buildings aren’t whitewashed like the rest of the cottage, so PJ opted for an exposed stone envelope externally.

This detail adds character and variety to the home’s architecture, as well as making the new addition feel more authentic. When working on the original parts of the cottage, PJ continued the sympathetic restoration with the roof. Here, one of the existing volumes is finished in slate, while the other uses flax thatch. “It was extremely difficult finding thatchers,” he says. “There are only three in Donegal – we got Brian Lafferty, who is the best.”

The cottage has been restored to its former glory, with the existing sections roofed in flax thatch and natural slate, and original details around the entrance reinstated

Flax thatch of this type was most common along the north and western coast of Ireland, usually accompanied by a rounded top, instead of the typically pointed ridge, and tied down to the structure with ropes or netting. Both regional variations are due to the strong winds on the North Atlantic coastline, where PJ’s cottage is situated.

A neighbour of PJ’s tackled the lime render, while his brother, Christopher, project managed the build. PJ’s father, Thomas, and his brother, Brian, are both joiners, so they were able to do all the carpentry, including crafting the double-glazed sash windows.

All throughout the house, PJ used timber from his land that had been there for decades to fashion worktops, the tongue and groove cladding in the boot room and even the kitchen dresser. The most significant timber feature and possibly the most striking addition to the interior, is the ceiling in the kitchen and the living room. “It’s a replica of what an original thatched roof would have looked like,” says PJ. “I tried to stay true to traditional design while still keeping modern Building Regulations in mind.”

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