Rebuilding: should you extend yourself further into negative equity?

Negative equity conundrum: when you've already lost so much money on your home, is it worth shelling out to improve it given you'll be stuck there for a lot longer than anticipated?

Our house was built in the 1860s. It's the bit that was built in the latter half of the twentieth century that's the problem. A large, flat-roofed lean-to houses our kitchen (complete with badly installed veneer units, sudden changes in floor level, no insulation or ventilation and floor-to-ceiling 'harvest'-style tiles) and bathroom (the walls are covered in a shiny black lino-like material that we are too afraid to rip off lest it takes the walls with them).

SLIDING DOORS: Wouldn't it be lovely to swap extensions and live in this one (above and below) in Foxrock by Moda Architects? I also covet the print of Sanna Annukka's Spirits of the North, which is hanging on the back wall of the kitchen. Photos via OnlineTradesmen.ie

Something needs to be done about the extension, as the roof is not going to withstand the elements for more than a few years. Then you're in a position where you must ask, should we just do the bare minimum (i.e. re-roofing a terrible extension) and do nothing to improve the value of the house or make structural changes that will increase its size and function, making it possible to live there in comfort for however long it might take to be in a financial position where we can move on?

HOUSE ABOUT IT? The rear of our home as it is now after Eoghan painted it white. This was a big improvement.  I'd love to knock down the extension and replace it with a two-storey number, complete with sliding doors. I'd like the original stone wall to the right to inspire any future work.

And if you're considering structural work, should you simply rebuild the existing ground-floor extension and leave the kitchen and bathroom at their present size, or go the whole hog and make it into a two-storey extension (as many of our neighbours have already done), changing your house from two-bed to three-bed and putting the bathroom upstairs? (These conundrums pre-suppose that the funding is available!)

The first thing we did upon purchase in 2008 was to dig out and terrace the back garden (our house sits on a slope), the level of which was about four foot off the ground. This was a huge job as we have no side or rear access that could bring a digger onto site, so the building team had to resort to the old-fashioned spades and wheelbarrow approach. Will post up a 'before and after' come spring when we've got the garden looking a bit tidier!

I confess that I already have one or two things bought for this extension, which are stored at my parents' house at present. Don't tell Eoghan!

Here's a selection of some fantastic extensions which I keep in my 'Maybe One Day' folder, aka Pinterest.

RAISE THE ROOF: This Dublin extension is by the talented Ailtireacht firm. The shadows created by the slats against the original rear wall are beautiful. I love the continuity of the bench inside and out. Image via Evdes

BEAM ME UP: I've had the pleasure of being inside this 1960s home in Knocklyon where young practice Carson and Crushell did a stunning retro-fit and new extension. It was open to the public as part of last year's Open House Dublin event. Image via Open House Dublin

PERFECT FROM A TO ZINC: I'm a huge fan of the zinc cladding of this Dun Laoghaire extension by Browne Architects. Photo: Browne Architects

STOREY-TIME: Flavio Lombardo Architects designed this striking extension in Sandymount. Image via Homedsgn, which has lots more photos

A Quarter Compounder: Proposed Asian Quarter on Parnell Street

I recently attended a lunch-time talk at darc space on the report 'Parnell Street East: A Vision for an Historic City Centre Street' by the Dublin Civic Trust (a brilliant organisation). I know this part of the city pretty well and love the community feel, which is embodied at Ozanam House on Mountjoy Square.

It would be great to see the recommendations of the Dublin Civic Trust report (commissioned by the Dublin City Business Association and Carroll's Gifts and Souvenirs) carried out but in these gloomy times the prospect of even widening the footpaths or tree-planting, let alone large scale refurbishment of the historic buildings and redeveloping the scarred sections of the street, seem unlikely.

GLOOMY: The Georgian architecture of numbers 76 to 78 Parnell Street East is almost hidden under layers of plaster and unsympathetic shopfronts.

Image from the Dublin Civic Trust.

VISION OF THE FUTURE: How the report has re-imagined the three buildings, restoring them to their former glory complete with original door.

Image from the Dublin Civic Trust.

The Asian businesses that have sprung up on the street have brought life and colour to the area, making Parnell Street East a culinary (and karaoke!) hotspot. The area would benefit from being designated as a quarter (not everyone likes the idea of having specific designated quarters in the city, but I believe it has worked well in the case of the Italian Quarter), but should it be an 'Oriental Quarter' as envisaged by the report?

A lady who attended the event suggested that, as Smithfield is set to become a food destination and there is no guarantee that the Asian community will favour the Parnell Street East location in the long-run (Capel Street is another growing centre of Asian cuisine), perhaps we should focus on making it a Literary Quarter instead, given the street's proximity to the James Joyce Museum, the Dublin Writers' Museum, Fighting Words, etc. Indeed, both Asian businesses and literary centres can happily co-exist. Whatever happens, I hope that Parnell Street East will be renewed in the not too distant future.

The report makes for an interesting read, great for a large-scale 'before and after' fix too.

http://www.dcba.ie/public/news/parnell-street-east-report/

http://www.dublincivictrust.ie/news.php

http://www.darcspace.ie/

Optimum options

Some day, hopefully in the not too distant future, we will knock down the horrible 1970s/80s ground floor extension (which houses our kitchen and bathroom) and build a two-storey extension (we're in so much negative equity already so will be staying here a lot longer than planned) with a larger kitchen and WC downstairs and a bedroom and bathroom above.

I will be getting in touch with Optimise Design, a consultancy that specialises in architecture, interior design and project management. Their 'no job too small' and focus on budget, along with an attractive portfolio, has helped them find success after setting up in 2007.

They also have a Before and After section on their website blog, which is great for when I'm looking for a fix. I particularly the Portobello house (below), which I think I remember being for sale in its original state a year or two ago.

DELICIOUS DESIGN: Optimise Design worked on this house in Portobello - love the black contrast with the white cupboards. Image from www.optimise-design.com

http://www.optimise-design.com/
http://optimisedesign.wordpress.com/

Front runner

Maybe it's because I used to watch BBC's Changing Rooms obsessively during my teens, but I love a good set of 'before and after' photos. I will be posting up some of my new wardrobes in the coming days.

Via the Guardian, I love how the architect and clients of this London home eschewed re-creating a pastiche of the original Victorian home that stood on the site and instead took direction from its '70s reincarnation to create a sensational 2011 home.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: The house was rebuilt in the '70s

HOUSE ABOUT IT: How it looks now

I particularly like the lower ground extension at the front of the house, with its huge sunlight and grassed roof. My own (much more modest) home sits on a slope, maybe the solution would be to extend front and under, rather than back and above?

See all the photos (interior and exterior) at the link below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/oct/28/ugly-house-modernist-beauty-in-pictures