SHOWHOUSE
Our show house viewings and presentations are available every Wednesday at 3pm. No need to book.
Extra show house viewing and presentations:
12 noon, Saturday - 26th April, 2025
While many people are attracted to the warm and spacious interiors of Scandinavian houses they would prefer the exterior to have a more traditional Irish look. So what is a traditional Irish look? An Irish cottage with thatched roof and whitewashed walls and very small windows could be considered to be the most widespread traditional house-type. Is it possible to create a modern, spacious and ecological house while still retaining important cultural elements? The house must be opened up to embrace the light and heat from the sun on the south (east & west as well!) elevation. The important solar-gaining windows should ideally be incorporated into the design so as not to disturb the traditional ethos. This can be achieved by choosing a house shape appropriate to the specific location.
Traditional Nordica with 40 degree roof pitch
There are certain features which we believe lend a house a traditional appearance. By incorporating some of these in the design of the house you get a traditional house with a modern twist.
Baltica 82 traditional, passive, with 45° roof pitch and porch extension
Traditionally, the orientation of a house was of prime importance. The prevailing wind, the path of the sun and the micro-climate around the house was all carefully considered. This is still important and must be taken into account when planning the interior layout of a house. As can be seen on the computer created pictures the Traditional series of houses look traditional. To make this credible, the internal layout, to a certain degree, has to be dictated by the external look, at least on the side of the house facing the road. Another drawback is that the short roof-overhang gives no protection from the high summer sun and overheating in summer can occur if the windows are not blocked with curtains.
Traditional version of a Baltica 81 including an integrated porch. 82m² ground floor area + 54m² upstairs = 136m² floor area.
From an ecological / sustainability /life-cycle point of view the natural timber external cladding is superior to the plaster version. From a technical performance / life expectancy / maintenance perspective the plaster system is as good or better than the timber version. The initial investment is definitely higher with the plastered version.
Scandinavian Homes Ltd’s. philosophy of building with clean compact shapes is well in harmony with the real traditional older house types in Ireland.
Atlantica 82 traditional, passive, single storey with 30° roof pitch and porch extension, download the plans here
The single storey houses incorporate the timeless design elements derived from the traditional cottage. The classic design principles are amalgamated with modern Scandinavian techniques for energy- efficient and ecological building.
Two-storey traditional rendered houses can be made with hipped roofs without attic conversion, traditional 30° roof pitch and rain-gutters all around. Talk to us about this! We are quite fond of the two-storey traditional Irish farmhouse with the door in the middle. The difficulty is to generate passive solar heating through large windows while maintaining the traditional look.
Features of Scandinavian Homes Ltd’s Traditional houses: