Linehan Construction is a very deserving finalist in this year’s Irish Construction Excellence Awards in the ‘Residential: Single Dwelling’ category for restoring one of Cork’s most iconic dwellings to its former glory.
More than 20 years after it was destroyed by a maliciously-set fire, Carrig House has risen from the ashes thanks to a remarkable restoration carried out by Leo Linehan and his team, which includes inhouse architects Alannah-Rose O’Grady-Kennedy and Bilal Mu’azzam. Set against a sandstone rock cliff looking south over the River Lee and Blackrock Marina, and standing at the gate to Cork city from the Dublin side, this 1820s period home has long been a local landmark which has been tastefully and painstakingly brought back to life to a high standard spec. The property has been brought to the market by Lisney Estate Agents at an asking price of €2.5-3 million.
“After years of dereliction, vandalism and arson, no builder or developer was prepared to take it on,” Leo explains.
“As a local, it upset me to see Carrig House fall into such disrepair. So I decided to do something about it and, with the financial backing of Donal Cronin, purchased the house and completely restored it. Of course, it would never have happened without the hard work and dedication of our brilliant team. They fully committed themselves to this project and it was exciting to see it take shape, and to see what good design and craftsmanship can achieve.
“We’re very happy with how it turned out. Donal wanted to turn this derelict building into contemporary living and I think we achieved that. He was keen to restore the dwelling for Cork’s benefit and was his way of giving something back to the city. It has been transformed into an A-rated energy efficient home with five bedrooms, two sitting rooms, dining room, gym, kitchen, utility and entrance hall.”
Linehan Construction is second generation in craft. For decades, Leo Linehan Snr has been one of Cork’s best-known cabinet makers, with showrooms on Grattan Street that are now shared with his son Leo, who trained as a fine artist and sculptor in Cork and London. Leo obtained two Masters Degrees before finding his niche in the creative and aesthetic side of construction.
He returned from London 15 years ago to set up his own business which specialises in high quality contemporary new builds, house renovations, house extensions, commercial buildings and conservation projects, and employs 12 people directly.
“I try to bring my artistic background to all my projects. I can express myself through building. At Linehan Construction, we insist on taking on interesting projects and Carrig House certainly fell into that category. That building called me to resurrect it, and I’m delighted I did.”
The Irish Construction Excellence Awards (ICE Awards) are the original and premier recognition of performance excellence for the contracting sector in Ireland, and provide an opportunity for the industry to showcase and reward best practice across the full range of construction disciplines and project categories.
The renovation of Carrig House included demolition of existing extensions with the construction of two single-storey side extensions. The phoenix-like rebuild presents a three-storey dwelling of over 5,000 sq. ft. habitable space. The ground floor features an entrance lobby leading you into the main hallway that links into two generous living rooms that have views overlooking the River Lee onto Blackrock Marina, while the open-plan kitchen and dining area connect you to the outdoor patio space. The ground floor’s utility and bathroom are positioned against the cliff edge, perfect to link out onto a sauna / jacuzzi outdoor space.
Upstairs, on the first floor, you’ll find three double bedrooms with a family bathroom. The master bedroom accommodates a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. The top floor accommodates four spaces with a bathroom that can be assigned uses by the future homeowner.
The builder was committed to installing environmentally-friendly operations such as a heat recovery ventilation system and two heat pumps to perform the underfloor heating system, installed on the ground and first floors. An ‘A’ BER rating has been achieved thanks to these systems operating cohesively as well as sufficient insulation in the walls, roof and ground.
The retrofit of Carrig House involved the hacking and patchwork of the existing stone walls which presented a median depth of 600mm throughout the house. The Linehan team then applied a metal mesh against the external face of the external walls and applied lime render. On the internal face of these walls, they applied a DPM to prevent moisture from seeping through and installed a metal grid system which was packed with Knauf quilt insulation and Kingspan solid insulation, or insulated slab board, that was then plastered and painted.
With regard to the heritage / conversation aspect of the build, the developer applied a vast number of techniques to respect such. For example, conservation lime render was applied to the external faces of the external walls which permit the existing stone walls to breathe and move as they have been for 200 years, rather than concrete render which would crack and buckle in comparison.
Linehan Construction installed limestone cills to pay homage to the dwelling’s original cills that would have been in the same material rather than concrete cills.
The two large decorative windows presented in the ground floor living rooms were extracted and transported to the Linehan workshop on Grattan Street to undergo a renovation process to be then reinstalled. In order to upgrade the dwelling to today’s living standards in relation to thermal quality and heating performance, a number of materials and devices were installed, including two heat pump systems to accommodate the vast area of the underfloor heating system and radiators on the top floor.
Triple-glazed, pro-forma alu-clad Rationel windows / external doors were installed through the dwelling which present the traditional sash window frame style. They also operate as modern devices that capture heat and prevent thermal loss. Weathering is also prevented on the external face thanks to the metal powder coating versus the interior face’s timber frame that has a softer appearance.
Fortunately, the team did not experience any unforeseen challenges during the period. They are pleased with the build and confident to pass it over to the new homeowner in the best condition the property has ever been in thanks to the restoration works and new technology installations they committed to.
Linehan Construction believe Carrig House is a prime example of excellence in construction thanks to its five-star detailing and decoration. From the sealing of the dwelling’s thermal envelope to the fitting of salvaged parquet timber flooring throughout the ground floor, with a traditional Linehan’s kitchen which is composed of natural poplar timber.
Linehan Construction
3 Grattan Street,
Cork.
Telephone: 087 414 7296 / 021 425 4285
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.linehanconstruction.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, August 2023, Vol 9 No 8
