Renovation | Sycamore Construction

Design and Detail

It’s a privilege to work with clients to realise the dreams they have for their homes. This project was extra special as it was architect-designed by the homeowners themselves. The finish is superb and beautifully landscaped to truly show off the craftsmanship involved. The owner/architect had a complete vision of the finish and all the details were well thought out making for a smooth working relationship. This semi-d has fully realised it’s potential with a ground floor wrap-around extension comprising open plan kitchen/dining/living plus utility, hall and office space in the hard working back ground. The front sitting room is now all grown up and a warm, peaceful place to relax. While once again we were met with wet, soft ground and a steep drop to the rear, we were able to work with the solution of a reinforced raft foundation and the balau deck and landscaping are inspired. Glazing is an important feature in most modern projects but here it is impressive. Our clients engaged Rationel to include an alu-clad 2 panel slider and picture window. Custom rooflight is by Cubo highlighting the new kitchen by Kitchen World and Consetina stone worktop. A special touch was using birch ply for the hall walls but with the purpose of displaying the homeowner’s hand-made collection of bespoke instruments. Some further design elements to mention include: cedar cladding; window seat and railing to tie-in cladding & decking; recessed, plaster-in down lights; exposed, painted steel beam; under-floor heating to the extension; engineered oak flooring throughout; sunken, open-plan living; an inset, corner, bio-fuel stove.

Bathroom / Design / Kitchen / Management / Projects / Renovation

Complete Home Renovation

This 70’s bungalow has been brought bang up-to-date with a total renovation and energy upgrade. Our clients focused on insulation throughout, new heating system, electrical upgrade, remodelled bathrooms featuring bespoke cabinetry, storage solutions and all the important finishes…And of course a beautiful new kitchen. Our signature pocket doors allow separation as required between the cosy living room and open kitchen/diner. A home much improved thanks to expert guidance, quality carpentry and fine finishing.

Architect / Design / Extension / Kitchen / Management / Projects / Renovation

Changing needs & evolving homes

Here is a fine example of how to open up space and introduce light. The complete back wall of sliding glass and custom made roof light allow the lovely leafy aspect in reward. Sycamore completed this rear extension to alter our clients’ home as their family evolved from school going children to adults. Their home now has space for gathering as a family or entertaining friends or simply relaxing. Eva Byrne of Houseology helped with their layout & kitchen design. The challenge here for us was the wet ground with inadequate drainage. We had to allow for substantial foundations, well below standard levels to make sound. Worth it though for peace of mind.
Keen to modernise with a flat fibreglass roof and to ensure the glazing was maximised as high as possible. Our clients decided on triple glazed, alu-clad 2 part sliders with a Turn-Tilt Window to allow easy access for pets, it sits at 2.4m high x 4m wide. We added our signature custom made rooflight and pocket doors to the adjoining living room.

Bathroom / Design / Extension / Kitchen / Management / Projects / Renovation / Upgrade

Back To Life

There’s nothing better than bringing an older property back to life. This home has years of family history in its fabric and is sure to gain many more years thanks to some T.L.C. from our clients. Sycamore started the restoration top down. We replaced the roof and pump-insulated the attic rafters. To really breathe new life into the house a rear extension was added for a modern new kitchen and dining area with custom rooflight which transforms the light and use of space. The old house was re-wired and re-plumbed throughout including new radiators, a gas condensing boiler & pumped tank in the attic. Finishing off with two new shower rooms which are bang up to date with a lot of thought and personal touches. We wish our clients many more years to put their own mark on this slice of history.

Extension / Kitchen / Management / Projects / Renovation

External Insulation Remodel

External insulation wraps the whole house and makes the transition seamless, energy efficient and future proofed.
Reimagining the layout created new spaces and brought to life older rooms. The highlight is the beautiful, custom built apex glazing, demonstrating Sycamore’s expertise in fine finish, quality carpentry and craftsmanship.

Attic Conversion / Extension / Management / Projects / Renovation

Attic Conversion and Extra Space

Extra space made special, upstairs and down in this project for an attic conversion and a garden room extension.
Bringing the outside in, we created a room for all seasons, a new living space for relaxing and making the most of the sunny aspect. The feature of this year round room is a high, long window bringing in plenty of light.
Making double use of extra space we converted the attic for a spare bedroom come hideaway. Incorporating spray foam insulation in the roof rafters for sound proofing and energy saving, this space is now warm and very quiet. The beautiful and imaginative glass balustrade connects the original and new upstairs rooms while adding yet more light and a sense of space and openness.

Design / Kitchen / Management / Projects / Renovation

Kitchen Revival

An extension wasn’t necessary here but the kitchen itself was due an overhaul. Updating the appliances and tweaking the layout slightly to improve usability made all the difference. Behind the renovation scenes we dry-lined the room to improve insulation and installed Velux roof glazing to improve natural light. Beautiful granite worktops are by Miller Brothers Stone.
The result is a slick and efficient remodel, with an abundance of storage, the addition of a breakfast bar and lighting to set it all off.
As always, our clients were delighted with the very high standard of workmanship.

Architect / Bathroom / Design / Management / Projects / Renovation

Let There Be Light

Clever thinking here between our clients and their architect around reconfiguring this two bed terrace back to three. The home feels rejuvenated and everything has it’s place and purpose. They’ve achieved an overall sense of space and flow throughout and a terrific paint job brings it all together.
The box room had previously been turned into a bathroom but our clients needed the bedroom back. By stealing a little of the main bed, the architect was able to create a landing and new bathroom and return the third bedroom. Much-loved original doors were matched to retain the character. By replacing the solid wall with a bannister we opened up the landing to allow movement between the new spaces and of course we added light! Lots of light!
The new bathroom is bang up-to-date and feels spacious. A skylight is positioned over the bath so that light is diffused over the sink and mirror rather than being directly over it.
Downstairs we widened the double doorway to create a better flow from kitchen to dining room and on to the back garden. The half wall maintains a little separation without needing to remove a load bearing wall and so did not require steel works. This minor but clever alteration improves functionality and flow and generally enhances and modernises the space.

Bathroom / Management / Projects / Renovation

Improvement Ideas Brought to Life

Often space is the issue but not this time. However, a few things needed some attention and reconfiguration in this family home. Difficult to heat and keep warm, we started by dry lining the external walls, insulating the floors upstairs and upgrading the heating system. The one thing missing for this family was an extra shower for busy mornings. We turned the cramped office & neighbouring WC into a brand new shower room downstairs. The original 70’s staircase was given a make over by John, The Handrail Man (handrailman.ie). He worked with the clients to design a bannister with an oak handrail and glass panels. Bright and welcoming.

Bathroom / Management / Projects / Renovation / Upgrade

Update Your Home

When it came time for a contemporary update to their home, our clients chose to upgrade the heating and electrics as well. A wise choice and the energy savings will pay dividends. In this instance they took it to the next level with smart integrated systems for lighting operation, zoned heating controls as well as monitoring new security cameras, installed for their safety and peace of mind. Sometimes simply relocating a doorway can make all the difference and the entrance to this home has had the full treatment with the living room door moved down the hall and a beautiful new bannister to the stairs. But it’s the new under-stairs storage working hard to improve practicalities in this space. The stylish oak handrail creates a beautiful feature, set off by the fresh finish painting of the replaced newel post, bannister, skirt, architrave and doors. This home has been given a modern makeover with fresh plaster work to remove stippled ceilings and old wallpaper. Now decorated in clean tones throughout. While installing gas for a new fire, all the radiators were replaced and a new Vogue gas condensing boiler was installed in the attic enabling the hot press to be removed from the 1st floor landing. We renovated the bathroom, incorporating this extra space vacated by the hot press and relocating the door for clearer access. This makes for a fresh space for a relaxing bath and a walk in shower separate, all tiled to the ceiling. A clever addition downstairs is the slim line Sara towel rail by Niko.