Split level family home

This Co Armagh split level family home is a modern take on the traditional farmhouse, and has everything Suzie and Paul Johnston wanted in a house.

In this article we cover:

  • How they got the site and what their first step was after that
  • How the design evolved around their choice of finishes
  • Design with young and older children in mind
  • Choice of windows, front doors, stone
  • Working with a quantity surveyor and going to tender
  • How the build was managed on site day to day
  • Types of decisions that had to be made off the cuff
  • Choice of heating and ventilation systems
  • Kitchen design with tips
  • Interior design choices
  • Landscaping and details of groundworks
  • Professional photographs, specification and supplier list

House size: 5,500 sqft 
Site size: 1.6 acres 

Avatar

Written by Astrid Madsen

Astrid Madsen is the editor of the SelfBuild magazine. She previously held the same role in an Irish trade publication, before that she worked at the National Standards Authority of Ireland. She graduated with a BA in Urban Studies from Columbia University in New York and holds an MBA from the Instituto de Estudios Bursatiles in Madrid. France of origin, she now lives in Portarlington, County Laois, where she's taken on the task of renovating a listed building! Email astrid.madsen@selfbuild.ie

All in the family

Lifecycle series: Timber