Ever wondered how to make an old house warm?

Take a tour of Rinn na Mara, a 175 year old cottage that has been restored to an A1 standard with a focus on sustainability. This renovation used breathable and natural materials to create a warm, healthy and energy efficient home.

The original cottage was restored with lime plaster and breathable external insulation, while the new build extension to the rear is made of mass timber, wood fibre insulation and timber cladding. These building methods and materials have drastically lowered the embodied energy of the building and the carbon footprint of the renovation itself.

In this tour, Seán and Hélène will share the challenges they faced in this self-build, how they sourced materials and what difference living in a natural home has made for them. The tour will also show the differences of approach required when making sustainable choices for both a deep retrofit and a new build.

Meeting Point: Black Front Door, 16 Seapoint Rd, Bray, Co. Wicklow, A98 D594. Look out for Open House Dublin Volunteers who will manage queues and entry for the tours.

Pre-Book Only

The tour has limited accessibility due to the age of the original building, which means that the staircase is steep/narrow, door heights are low and their are a variety of steps between levels. The tour will use the stairs to travel between floors.