Completed rear elevation and garden at Richview House
Historic House Project

Richview House

An 1820 house carefully repaired and extended to provide modern family accommodation while preserving its historic rooms, finishes and landscape.

LocationRathmines, Dublin 6
DateOriginally built 1820
SectorHistoric Residential
Project value€3.6m
StatusCompleted
ServicesQS · PM · PSDP
The Brief

Return a distinguished Dublin house to its former quality.

Richview House was built in 1820 and has remained in the ownership of the same legal family for generations. The client wished to preserve the existing façades and internal character while adding front and rear extensions and converting the stable block into independent family accommodation.

Ian Maconachie acted as Quantity Surveyor, Project Manager and Project Supervisor Design Process.

The Challenge

Major structural change within a delicate historic interior.

The lower floor-to-ceiling height had to be increased by 1,500mm, requiring extensive underpinning and tanking. Original floors, lath-and-plaster ceilings, cornices, roses, fireplaces, sash windows and joinery all required protection, removal or specialist repair while the house was adapted for modern use.

The project also had to protect mature trees, reroute underground services and integrate large extensions without diminishing the original composition.

Our Approach

Repair original material and replicate only where necessary.

Timber floors, mouldings and fireplaces were catalogued and set aside. Lath-and-plaster ceilings were stabilised and lime skimmed; decorative plasterwork was cleaned and missing sections cast from moulds. Marble fireplaces and sash windows were restored by specialists.

The roofs were recovered with existing and second-hand slate, leadwork renewed and chimneys repaired in lime plaster. The gardens were re-landscaped with a heritage greenhouse, potting shed and modern outdoor kitchen. New façades and stonework were detailed to tie seamlessly into the original house.

Services Provided

Commercial, programme and safety leadership.

  • Quantity Surveying
  • Project Management
  • Project Supervisor Design Process
  • Specialist conservation procurement
  • Cost control
  • Extension and landscape co-ordination
The Outcome

A modern home that still reads as an historic house.

Richview House now supports contemporary family life while retaining the craftsmanship, proportions and materials that define the original building. The restored interiors, extensions, stable accommodation and renewed gardens form one coherent estate.

Expanded project image