Episode Information Belfast: The Roman Villa

Date Published:

10/06/2008

This is Belfast, one of the great cities of the industrial revolution, and home to Thomas and Dervla O'Hare. They've lived here for 18 years, and although they still love their tiny cottage for its compactness, they're about to build something much, much bigger. They're building a 21st century answer to the Roman villa, with a copper roof, glass and concrete walls and vast amounts of living space all arranged around a central courtyard.

In order to cope with the incredibly steep slope the house was divided across three levels. At the base of the building there is a garage and all the utilities. Through the front door a double-width processional staircase leads up to the living and dining areas.

Full-height glass walls blur the boundary between the sitting room and the central courtyard. Almost the entire building was arranged around it, including the enormous kitchen.

At the rear of the site where the slope is steepest, there is a bedroom block, partly built into the hill and sheaved with two storeys of south-facing glass to catch the light. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, this could be a super-compact modern hotel. Think of it instead as Thomas and Dervla's glamorous private hideaway, a modernist mansion.

Budget And Build

The Cost

Estimated budget: £350,000
Final budget: Actually under budget!