A new book is helping in the fight to preserve Ireland's beautiful old farm buildings by giving guidance on their restoration, writes Emma Cullinan

WE HAVE a romantic image of farm buildings and rural life but when it comes to it many Irish people have turned their back on heritage buildings in favour of what they see as cleaner, more modern homes.

It is time we appreciated our heritage, says Tommy Skehan, of Kildare County Council, in the introduction to the book Reusing Farm Buildings, A Kildare Perspective.

"Farm buildings, along with the field patterns that surround them, contribute greatly to the local character of the countryside. These buildings are coming under increasing pressure for change, which often takes the form of conversion or modification that is insensitive to their architectural and historic interest and landscape setting."

Kildare council wants to protect more and more buildings like this and the authors of the book, architects Laura Bowen and Nicki Matthews, set out the where, whys and hows.

They also include case studies, showing how updating and extending such properties can be done successfully.

For those who want to renovate an old farm, there are guidelines on how to do it and the first thing is to get to know the building you are working with.

On this point, the authors outline typical characteristics of such buildings; including scale, internal layout and the placing of a farmhouse in relation to outbuildings.

There are distinct types of country house in Ireland which are covered in the book. They range from council houses, cottages and modest farmhouses, through to larger farmhouses, country estates, gentlemen's villas and stud farms.

The authors explain the legislation that protects some of them and how to go about restoring them to a former glory with added comfort.

Treat the building gently and don't be afraid of leaving in wobbly bits as these help the building retain its character. And rather than replacing whole sections of a building it is better to repair parts, say the authors. This is, for instance, the case with windows. Rather than taking all windows out of a building and replacing them with - heinous conservation crime - pvc fenestration, it is better to just replace parts of the wood that are damaged.

Guidelines on extensions to farm buildings include taking careful note of where you put the addition so as not to destroy the form of the original or substantially reduce the amount of light coming into the building.

You also need to take note of sun paths and prevailing wind, so as to benefit from solar gain while protecting against gales.

Extensions should take account of the scale and mass of the original. Roof timbers are often within a 5m span on old Irish farm buildings, for instance, and such structures are rarely longer than 20m. This gives a guideline to extenders: additions to the gable end should be within its width and new buildings created near the original would do well to keep within the length of the main building, to keep everything in scale.

With roofs, too, it is best to follow the pitch of the original, say the authors, and be careful about knitting a sloping roof into the pitch of its neighbour. Having the extension sticking up above the roofline of the original is a no, no.

Other suggestions include reusing an outbuilding and linking it to the main house through a new connecting structure.

In line with current conservation practice, the authors recommend that additions are clearly read as a new structure. But, having said that, traditional materials and craftsmanship should be respected.

Good examples of this are evident in two farm structures that were extended by architects in Co Dublin and Co Clare (pictured here). The extension to the Co Clare cottage (right) is set back from the building line and has a large glass opening, making it distinct from the original house. The original cottage underwent careful restoration, including the removal of cement render.

The contemporary extension to stable buildings in north Dublin (above) by architect David McDowell contrasts but harmonises with the former stables, which were converted into a family home.

Two other schemes - one in Ennistymon, Co Clare, by Michael Kelly Architects, and another in Co Fermanagh by Aughey and O'Flaherty - use new structures that cleverly mimic old farm buildings while looking thoroughly modern. The new buildings have barrel-vault roofs, reminiscent of barns or farm sheds, and are placed in sympathetic relation to the original house, creating enclosed courtyards.

"Historic farm structures are being rapidly lost, modified or abandoned," writes Peter Black, architectural conservation officer of Kildare Co Council. "Once they are dramatically altered or demolished their authentic historic fabric cannot be recreated." This book is part of a growing movement that seeks to change this.

Reusing Farm Buildings - A Kildare Perspective, by Laura Bowen and Nicki Matthews, from Kildare County Council office, Naas: €20. Tel: 045 980200; heritageofficer@kildarecoco.ie