Plot of Gold

Breege and Michael couldn’t believe their luck when they had the opportunity to design and build their dream home in Buncrana, only a stone’s throw from the beach and overlooking the sea.

Working as a registered RIAI architect and managing director of Michael Galbraith Associates, Buncrana, County Donegal, it has always been a dream of mine to design and build our own home,’ says Breege.

‘My husband, Michael, and I started to look for a site within Buncrana and my parents approached us one evening with the option to build on the site directly below their house, which overlooks the sea – we thought we’d won the lotto! The site was perfect, located within walking distance to the town, a stone’s throw to the beach, amazing views and a link path to my parents’ home. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

‘As an architect, I’d say this was the toughest house I’ve ever designed. I love so many different types of architecture it was hard to compile all my desires into one project that worked in harmony. ‘I wanted our house to stand out from the crowd and for people to know it was ‘an architects house’. I love traditional Irish architecture but with a modern twist. I also love split level and lots of glazing to capture the amazing views and also make the most of solar gain. We wanted a house design that would grow with our family and for rooms to be flexible over the years to come,’ adds Breege.

Read more in the August issue…