Is a courtyard a good idea or a waste of space?
QMy architect is suggesting a courtyard between our existing house and our new extension but I’m worried it’s a wasted space — are they a good idea?
ACOURTYARDS are generally a good idea where they are introduced to minimise the loss of light to the existing house caused by the introduction of a new extension.
AVOID THE PITFALLS The most common scenario involves a standard three- or four-bed semi featuring an original small kitchen and separate dining room to the rear, which is being extended the full width of the back of the house to create an open-plan kitchen, living and dining space.
However, if not carefully considered, such an extension can result in a somewhat ill-defined, four-sided rectangular volume, which encloses the original dining room, making it an inner, land-locked space with poor natural daylight.
As a result, these spaces tend to be used as glorified storage areas, as over-sized corridors linking the original good room to the new extended area, or as play-rooms in the centre of the house — none ideal.
Think of it this way — when you originally bought the house, part of the purchase price included the area comprising the original dining room. If the quality of this room is subsequently impacted negatively by any extension, you are essentially replicating a space you already have by re-creating it in the extension and paying for it on the double.
DON’T DUPLICATE SPACE — COMPLEMENT IT Instead, use an extension to complement and maximise the accommodation already present, rather than duplicate it or render it redundant. By designing the extension as an ‘L’ that extends off the back of the original kitchen, forms a courtyard to the rear of the original dining room and runs possibly the full width of the garden (likely housing the main living and possibly an additional dining area), you ensure the original dining room retains its character, quality, external connection and access to natural light.
COURTYARD GAINS Given our latitude, the courtyard is unlikely to ever be a sun-trap. However, it will bring ample amounts of ambient light into the three spaces around it: the original dining room, the extended kitchen, and the new living/dining space. It will create a sheltered external area in the middle of the house that can be accessed from all spaces around it, making it a used and functional part of the house. It will act as a ‘lung’ in the centre of the home, which, if carefully landscaped with planting to suit its situation, will help bring nature right into the heart of the house, rather than simply a garden beyond the rear wall of the house itself. If the surface of the courtyard is paved in a material that complements materials used internally and the side wall is also considered in this way, the courtyard will integrate very successfully with the internal spaces that surround it. Examples of this include polished concrete internally complemented with power-floated concrete externally. It may not be a space that is ‘used’ heavily, but is one that will be visible from many areas of the house. The natural light it draws into the heart of the home and, even on the darkest of days, will percolate beyond its boundaries, animating and enlivening the spaces around it.
If you are considering changes to your home, work with a registered architect. Find one on riai.ie, the registration body for architects in Ireland