Basement Modernization in Dublin, Ireland: Case Study 2 of 3

Location: Grand Canal Street

A shabby period 3 bedroom 2 storey terraced house on one of Dublin’s busiest streets. The owners wanted to double the amount of living space available to them. As part of this, the basement specialists built a 90 square meter basement, under the return and the garden.

These houses did not have a basement when they were built, so a large amount of debris had to be removed. Access to the site was only from the front as the site was bounded by houses and a garage on the other three sides. There was no space on the site to store the spoil and only one small container could be on the site at a time. Furthermore, the water table was only 1.5 meters below the surface.

The construction of the concrete base box took 16 weeks and the equipment was carried out later. Excavation of the 90-square-meter space required 70 12-cubic-yard containers and 20 meters of shoring to a depth of 3.5 meters. Also involved was the bypass of the existing sewer collector and the construction of a temporary roof. To control the groundwater level, a six-meter-deep drainage well was dug.

The final space is used both as a living room and as a machine room. A section of the basement is accessed from the main house and is well lit via light wells. This section is used as the living space in the heart of the house. The remainder is used as plant and storage space with separate access from the restored rear garden.