On a quiet road near Kilcock, Co. Meath, an old single storey cottage had reached the point where it needed everything: roof, windows, floors, insulation, plumbing and heating. PP Construction took it back to its shell and rebuilt it as a warm, bright, modern home, without losing the low white cottage that the road has known for generations.
Project at a glance
Location
Near Kilcock, Co. Meath
Project
Full renovation of an old cottage, inside and out
On site
April to August 2026
Completed
August 2026
Keeping the cottage the road knows
Old cottages like this one are part of the character of rural Meath. They sit low in the landscape, close to the road, under trees that are older than most of the houses around them. Neighbours pass them every day and would notice if one disappeared. When a cottage like this is renovated, it is easy to end up with something that looks like a new build. The brief here was the opposite: bring the house up to the standard of a modern home, but keep it recognisably the same cottage.
That meant working with what was there. The footprint and the long, low profile are unchanged. The original pebble dash walls were kept, patched where they needed it and painted white with a dark plinth, the roof was replaced in grey slate, and new windows and doors in dark grey frames sit quietly against the white walls. The mature trees and hedges around the site were kept, and a new gravel driveway and landscaping tie the house back into its setting. From the road, it still reads as the cottage it always was, just cared for again.
Roof off, floor out
Before anything new could go in, the old cottage had to be opened up. The roof was stripped back to the rafters, ready for the new slate roof. Underfoot, the original red and grey chequered tile floor was broken out and new drainage was run in beneath it. A damp proof membrane then went down over the prepared ground and a new concrete floor was laid on top, giving the cottage a sound, dry base for its new floors.
Inside: light, warmth and a layout that works
Inside, the cottage was taken back to the walls. The internal layout was changed to make better use of the space, with new insulation, plumbing and heating throughout, new floors in every room, and a fully fitted kitchen and bathroom.
The kitchen is the heart of the house. A vaulted ceiling and a roof light turn what could have been a low, dark room into a bright kitchen and dining space with room for a table. The bathroom has a walk in shower and its own roof light, the bedrooms have new flooring, windows and radiators, and a tiled hallway with a glazed rear door brings daylight into the middle of the house.
What the work involved
- New slate roof
- Original pebble dash kept, patched and painted
- New windows and external doors
- Internal layout changed, with new internal walls
- Original floor broken out, new drainage run in and a new concrete floor laid on a damp proof membrane
- New insulation throughout
- New plumbing and heating throughout
- Fully fitted kitchen with vaulted ceiling and roof light
- New bathroom with walk in shower and roof light
- New floors throughout
- New gravel driveway and landscaping
Renovating an older house in Meath or Kildare?
Old cottages and farmhouses come with their own challenges: solid walls, damp, low ceilings, and roofs and services well past their best. Since 2004 PP Construction has worked on homes across Meath, Kildare and Dublin, and we know how to bring an older house up to modern standards while keeping what makes it worth keeping. We manage the whole job with our own local tradesmen, from the roof down to the finishes, and we have written up our bathroom renovation work if you are planning a smaller project.
Thinking about renovating an old cottage or farmhouse?
Send Paul a few photos and a rough idea of what you would like to do. He can call out, walk the house with you and talk through what is involved.