Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses in the Countryside

5.DESIGNING THE HOUSEDoors, Porches and WindowsThe most important outside feature of a house is thefront door (in early dwellings it was sometimes the onlyone). The traditional door served not only as a means ofentry for people and animals, but often as the onlysource of light. Early doors were made of timber from aseries of solid planks, simply hung by metal straps intothe stone frame of the house.With the advent of the doorframe during the 16thcentury, heavy doors could be replaced by framed andpanelled doors which were much lighter and fitted moreneatly. Doors and their surrounds could then be moreelaborate, and by the late 19th century front doors beganto have their upper panels replaced with glass, alwaysobscured and often coloured. In new country houses, thefront door presents an opportunity for adding interest atthe focal point of the main elevation.New door construction should be simple, and preferablyof painted timber. While glazed panels in the door andfanlights above admit more light to the hallway, theyshould be considered carefully in relation to the overallstyle of the house.Traditional door and window openings67.69.68.70.Neo-Classical and traditionalContemporary door and window openings71. 72.DoorwaysOver-elaborate for rural areas54.County Limerick: Rural Design Advice for Individual Houses in the Countryside