Natural building

Natural building

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to be able to create a number of what are generally termed ‘natural’ buildings. What do we mean when we say Natural Building? Well for me it means using natural materials, which are usually biodegradeable, and often...
Finishing the roundhouse

Finishing the roundhouse

Five years ago now we started building the strawbale roundhouse, which has been a slow affair, mainly due to not having any good clay with which to make earth plaster.  The roundhouse has sat there full of junk – a wasted opportunity that has nagged at me each...
Limewashing and a barn repair

Limewashing and a barn repair

October was a busy month at Lackan, tackling all the regular jobs that we’ve been putting off too long. The cottages have been limewashed, repairs made to flashings and everything made generally weatherproof. Three years after we bought the lime-hemp plaster,...
The great house revival

The great house revival

Way back in November 2017 we got a call from Animo TV who were making a series for RTE about property restoration with architect Hugh Wallace as presenter. They were filming an episode about a woman who was bringing a near derelict property in Donegal back to life, but with a fairly sensible budget of about 100,000 euro.  The reason for us being included was for two reasons. Firstly because we did our cottage up on a tiny budget, and secondly because of our use of materials.