by Steve Byrne | Jan 8, 2019
Here in Northern Ireland we are fortunate to have a water supply that is generally reliable and clean. Our own water isn’t fluoridated, but it has been chlorinated to some extent, to kill bacteria, and it is reliant on the national grid to keep pumps (and thus...
by Steve Byrne | Jan 8, 2019
One of the hardest things about producing your own food isn’t growing it, it is storing it afterwards. It really wants to break down as fast as possible, and all manner of creatures want to eat it first. Until now we’ve stored food all over the place – hanging up in...
by Steve Byrne | Feb 5, 2018
Pallet porch Having a porch, or some area to pile your boots in before going into a building without letting all the warm air out, is really useful, and a simple way to reduce energy consumption at home. We had a large pile of pallets that we’d collected over...
by Steve Byrne | Feb 5, 2018
Birch Cottage The cottage was originally built in the early 1800’s, and we know little of it’s early life – only that in the 1950’s it was significantly repaired, and that a brother and his family lived in it for a number of years – several children were raised in it....
by Steve Byrne | Sep 20, 2016
RENEWABLE ENERGY Lackan Cottage Farm is powered entirely by the wind and sun. Find out how. G Renewable energy at Lackan – some common questions Here at Lackan Cottage Farm we don’t have a mains electricity connection, and rely entirely on solar...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 20, 2016
The cottage gets it’s hot water and underfloor heating from solar panels, and from this woodburning stove, which also features a hotplate on which you can put a kettle or pot. Much of our firewood comes from the woodland opposite the cottage, providing a...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 20, 2016
All the water from baths, showers and sinks comes through our reed bed, which filters and cleans the water, before it passes to our pond. This means it is important to avoid putting any chemicals down the sink, and why we provide ecologically friendly cleaning...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 19, 2016
Composting toilets Although we do provide a rainwater flush toilet in the cottage, we do also have a dry composting toilet close to the cottage too, which we encourage guests to make use of. Waste is safely composted for 2 years until it is used to fertilise native...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 19, 2016
We’ve planted over 1500 trees here now, and by allowing hedgerows and wild areas to recover from decades of over management, have allowed habitats to recover. Rainwater harvesting Strawbale barn Pallet porch Birch Cottage Renewable Energy Wood burning stove Reed...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 19, 2016
Here at Lackan Cottage Farm we grow much of our own food – vegetables, fruit, and meat, in the form of chickens. You are most welcome to purchase in season produce during your stay, and to visit the gardens at any time. Rainwater harvesting Strawbale barn Pallet...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 19, 2016
Our birch woodland provides not only a source of fuel, through careful management and coppicing, but is also a wonderful place to walk or relax. We’ve planted over 1000 additional trees since we arrived, and continue to add to this number each year. It is our...
by Steve Byrne | Sep 19, 2016
Birch cottage is built using natural materials, sourced locally wherever possible and always ethically. The building is heavily insulated using woodfibre and sheep’s wool, plastered using lime, and decorated with limewash and clay paints, and food safe timber...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 30, 2015
The classroom After arriving here it was obvious that we would have to replace the old concrete room at the back of the house. We needed a space in which to host events, that would hold a good sized group of people, be efficient, and built from natural materials. We...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 30, 2015
A simple all purpose shelter One of the most loved spots on the farm is our fire pit, but given our Northern Irish climate, there aren’t a huge number of days when people can sit around the fire. We really needed a space where visitors could sit out of the rain....
by Steve Byrne | Jun 29, 2015
Tipi We first fell in love with tipis, (or teepees) when we stayed in one in an amazingly remote location in Wales. We liked it so much that we went back and got engaged in it. There is something magical about the space inside a tipi – it is one of the few...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 29, 2015
Lackan Cottage Our farm was established around 1840, and the holding has changed little since then, apart from some modernisation in the 1950’s. The land was once bog, but has been improved over the years – the original buildings are still in use, and the...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 29, 2015
Rocket mass heater When we built our timber framed classroom, one of the concerns was how best to heat it. We are entirely reliant on woodfuel here, and a regular woodburner was going to make a big dent in our precious wood pile. Then I saw a rocket mass heater in...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 29, 2015
Compost toilets Flush toilets account for one third of the typical household’s domestic water usage – water that is usually treated drinkable water. Vast amounts of energy are consumed cleaning the water, and treating the sewage. Dry compost toilets use no...
by Steve Byrne | Jun 29, 2015
Reciprocal roof roundhouse We spent over a year living off grid in a horse lorry, on our friend’s farm in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Our adventure was inspired by many things, not least a desire to free ourselves from seemingly endless bills, and also to do...
