Editor’s note: Welcome to the third installment of This Ugly House, a reader renovation diary. We’re excited to publish this tale of a hands-on renovation of a wood-frame house in Bed Stuy. The author ...

I live in a decent-sized Edwardian-era redbrick house near Dublin city centre. Unfortunately, there is an ugly 1970s-era extension to the rear of my house. It's quite a useful space – it's fully wired ...