Image courtesy of RTÉ

Offaly based couple 'thrilled' with major makeover to farmhouse on Room to Improve

Offaly-based couple, Amy O'Sullivan and Conor Dunne were 'absolutely thrilled' with a home makeover their old farmhouse received from popular architect Dermot Bannon on Room to Improve recently.

The old farmhouse located outside Tullamore was owned by Conor's later grandmother and has been in his family since its construction in 1912.

Amy and Conor with 'Room to Improve' host Dermot Bannon.

Speaking before work got underway on the charming farmhouse, Conor said: "I'd hate for the character of what's there to be changed too much. It's an emotional investment. My Dad grew up here and I would have been up and down as a child, then, as well. But my granny was always here."

Conor continued: "“We were looking back on old text messages from a few years ago and I'd obviously broached the idea with Amy about moving to Offaly and she says 'the only way you'll get me up is if Dermot Bannon designs our house'.”

Amy is a Cork native and added: "When we came up here, I just loved it, to have such a family history attached to it and I suppose, for me, moving up to Offaly, it's lovely that this was a family home."

Conor works as a training officer for the Defence Forces and was called away to serve in Kosovo while the couple were building their home. He said: "I want Amy to be comfortable and happy in it, again, particularly during those times (when away overseas with Defence Forces) so I'd like to have just the peace of mind that she's happy and tucked away up here."

The couple got engaged whilst working on the build and Amy said: "Not only do we've a house to build, but we've a wedding to plan as well. I'll be kept busy for the next few months and he'll be back in September, hopefully, for a visit or in the next few weeks."

Famed architect Dermot Bannon was struck by the charm and beauty of the farmhouse and wanted to keep the original structure in tact. He explained: "There's an amazing soul to this place, there's an amazing charm about the building. If a shell of a house like this can hold the magic it's going to be, I think, easy to build on."

Before Conor left to serve in Kosovo he made sure to pay a trip to Harry's Architectural Salvage in Kilkenny with Dermot in tow to purchase two fireplaces for the bedrooms and he also fell in love with a butter churn.

Conor's sister Aisling provided support and advice for Amy whilst Conor was gone. She stated: “You don't want to see a house that's been in the family for 100 years to go waste. So it's beautiful to see it being revitalised, and brought up to the 21st century."

Conor said: "She'd (Conor's granny) just be delighted to see someone back in here. It's still the same house that it always was. Dermot alluded to it, if you just flattened all the walls inside and knocked it all out, you'd have lost all those memories, the character that was in it.”

Dermot concluded: "Everywhere you go in this house, there is a view beyond. It's kind of a nice link between the old and the new."

The newly renovated farmhouse features an open-plan layout with an elegant living room and modern, minimalist kitchen. The porch was repurposed as a home office for Amy.

The new extension of the farmhouse features an open-plan layout with an elegant living room and modern kitchen and dining space with a vaulted ceiling, opening out onto the courtyard. At the other end of the extension, there's a utility and a guest bedroom.

The ground floor of the original building became a bedroom and living room. The first floor of the farmhouse retains two existing bedrooms and a newly built bathroom.

The couple received a €20,000 SEAI energy upgrade grant which brought the total cost down for Conor and Amy to €326,000.

Room to Improve airs on RTÉ One and RTÉ player on Sundays at 9.30pm.