School houses are Paul and Tina’s pet projects

WHEN it comes to transforming older buildings, Paul and Tina Cutting have been down that road before — many times, but only in England.

Now with a spectacularly-crafted former school teachers’ house on the market in Kerry, carpenter-by-training Paul reckons he and Tina have done up, renovated, saved and adapted about 10 different houses which they have lived in for different lengths of time.

Paul’s regular day job is also still in the building line, so he has worked on dozens of examples of old housing stock.

“There is a much better appreciation of old houses in England, an old house will always sell for more than a new one, and builders there are well used to working on old homes,” he observes.

In contrast, he is surprised at the way older dwellings and buildings suitable for conversion here are allowed fall into decay and dereliction, while new ones spring up along the highways and byways.

It was while travelling the back roads of Kerry in 1997 that he and Tina came across this property, in a sorry state, with its roof gone and with 18’ high trees rooted into the old wood floors.

Originally built in the 1880s, it comprised a pair of semi-detached small houses for teaching staff at the nearby two-teacher school at Glencuttane, near Beaufort and within a relatively easy strike of Killarney.

It had 1,000 sq ft of living space in 1997 and is now back in a prime state of health with a new lease of life, more than doubled in size, to 2,200 sq ft of dramatic, quality converted space along with a self-contained, one-bedroomed flat space above a detached converted garage.

There is even a real folly, a mini-castellated wee room done in red and yellow salvaged brick, complete with gothic shaped windows.

The house abounds with signs of individual creative input and a flair for colour, with a heavy mosaic input, covering niche alcoves, a hall floor, a built-in bench seat backdrop and many other spots, while the solid wood kitchen units are topped with Italian tiling.

The feel is old world, but without being corny achieved by using lots of salvage materials.

Features include wood-beamed ceilings, internal split levels, exposed stone and brick work inside and out, painted wood-panelled walls in the kitchen, a sun room past the kitchen window and a large lounge with 11ft-high ceilings and almost floor to ceiling glazing, deck access and stunning views.

For a place that originally had just a tap in the hall, its cup runneth over in terms of plumbing: all three bedrooms come with en suite bathrooms, and the first floor bedrooms have large gable windows, discrete dormer and Veluxes.

The old core of the house has been dry-lined for comfort, heating is by oil, new floors are in and windows are red deal painted with argon-filled double glazing.

There are 360 degree views of mountains from this comfortable base camp set about 800’ above sea level, taking in the Reeks and the Slive Mish, and they are maximised by virtue of a large added-on deck to the back, complete with brick-built folly.

Having made the lifestyle move to Ireland (“we wouldn’t go back to Britain, too crowded,” Paul observes,) the couple admit to often getting bored with their finished homes and to developing itchy feet for a new challenge.

On the market with Michael Coghlan of Sherry FitzGerald Coghlan with a €375,000 guide, this one-off Glencuttane/Kilgobnet home is ready-to-go for buyers who want a bit of rural splendour and tranquillity, on a one-third acre site.

It is being sold as the vendors want to develop a lakeside property elsewhere.