The Great House Revival: Mill ruin turned into dream home

Hugh Wallace: 'Thanks to savings, and sale of starter home, their mortgage repayments come in at less than the national rent'

Mon, 11 Apr, 2022 - 17:45

Eve Kelliher

Walking the land gifted to them by their family, newlyweds Kelly Gaffney and Paddy Connor see the potential of a ruin standing there.

The 1830s mill, in their native Dunleer, Co Louth, was once the town’s most imposing building.

It’s been derelict for most of the last century, as architect Hugh Wallace notes in episode three of The Great House Revival in which it stars.

"It’s windowless, semi-roofless and derelict — almost the direct opposite of the turnkey home most young couples would dream of. It’s quite literally built on an industrial scale."

But gym manager Kelly and barber Paddy have plans to restore it and transform the building into their dream residence.

Kelly and Paddy follow through on Kelly’s vision and with the help of Hugh and their building contractor John Hanratty they turn it into what Hugh describes as “an extraordinary family home”.

All that despite the lockdown challenges of the pandemic, a baby on the way, and the couple having to reapply for their mortgage.

As they show the unique five-bedroom residence they created, the sacrifices they made turn out to be worthwhile, says Hugh: “Thanks to their savings, and the sale of their starter home their mortgage repayments come in at less than the national rent."

Kelly adds: “If we can inspire one person, that would be amazing because there’s so many old buildings that need somebody to be brave to take them on.”

Starting out, they have a budget of €400,000 in total.

They sold a house Kelly purchased when she was younger, and both moved back into their respective family homes to save further.

Out of that budget they plan to restore “at least the two floors” of the mill, says Kelly at the beginning of the episode on RTÉ One.

Inside, says Hugh as he meets the couple in early 2020 at the mill, “it’s as big as a cathedral; it’s also an empty shell.”

Kelly and Paddy had initially hoped to be in for December 2020.

Lockdowns “put the brakes on” this project throughout, as does the couple having to reapply for their mortgage.

But amidst all the uncertainty, there’s brand-new motivation to get the project finished as soon as possible: Six months before Christmas they announce they are expecting a baby in December.

“If they want to start their family life in December they’ll have to hope for Christmas miracle,” says Hugh.

By July, work is continuing at pace thanks to contractor John.

At 420 sq m, the mill’s floor area is “sprawling” but at last it has three floors again, says Hugh.

The ground floor has a king-size kitchen/dining/living area.

Hugh is concerned that the 43 windows remain in keeping with the building’s heritage.

By January 2021, the country is again in lockdown, and the couple are parenting newborn Caragh from Kelly’s childhood bedroom.

As no one is onsite, security has become an issue.

“We’re not homeless but technically we are. We’re a small family, we have Caragh, we’re just desperate to have a home,” says Kelly.

Finally in May work begins again with underfloor heating installed at last, and Kelly shifts her focus to the interior design.

In October, Kelly has run out of money and has no choice but to DIY the house painting.

Soon after, the family are camping out in the unfinished building, following a call from a local concerned that someone may have been watching the house.

In January 2022, we see the reveal.

“Almost all of the scaffolding is down and this imposing building makes quite an impact; months of careful restoration have revealed the full beauty of its granite stonework and I have to admit that although the windows are not to my taste, they don’t detract from the mill’s impressive exterior,” says Hugh.

The architect is impressed with the pristine kitchen/dining/living room which two years previously had been “a shell”.

“Yet the light and airiness remains,” says Hugh.

“My memory of this was walking in here the black polythene on the floor.

“The two-level void is a triumph, bringing light in from all directions and achieving elegance without feeling cavernous.” This mill’s old kiln now houses the stairwell.

Kelly is pleased with the upper-floor living space, which she had originally intended as a bedroom until Hugh changed her mind.

“I think it was one of the best decisions that was made on the house,” she says.

The completed third floor also gets the thumbs-up from the couple.

“Thankfully our builder advised us, ‘You won’t do it if you don’t do it now’,” says Paddy.

The project was not without challenges.

“Baby on the way, Covid arrived, had to reapply for the mortgage — one of those would be enough to send a couple over the edge but you had all those to deal with together,” says Hugh.

But Kelly replies: “Caragh was the best distraction.”

“We were very lucky with our builder. He was the one who really took care of this building and made sure there were no problems for me and Patrick down the line.”

Their contactor John committed to finishing the whole mill to a builder’s finish for €375,000.

“The master bedroom became this fabulous living area in reality third floor so increase the budget,” says Hugh.

“You’ve saved a piece of architectural heritage in the village that within the that really had been consigned to history.

“What they’ve done is to rescue that fabric of the building that was left, the walls but because of that they’ve been able to build a new home inside while respecting the architectural importance and heritage of the building and that wasn’t easy.

“Kelly and Paddy have created a unique and distinctive five-bedroom home.

“Thanks to their savings, the sale of their starter home, and taking on an old building on land they'd been gifted, their mortgage repayments now come in at less than the national rent.