From 'overgrown site' to Home of the Year: Winners share design secrets 

Eve Kelliher talks to Rob McConnell to discover how the family created the forest house he describes as 'a dream place'

The McConnells' favourite or 'red dot' spot in their Co Antrim newbuild, the 2023 RTÉ Home of the Year. Pictures: Joe McCallion

You're sipping a coffee on the patio of the dream house you’ve built yourself, in the middle of a forest, with views of the sea.

You’re figuring out whether it’s worth sliding into your kayak for a bit of me-time in the river outside in the garden before heading for the office.