Back to the future: How DIY retrofitting saved a Cork family house

Home Editor Eve Kelliher  finds out how Kieran McCarthy and Adam O'Brien gave a 1950s bungalow a new lease of life

Homeowner Adam O'Brien who renovated his grandparents’ 1950s bungalow.

An ambitious retrofit of his grandparents’ 1950s bungalow turned out to be a labour of love for Cork man Adam O’Brien. And the work ethic of the 39-year-old software engineer from Ballincollig impressed his fellow Cork native, building engineer Kieran McCarthy.

Kieran was on hand as Adam took on this personal project and carried out much of the work himself as he aimed to bring the Commons Road cottage from an F to a B2 BER rating.

Their endeavours featured in the third episode of RTÉ One’s Heat My Home, which aired recently.

Adam O'Brien and builder Kieran McCarthy.

Kieran, who hosts the new TV series focusing on retrofitting older Irish homes, says: “Adam rolled up his sleeves to take energy efficiency into his own hands,” says Kieran, who is also a columnist with Irish Examiner Property & Home.

After qualifying from UCC in Civil Engineering in 1996, Kieran worked with several blue-chip building companies in Ireland and the UK before setting up his own design and building company in 2004. He was the co-presenter of RTÉ’s Cheap Irish Homes. Throughout Heat My Home, he shows homeowners what’s possible and what costs are involved. He also breaks down the technical jargon, from heat pumps to HVAC, to make it easy to follow. But working with Adam brought a sense of deja vu as the project reminded one he had carried out for his own family, in which he had brought the property from an E to an A1 rating. That was his first building project under his own name – when Kieran renovated his late grandmother’s house in Cork.

“My own retrofit was more than 20 years ago when I took on the project for my own family – and it was quite similar to Adam’s,” says Kieran. “It was for my mother – the generation above me.” Kieran believes bringing a home such as Adam’s back into use is important: “These aren’t just houses, they’re part of our families and communities. When you retrofit an older home, you’re keeping that story alive as well as future-proofing it for the next generation. A lot of people think retrofitting is too costly, too complex and out of reach. However, if you’re willing to take on some of the work yourself, you can make big savings without compromising quality. It’s about understanding what is doable and making smart choices that work for your home and your budget.” Adam was keen on giving a house that had been in his family for 60 years “a new lease of life”, he says.

“I wanted to prove that you don’t need to knock down an older house to make it energy-efficient. By upgrading the insulation, fitting new windows and installing an air-to-water heat pump, I’ve been able to turn what was an F-rated bungalow into a warm and modern home. Doing a lot of the work myself helped to bring down the costs and gave me a greater understanding of how small improvements can make a big difference.”

The series showcases different case studies and should offer an insight into what the process is about, adds Kieran. “The hope with the show is to help people understand the process to demystify any technology and jargon,” he says. “Viewers should feel more comfortable with the idea, and it might inspire them to take the first step. When they look at other people that they might relate to, they’ll think, if they can manage it, maybe I can manage it myself. Among the case studies, there’s something there to inspire everyone.”Some retrofits are quicker and less invasive than others, depending on the type of building itself. “I suppose everybody’s happy to be out the far side of it when it’s done!” says Kieran. “Some people are better equipped emotionally to deal with it than others, and that depends on the nature of the work as well; you can be lucky or unlucky with the nature of the work that needs to be done.”

Heat My Home is produced by Cork-based company Cameo Productions. It airs on Tuesdays at 8.30pm on RTÉ One and is on RTÉ Player