The secluded Kerry school house converted into a three-bed cottage for €220,000

Secluded school house is now three-bed cottage with plenty of original features, writes Trish Dromey

Fri, 15 Jul, 2022 - 06:50

Trish Dromey

Clydagh Valley, Co Kerry
€220,000
Size	100sq m (1,069sq ft)
Bedrooms	3
Bathrooms	2
BER	E1

When the occupants of the old school at Knocknabro look out their front windows they might almost imagine that they have the scenic Clydagh Valley all to themselves.

“You are looking out across the valley towards the county bounds. You have views of forestry and hills and the river Clydagh but you can’t see any houses,” says the owner, noting that there are some neighbouring houses further along the road at the side but none at the front.

It was the scenery and seclusion of the old school, located at the base of the Knocknabro mountains, that appealed to the couple when they bought it in 1998 in a derelict state.

“It was a small two-room school that had been built in 1909 and closed in 1967,” the owner says.

Five years after buying it, they set about turning it into a holiday home, endeavouring to keep the original character and to make the changes unobtrusive. They kept the traditional pebble-dash facade, extended at the rear, and added modern creature comforts. while keeping original features including the timber wall panelling in the classroom, which they painted a vibrant red.

Living abroad, they had searched for a holiday cottage while on a trip home.

“The auctioneer we went to in Killarney had three properties and this was the one we liked best. It needed a considerable amount of work but was rural, remote, and very scenic.”

The school was small and its site was neglected and overgrown so they started by getting planning permission for a two-bedroom extension and some clearance work.

The school house had many original features that they were able to keep including the roof, a large fireplace, pine flooring, and wall panelling in the classroom. In the hallway they also kept the flagstone flooring and a cast-iron coat hanger that was used by the children.

Removing the plaster work on two of the classroom walls revealed stonework on one end and redbrick on the other.

“We opened up the ceiling in one section and exposed the original Baltic pine beams,” says the owner, explaining they did this to create a mezzanine area that is used as a bedroom.

In the space underneath the mezzanine floor, they have neatly fitted in a kitchen with pine units and a Belfast sink. In the extension, they put in two bedrooms with traditional-style ceiling beams and made one an en suite.

The owners also turned the old cloakroom into a bathroom, keeping the flagstone flooring and adding a cast-iron bath.

Matching the red panelled walls with a red front door, they put in oil-fired heating with antique-style radiators, fitted a stove in the fireplace, and more recently replaced the old windows with double glazing.

The school house is on a site of over half an acre and has a pretty stream at one side. At the other is an area where the owners planted trees.

“We put in 25 Sitka spruce which are now over 20ft high,” says the owner explaining that the site also includes a stretch of rugged hillside at the rear.

As part of the clearance work, the old stone walls around the property were rebuilt as was a small stone outhouse that has become a utility room.

Seeking offers of €220,000, Elaine Daly of Sherry FitzGerald Daly says viewers cannot fail to be impressed by the majesty of the scenery in the Clydagh Valley.

“This is a beautifully restored cottage which will make an ideal bolthole for someone who loves the outdoors,” she says, noting that the valley and surrounding mountains are hugely popular with hillwalkers.