They came for a holiday, stayed for the view — and built a €795k dream home

With panoramic sea views, eco features, and 19 acres, this lovingly rebuilt Kerry farmhouse blends tradition with tech

Fri, 09 May, 2025 - 00:00

Catherine Shanahan

Kenmare, Co Kerry
€795,000
Size	225 sq m (2422 sq ft)
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2
BER	B1

WHEN UK-based Andy and Helen King visited Ireland in 2011 to celebrate a milestone birthday, they had no interest in buying a property.

Italy was their choice of retirement destination, and that’s where they were ultimately headed.

The Italian plan was up-ended, though, after the free-spirited couple hired a car and drove around the byways of Kerry. After adventuring up an overgrown laneway, inching their way through furze and brambles,“higher than Andy’s head, and he’s 6’ 1”, laughs Helen, they stumbled across a teetering old farmhouse.

"Before" picture of the Tuosist farmhouse

“We turned around and saw the view,” Helen says, and, in an instant, they unknowingly rewrote their own fate and the fate of the derelict farmstead.

When they contacted the auctioneer to enquire about the price, he was shocked that they had managed to reach the property. “He said if he’d known we were going there, they’d have cleared the path,” Helen says.

“He told us the price, and we said it was very Celtic Tiger-ish. He asked us how much we thought it was worth, and we gave him a price.”

The couple thought no more of their encounter and continued to focus on Italy. Then, out of the blue, they got a call from the agent, who said the vendor had considered their offer. .They were taken aback.

“We didn’t even know we had made an offer! “ Helen laughs.

Nonetheless, the price was right, and having fallen head over heels for the view, they “jumped on a plane, came back from Italy, and bought the property, subject to planning permission”.

“And we haven’t regretted it for a second,” they say.

Most would walk away from the hollow shell that they rescued in Tragalee, Tuosist.

Instead, every salvageable plank and reuseable stone was plucked to safety and re-purposed. All interior and exterior stonework was sourced from old barns.

“We lived on site while we did it. It was literally a case of a tin bath in front of the fire,” Andy laughs.

The house had been empty for years when the Kings bought it. The local authority had condemned it, and its previous,elderly occupant had moved into a stationary mobile home down the road.

“We bought the house in 2012 and it took a couple of years to restore it, but we loved every minute of it,” the couple say.

They hired a builder, a plumber, and an electrician, but did a lot of the work themselves. Andy’s professional background as an antiques dealer and furniture restorer stood to them.

This included the skill to build a walnut staircase; to lay oak wood flooring; to tile; to fit the traditional wooden kitchen; to remove the “best bits” of upstairs wall panelling from the old farmhouse and refit it in the living area of the voluminous open-plan kitchen/dining/living room, where the ceiling rises into a vault at the seaward-facing end, above an expansive window, which overlooks the reason they bought the house.

Barn-height ceiling in living area with seaward views

On a clear day, you can see that reason for ever: The dazzling expanse of Kenmare Bay, across to the exquisitely lovely Iveragh Peninsula and majestic McGillycuddy Reeks.

Boaty types will like the fact that the house has 1.5 acres of private shoreline, with direct waterfront access, via zig-zagging wooden steps.

There’s precedent for a mooring, because there was one previously.

As well as a private shoreline, there’s a nice bit of land with the Tragalee farmhouse, c 19 acres, fully fenced, and divided into individual paddocks. Andy, whose family were farmers, grazed cattle on it. A cattle crush and yard are already in place.

An old farmyard barn was renovated and made part of the main house, which extends to 225 sq m.

“When we bought it, the barn roof was falling in and there was a gap between the barn and the house, but we got planning permission to join the two buildings,” Helen says.

The barn has retained its original footprint and dimensions.

It now houses the main open-plan living accommodation and the main bedroom overhead, with en suite and walk-in wardrobe.

A separate living room with wood-burning stove, known as ‘the snug’, is in the original farmhouse, along with two downstairs bedrooms and another overhead.

An added-on sunroom to the rear of the house faces south.

A second sitting-out area can be accessed through French doors off the kitchen/dining/living room, where a double-sided stove throws heat in both directions.

Doors throughout the house have a traditional farmhouse look. Some came from an estate in Cheshire; Andy made the others to match.

Images of what the original property looked like demonstrate that what the couple achieved is pretty stupendous. In the place of a crumbly old ruin is a masterfully restored, lime-rendered farmhouse with converted barn.

As for the setting? Italy, eat your hear out.

It’s a huge wrench for the couple to sell it, but the magic of a grandchild in the UK is irresistible.

“Our grandchild is growing up fast and Andy is 74 now and we would hate to get to the age where we can’t manage the farm. Even though we’ve great friends here and were really welcomed into the community, we want to go while we are still on top of things, because we wouldn’t like to see the property go backwards,” Helen says.

It would take quite a bit of effort to undo the work they have done, including achieving a remarkable B1 energy rating, driven by underfloor heating downstairs, radiators upstairs, double glazing throughout, solar hot water panels, solar PV panels with battery storage capacity, and an electric car charging point. Moreover, everywhere has insulation: Roof, walls, floor.

Ron Krueger, of Engel & Völkers, is selling the handsome, gated property, which he describes as the “perfect blend of traditional charm and modern conveniences, with breathtaking panoramic views”.

On a private, elevated site, it’s just a 25-minute drive from the heritage town of Kenmare, while closer to home, in Tuosist, there’s a small shop and post office.

Well-known Helen’s Bar & Café is in nearby Kilmackillogue. For families interested in the property, there’s a national school in Lauragh, 10 minutes away by car. Outdoor enthusiasts will love the range of activities: Hill-walking, kayaking, water sports, golfing.

Mr Krueger, who is guiding the property at €795,000, says it comes with a number of outbuildings, including a large workshop.

"I'm expecting interest from both domestic and international buyers," the agent says.

VERDICT: From ruin to riches. Fantastically restored property, thanks to a visionary couple and the talents of Handy Andy. View is the jewel in the crown.

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