Skip to playerSkip to main content
Cheap Irish Homes Season 6 Episode 1

#RealityRealmUS
Reality Realm US

🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️
👉 Official Channel: https://www.dailymotion.com/TheVisionFrame
👉 THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Transcript
00:00I'm Maggie Malloy and I'm back on the hunt for Ireland's best value properties.
00:05You have a really, really solid house that's stood for so long.
00:08I'm going to be using all my skills to match house hunters on a budget with fixer uppers,
00:14hidden gems and undiscovered bargains.
00:16Can you see my face?
00:18It's not just a lick of paint.
00:21There's fear in those eyes.
00:23This time I'm joined on my search by building expert and architect Ty Casey.
00:28I just think there's magic about that fireplace and there's magic about this building.
00:32Together, we'll show you that even in a tough housing market, it's still possible to find
00:37your ideal cheap Irish home.
00:40Today, I'm meeting 55-year-old Pauline Bleach, a writer from Portlaoise.
00:50Pauline has spent the past 30 years living in Australia and has decided that now is the
00:54right time to return to Ireland and look for a home where she can settle down.
00:58Australia is great, but I am always going to be Irish.
01:03I think it's kind of funny because Aboriginal people have this thing of they always have
01:08a sense of the heartbeat of home within them, even if they're away from their land.
01:12And I have that in places in Ireland.
01:16It's kind of like a heartbeat.
01:18My ideal property will be rural, close to water, close to very kind of wild walks.
01:25Maybe there's outbuildings I would change into places that my friends could stay in.
01:30Because I'm writing, it's a very isolating profession.
01:33To be able to look out the window and see something beautiful and rest your eyes, it's brilliant.
01:38And I just love walking out my door, climbing up a mountain or going onto the lake.
01:44The two counties I'm interested in are Galway and Clare.
01:48Galway, because I kind of grew up there, we spent a lot of time as children.
01:53And then I'm interested in Clare because it's my father's home country and I love being around there.
01:58My budget is €220,000 plus about €40,000 for renovations.
02:04Restoration projects don't scare me because I'm used to biting off more than I can chew.
02:11Mostly my friends go, what's she going to get into now?
02:15I'd love if I just walked in and I went, oh, you've just found the place. Perfect.
02:19But I think that even if I don't find something in this, I think I'll find a lot of clarity from it.
02:28Pauline has moved home from Australia to find a rural retreat near water where she can write and enjoy the countryside.
02:39She's expressed an interest in counties Clare and Galway.
02:43I'm starting my search near Lochray in Galway, where the average house price is around €282,000.
02:50Pauline has a budget of €220,000 plus renovations, so I'm keen to show her what she could get for her money.
02:59First up is this three bed extended bungalow in Newtown North, about 15 minutes from Lochray.
03:06It sits on a plot of 0.7 of an acre and comes with a collection of stone outbuildings and a yard.
03:12It has a guide price of €215,000. Myself and Tyg are here ahead of Pauline to assess the property.
03:21Right Tyg, house number one. What do you think?
03:24I think quite a proud, handsome house. I think maybe from the second quarter of the 20th century.
03:31Potentially as best as roof tiles. Issues here and there to be addressed, but fundamentally I think in decent condition.
03:37OK. The really exciting part, Maggie, as well, maybe for us, is when we look over to this maybe early 1800s vernacular cottage.
03:46I'm looking forward to seeing inside both of them. Very exciting property, isn't it?
03:49I think so, yeah. You ready to have a look inside? Let's do it.
03:56So we're in the part of the house at the moment. We have four rooms kind of radiating off of it.
04:02A really efficient layout, beautiful high ceilings.
04:05I've seen these houses a lot up here in Galway and Mayo. They seem very typical of the region.
04:10This room had to serve so many purposes. A kitchen, sitting room, everything.
04:16The real heart of the house. Yeah.
04:17But I guess the downside was whether they were on a site that was facing north, east, south or west.
04:22The front door was put facing the road. That was the be-all and end-all.
04:26However, that means that it didn't necessarily take advantage of the views or the sun, the light.
04:32OK, so what do you think you'd do?
04:34So rather than the house staying in on itself in this room, open it up to the south and to the west.
04:40Maybe a big opening there. Take advantage of those lovely trees and lovely view.
04:43OK.
04:44Get that free heat, that free light in. Maybe open this little room up into the central room.
04:50Create a lovely galley kitchen. OK. So this amazing extension would have to go.
04:55We would have to grieve for that extension, yeah.
04:59This isn't the worst one I've seen though.
05:01No. You could light touch, renovate, move in and keep it.
05:05I think if you were doing any substantial work, maybe focusing the money on the original footprint of the house.
05:11You could then just get rid of this.
05:13Absolutely.
05:15This house is in pretty good condition and has plenty going for it.
05:19Let's see what Pauline thinks. She's here to take a look with her friend, Sheila.
05:24We have three bedrooms, nice little rural location.
05:27Yeah.
05:28Couple of outbuildings behind me.
05:29Love that.
05:30And we are only 15 minutes from Loch Ray and Loch Derg.
05:32That's pretty good.
05:33OK, so what do you think of the house?
05:35It's looking good so far. It looks mostly solid.
05:38Yeah, I think fundamentally a really decent proposition.
05:40Little things that might need attention.
05:42Yeah.
05:43But a lovely house that you can take your time with.
05:45And a lovely relationship to the outbuildings.
05:47Yeah, I love the outbuildings.
05:49And a lot of potential.
05:50Great.
05:51I love the outbuildings.
05:52They're a real good find.
05:54We're both kind of going, oh yeah, lovely house.
05:57So let's get on to this price.
05:59It's on the market at the moment for $215.
06:01OK, that's not bad actually for what it is.
06:04So you ready to have a look inside?
06:05We are.
06:06Bring it on.
06:07Here's your notebook.
06:08Any questions you have for Ty?
06:09Yes.
06:10And we'll see you out here in about 15 minutes.
06:11Fabulous.
06:12Great.
06:13Let's go.
06:14I quite like this.
06:16And it's really nice to have light on both sides.
06:19Yeah, it's really interesting.
06:20It's like they've built out from both sides of an old house.
06:23Yeah.
06:24The actual ceiling height is really good.
06:26It's not freezing.
06:27Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
06:29OK.
06:33Oh, I like the view out the front now.
06:35Again, it's a tall room.
06:37There's not huge damp.
06:38There's not huge damp.
06:39That's actually really, really good.
06:40The carpet would have to go.
06:44Here we are in the extension.
06:46What do you think?
06:47There's a little bit of mildew here, so that worries me a bit.
06:50OK.
06:51Definitely one for your notebook.
06:52And then I guess just the bathroom.
06:54The bathroom?
06:55It looks like it's been renovated, so at least that looks...
06:58Yeah, it's not too bad.
06:59And it's got...
07:00It's actually nice tiles.
07:01Could you move in tomorrow?
07:02Yeah, there's probably three liveable rooms here, which is all I need.
07:05I guess that's a yes.
07:07So how'd that go?
07:11That was really interesting, actually.
07:13Yeah, there was some really quite quirky little rooms in there and some really good features.
07:18And it does really seem like it's liveable from the beginning.
07:22I thought it was a good house.
07:23I love the central living room.
07:25That's fab.
07:26There was a little bit of mildew.
07:27Mildew in the kitchen.
07:28In the kitchen.
07:29That's in later extension.
07:31Yeah.
07:32It's colder.
07:33Like there is no insulation.
07:34There's nothing in the back.
07:35No.
07:36Probably not a good use of your money to be putting it into a lower quality extension to rear.
07:40Maybe you could consider taking that extension away to the back.
07:44Yeah.
07:45Putting your kitchen, dining, living internally to take advantage of those views and of the sunpat.
07:50Oh, that sounds a good idea.
07:52Yeah.
07:53We've lovely outbuildings here to the back.
07:55You ready to have a look?
07:56I am.
07:57I'm excited.
07:58Come on.
08:01Oh, wow.
08:02Oh, my God.
08:04That's amazing.
08:05Oh, wow.
08:06Yeah.
08:07Look at the size of that fire.
08:08This fire is amazing.
08:09It is the original house.
08:11Yeah.
08:12I mean, to a lot of people, you'd think of these as like a famine cottage.
08:15Stones from the field kind of a house, isn't it?
08:17Absolutely, yeah.
08:18Yeah.
08:19I don't know.
08:20I just think there's magic about that fireplace.
08:21There's magic about this building.
08:22Oh, I loved it.
08:23All the life that was in here and the conversations around the fire and the summer nights and winter
08:28nights and through all those decades upon decades.
08:31If this was in Australia, it might be a museum.
08:33It'd be definitely a protective structure.
08:35You're getting it here as a cherry on top when you buy the other one.
08:38I don't know.
08:39Is there something bigger than a cherry?
08:40Okay.
08:41So this one's been pretty positive.
08:43Will we try and better it with the next one?
08:45I would love that.
08:46Let's go.
08:47For my next house, we're moving about ten minutes up the road and only five kilometres
08:54from the banks of Loch Ray.
08:56This part-renovated stone farmhouse in Cillinadima comes with a large outbuilding and almost two
09:02acres of land, complete with its own stream.
09:05It's under budget at €200,000, but looks like it still needs a bit of work.
09:11So myself and Tyg are going to join Pauline to look around this property.
09:16So the house has been partly renovated.
09:18We have a new boiler.
09:19We have a new septic tank.
09:20Oh, nice.
09:21Oh, I love a good septic tank.
09:22I'll tell you now.
09:23I do.
09:24A partly finished project, Tyg, would that be the best way of describing it?
09:27Fundamentally, I like it.
09:29It's situated lovely in the south facing slope.
09:31However, the part renovation that occurred cut back the slope.
09:35Once the slope was taken away, they found they had to purchase it at the two rear corners
09:39with mass concrete.
09:41And you can see the line on the gable there.
09:43Okay.
09:44No.
09:45Not the end of the world.
09:46There's a solution.
09:47That'll be designed by a structural engineer.
09:49It looks probably worse than it is.
09:51So, Sheila, talk to me.
09:53I am reserving my opinion and I'm interested to see more.
09:56Why don't we both come in with you and we'll be able to chat through the things that need to be done on the inside.
10:01That would be brilliant, actually.
10:02Okay, cool.
10:03Let's go.
10:07Okay, so we have a kitchen.
10:08Yes.
10:09Kind of a half-finished kitchen.
10:11There's a lot of work done in here.
10:13Parts of it feel really, really modern, but then parts of it are just completely unfinished.
10:18Like, I see that the electrics have been updated.
10:20Most of it seems here, to me, to be cosmetic.
10:23It is a bit small.
10:24It's a bit tight.
10:25Yeah, and you've got a kind of an odd-shaped utility area behind this wall.
10:30And to bring that back into the kitchen, it will be kind of nice.
10:33Yeah, I think the technical term for the utilities is neither here nor there.
10:38There's a lot that could be improved here.
10:40Remove that wall and open your stairs up to the kitchen here.
10:44Yeah.
10:45And this space starts to become something better.
10:47No, that would be good, actually.
10:49So we're in the living room now.
10:51This is basically 50% of the downstairs of your house.
10:54Do you think it's a good size?
10:55I think it's a good size.
10:56It looks crowded because there's so much furniture.
10:58So we could take that stuff down pretty easily.
11:01You could take down your polystyrene ceiling tiles, yeah.
11:05OK, so upstairs now we have two bedrooms to my left.
11:08We have another bedroom and the bathroom to my right.
11:11Loads of light flooding the land in here as well, which makes it feel a bit sunnier.
11:15Down there, so low, I don't think it's a really comfortable room.
11:19But maybe turning one of these rooms into an upstairs sitting room so I'm looking out at the view and turning that into the guest bedroom.
11:29That's very true.
11:30I think that's a really cool idea.
11:31Yeah.
11:32I think the main challenge up here is the fabric.
11:34We have a bit of damp coming in from the gables.
11:37The external walls need to be insulated.
11:39Sheila, what do you think?
11:40I just think it's a lot of work.
11:41Yeah.
11:42I think it's a huge amount of work.
11:43Yeah.
11:44There's a lot of unknowns, which kind of does scare me slightly.
11:51We're right across the road at the moment.
11:53We have this little grove of trees, lovely stream running through it.
11:57This is amazing.
11:58Technic area all the way.
12:00So will we get on to this price?
12:02OK, what are we looking at?
12:03OK.
12:04It's for sale at the moment with a guide of 200,000.
12:07OK, not bad.
12:09But there's a lot to be done.
12:11There's fear in those eyes.
12:13And I don't get fearful very often.
12:16There was a lot of stuff that seemed structural rather than cosmetic,
12:23whereas the last place felt a little bit more cosmetic rather than structural.
12:27OK, OK.
12:28I think this has been a useful one to see, but I have a great one up my sleeve for the last house.
12:32Do you?
12:33Yeah.
12:34All right.
12:35Let's go.
12:36I've now shown Pauline two houses in County Galway, with this bungalow getting the best reaction.
12:42But I still have one more property to show her as the search heads to County Clare.
12:47Maggie has got us smiling.
12:49I'm on the road with writer Pauline Bleach and her friend Sheila.
12:54She's returned home from Australia to look for a rural retreat near water where she can work and enjoy the countryside.
13:02Pauline has a budget of €220,000 plus renovations, and so far I've found two properties in County Galway both priced under that.
13:12First was this three bed bungalow with great outbuildings for €215,000.
13:18Yeah, there's probably three liveable rooms here, which is all I need.
13:21Then we saw this part renovated farmhouse with almost two acres of land and a guide price of €200,000.
13:29There's a lot of unknowns, which kind of does scare me slightly.
13:35Before we get to our final property, Tyghe has visited a farmhouse near Ballydavid in Kerry that's been renovated and extended by Gillian Nivrian and Evan Hadnett.
13:46So tell me about the background of this house.
13:48The house was built in the 1930s by my two granduncles and my great grandfather.
13:53And it was lived in then until about 2006 and then sat empty for the guts of 20 years.
14:00And then Evan and I inherited it in about 2020 and we began work on it then at that stage.
14:06And what condition was it in when you got it?
14:08Plaster was falling off the walls, all the floors were rotten, eaten alive, woodworm.
14:13There was a small extension on the back, had to come off it.
14:16It had been downgraded to a shed status for insurance.
14:19So then when we got it valued for our mortgage, the valuation came back at £60,000.
14:24Yeah, so not great.
14:26Was it daunting, Evan, facing into that work?
14:28The hardest part is actually starting it.
14:30We tried to save a lot of the timber and everything was rotten, really.
14:33Where were you living at the time?
14:35We had a mobile home out the back.
14:37Definitely helped us prioritise what we wanted from the house.
14:40I hate that mobile home.
14:42Well, you got here.
14:43You're still together, which is an achievement I think.
14:46So can we have a look inside?
14:47Absolutely, yeah.
14:48Let's go.
14:49So stepping into this house, what's catching my eye is this beautiful stone lentil.
14:54That's the original lentil for the front door of the house.
14:57We felt it was very important that it was exposed so that people could see the old house coming through.
15:03I think it's a beautiful touch.
15:04It is.
15:05We've got a nice, bright, airy children's playroom to the right.
15:09Your living room with your lovely joinery to the left.
15:11But what's catching my eye is the glass in the door beyond into the kitchen.
15:15Yeah.
15:16It was the door to the good room, you know, and you weren't allowed into the good room.
15:19So there was an air of mystery about this door always.
15:22It was lovely, like, but the door was eaten alive by woodworm.
15:26And so I had to hand make the actual frame inside the door a cut out of a normal door.
15:31It's definitely a labour of love.
15:33Thanks.
15:34We're in the two-storey extension now that was added to the rear.
15:41Yeah.
15:42Beautiful space.
15:43Great kitchen.
15:44Nice functional spaces off it.
15:46The big utility linked to the living room.
15:48So tell me how much of the work back here did you do yourselves?
15:52This is all the builders.
15:53This flew up.
15:54This is obviously a taller room.
15:56It adds to the character, I guess.
15:57Absolutely.
15:58A nice feature, yeah.
15:59There's a very particular stamp on the interiors here.
16:01There's lovely use of colour.
16:03I read somewhere once you can use three colours in a house and vary them as much as you want.
16:08So I've tried to stick with kind of different blues, the family of yellow and oranges and then greens.
16:14And, of course, obviously I have to have a bit of pink in there as well.
16:18Even though you have a lot of colours and patterns, it feels calm and it's just a nice space to be in.
16:23So it's really successful.
16:24Yeah.
16:25Well done.
16:27We're upstairs on the landing.
16:28We've got the old house in front of us.
16:30We've got the upstairs of the two-storey extension behind us.
16:33Yeah.
16:34Lovely guest bedroom.
16:35Family bathroom.
16:36Really generous kids' bedroom.
16:38And your own master suite.
16:40There's loads of space.
16:41Yeah.
16:42That's what too long in a mobile home will do.
16:44It makes you crave space.
16:46But it's a lovely area.
16:47We were able to utilise the attic space as well.
16:50We have an office.
16:51We have a chill-out area.
16:52And we have the best view of the three sisters from that area.
16:56So it's great.
16:57Yeah.
16:58So what have you learned?
16:59I learned an awful lot.
17:01We learned how to DIY.
17:02Do it as best we can without spending a fortune.
17:05We learned how to apply for grants and mortgages and, I suppose, become aware of what's available to you.
17:11There's so many little grants and bits and pieces that aren't massively advertised.
17:16Evan did all the hard work and I did all the paperwork.
17:19That paperwork is hard work.
17:21I love coming home to this house every day.
17:23It's definitely a labour of love from the first day we started it.
17:26And, yeah, we're so proud of what we've achieved.
17:29The end result is absolutely fantastic.
17:32So you inherited the house.
17:34Tell me, how much did you spend on renovations?
17:37We spent £165,000 and then we got £65,000 on top of that in grants.
17:42Wow.
17:43Would you do it again?
17:44Yeah.
17:45Sure.
17:46Why not?
17:47Absolutely not.
17:48No.
17:49Well, you don't need to.
17:50You have a fabulous family home.
17:51Thanks for having us here today.
17:53Building on the work of past generations, Gillian and Evan's efforts have really paid off.
18:00They've created a bright, spacious, characterful family home in this stunning location.
18:06It's a fantastic achievement.
18:11For Pauline's final property, we're heading to County Clare, near the peaceful village of Labashida, next to the Shannon Estuary.
18:19This two bed cottage sits in a beautiful setting, on a plot of over one acre, complete with polytunnel.
18:25It's also the least expensive of the three properties I'm showing Pauline, at €170,000.
18:31The view across those fields is just phenomenal, isn't it?
18:34It's beautiful.
18:35Yeah.
18:36The sight, the location.
18:37The building-wise, then, we have an early 20th century cottage with a 1950s, 1960s extension.
18:43Looks robust.
18:44It's well maintained.
18:45Will we have a look?
18:46Let's do it.
18:47Okay, well, first impressions when I come in, it definitely looks as nice as the outside, doesn't it?
18:53Absolutely.
18:54Yeah, so we have a single bedroom here to the left, a lovely double to the right, and then a great family bathroom over here that has a bath and a standalone shower, which is a lot for a little house like this.
19:06Really surprising.
19:07Yeah.
19:08There's an efficient use of space here.
19:10There's little bits of charm.
19:11Yeah.
19:12You want to see more.
19:13Well, Tig, how's this for a living room?
19:15It has everything.
19:16High ceilings, the alcove, you've got light from both directions, the loft bedroom.
19:22Not quite a third bedroom, but there's always the possibility there for Pauline to put a bed up there for a guest.
19:28I've also a kitchen behind me here, and one of the things I love about it is the fact that it still has its concrete floor.
19:36They didn't do stuff that they didn't need to do.
19:38And isn't there a lesson that you don't have to spend the most money to get the best results?
19:42Absolutely.
19:43Absolutely.
19:44That's what I'm always telling people.
19:49Isn't this an amazing location?
19:50This is so nice, and the village just looks awesome.
19:54So I have a really cute little cottage for you in great grounds, a lovely setting as well.
19:59It seems like everything is done, there's very little to do.
20:02Yeah, spot on.
20:03Did we get a positive from Sheila?
20:05Did we?
20:06It's not falling down.
20:07An early 20th century cottage, solid stone walls.
20:11You have a 1950s, 60s extension to the rear, potentially a cavity wall.
20:16Terminally could have been improved, yeah, little bits and pieces, but overall, I think you're good to go move in.
20:21Yeah, no, it looks like it.
20:23So do you have your notebook?
20:24I have my notebook.
20:25Are you ready to get inside?
20:26I am.
20:27There you go.
20:31Oh my God, look at that view.
20:33This is a good size.
20:34It's got storage, heating.
20:36Perfect.
20:37Yeah, so cozy.
20:38Single bedroom there, couple of bunk beds in it.
20:41That would be good.
20:42Yeah.
20:43It's just really, really perfect.
20:46So it's got a bath, a walk-in shower, looks like a good toilet.
20:50That's lovely.
20:51No damp.
20:52No damp.
20:53Yeah, again.
20:54Tick.
20:55Yeah.
20:56Oh my God.
20:58That's my writing desk.
21:00Wow.
21:01This is amazing.
21:02Look at that ceiling height.
21:04That is such a good use of space.
21:06Kitchen looks really good, actually.
21:08Maggie has got us smiling.
21:10She does.
21:11This is.
21:12This is really, yes.
21:13Yes.
21:16Yeah, there's a lovely view from up here as well.
21:18It's a really nice size room.
21:20And they've got a bed in here already.
21:22Clabbles.
21:23Yeah.
21:24No, this is amazing, isn't it?
21:25This is you.
21:26Okay.
21:27I'm coming down.
21:31So how'd it go?
21:32I think you hit it out the ballpark there.
21:33Really?
21:34That's amazing, yeah.
21:35Yeah.
21:36Just enough room, but not too much room.
21:38And it is just done up to perfection.
21:4110 out of 10, Maggie.
21:42Brilliant.
21:43Spot on.
21:44You got her down to a T.
21:45Wow.
21:46Fabric-wise, you can do upgrades when you feel like it.
21:49I mean, you can move in right now, but thermally, you can upgrade it as you go.
21:54Yeah.
21:55But there's nothing to worry about.
21:56And it's all the fun options.
21:57Exactly, yeah, yeah.
21:58It's no like, oh, you've got to rewire or underpin a house.
22:01You're not buying hardship.
22:02So we need to get on to this price.
22:04Yeah.
22:05We're worried.
22:06Surprisingly enough, it's a little bit under budget.
22:08Wow.
22:09Yeah.
22:10170,000.
22:11What?
22:12Oh, my God.
22:13She's joking.
22:14I'm not.
22:15I'm...
22:16And that's for the land, is it?
22:17Yeah.
22:18Oh, my God.
22:19What's the problem?
22:20Is there a problem?
22:21Yeah.
22:22Yeah.
22:23Now we've seen a lot of houses, so you do have a lot to think about.
22:26So why don't we head off, and we'll catch back up in a little while, and we'll have
22:29a chat.
22:30Great.
22:31Sound good?
22:32I'm heading up the field to have a look.
22:33Well, come on.
22:34We'll go with it.
22:35Yeah, let's go with it.
22:38Pauline has now seen three different properties in Counties Galway and Clare.
22:43First was this three-bed bungalow on the market for €215,000.
22:49Next was this part-renovated farmhouse, up for €200,000.
22:54And finally, this cute cottage that comes with a guide price of €170,000.
23:01I loved house number one.
23:03I loved the location of house number two.
23:06But the project in the house was a little bit scary.
23:10Well, I definitely think house number three had almost everything I wanted.
23:15Your reaction coming out of that house was so different to the other two.
23:18Like I can't think of really a box that it doesn't tick.
23:21There's a bit of me that's going, stand back.
23:23And there's a bit of me that goes, just ring him up and put an offer.
23:26You in agreement, Sheila?
23:27Totally.
23:28Picture perfect.
23:29It is really good.
23:30Yeah.
23:31Yeah, are you going to ring an estate agent?
23:32I am.
23:33Come on, let's go.
23:34Thanks so much.
23:35Come on.
23:36Thank you very much.
23:37No problem.
23:39Pauline was looking for a rural retreat close to the water where she could work and relax.
23:44The three houses I showed her all offered this.
23:47But having gotten to know her on this journey, I think the last house is a perfect fit.
23:52It's a great choice.
23:55If you'd like to be on Cheap Irish Homes to search for a great value property, contact us at casting at ab3.ie.
24:14The next house.
24:34Those can limit the meal all offered.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment

Recommended