Blog

Whitewashed walls, neat golden thatch, glossy red doors and dancing fireplaces are all images brought to mind when contemplating cottages and modern media such as magazines and books help to perpetuate this fantasy. What you don’t see is all the work that goes into bringing a derelict cottage back to life and maintaining it. Although cottage enthusiasts love their homes and wouldn’t change a thing, most do agree that renovating a cottage is once in a lifetime experience, best left behind them. The process requires endless reserves of patience, adaptability and creativity, not to mention a substantial budget. Before you consider buying a cottage, take the following points into consideration:

Moving to the country can be a dream for some people and for others it is an necessity – marrying into a rural community, job relocation or simply for the health benefits of the country air. If you are thinking of moving to the country there are many factors to take into account and I hope that this article will give you some information and insight.

On an extended holiday in Ireland, Canadian couple, couldn’t understand how so many of our traditional old stone cottages lay derelict and abandoned. They decided to find their own cottage here for renovation and through 5 long summers of hard work and great vision, they extended and renovated a stunning, modern and yet still charming cottage in the rolling hills of Southern Kilkenny. They embraced our traditions, retaining many of the cottages original features such as small, deep window openings and exposed stone walls whilst bringing it up to modern standards with additions such as underfloor heating and a timber framed extension. Read on to find out more about their cottage renovation experience.