In a photograph taken before the renovation of Caragh MacCloskey and Jonathan Parson’s west Cork house, you can see daunting piles of rubble, raw walls, piles of bricks, and the legend “Ballydehob Youth Centre” arcing over an old stove. Despite growing up in the pretty coastal village, Parson doesn’t recall the former Methodist church hall being a feature of his own teenage adventures. “They used to have discos,” he remembers. “There was a pool table and foosball when we bought it. And some of my friends’ older kids remember having their first kiss there.”
Today it’s still a romantic prospect, but of an entirely different order. The large, double-height main room has thick walls and deeply recessed windows. The stove is encased in a brick-built fireplace, under which there are spaces for piles of logs; and the floor is laid with a warm honeycomb of terracotta tiles. Lounge in the midst of cushions on the squashy sofa, or head to the adjacent en suite bedroom where the decor is a cleverly judged mix of cottagecore, nudging enough towards the modern and stylish to escape any hints of twee.
It helps that MacCloskey has a background in interior design, having worked in the past with the late and celebrated Peter Johnson, whose own credits include Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare, and projects with the Office of Public Works at Farmleigh and Castletown House. Parson is also a designer, with his own graphics and animation studio. The couple initially lived in Dublin.
“Then we went travelling,” says Parson. “We wanted to stretch our legs a bit to see if there was anywhere else we wanted to be. We knew we couldn’t afford to buy where we were renting. We did a lap of the world, but then we came home.”
Home was Ballydehob, where they built their own home in 2003, after buying a plot of land from Parson’s mother, and set about raising their children, Sean and Luc, now 16 and 19. Going for a straightforward dormer bungalow (but without the dormers), they always knew they wanted to tackle a renovation project. “There’s an armchair architect in all of us,” says Parson, wryly considering some of the more excessive episodes of Grand Designs. Keeping an eye out for a “fixer-upper”, the couple missed out on one place, but then thanked their luck when the disused 200-year-old church hall came on the market.
More than a beautiful build, it is also a timely project. Visitors to Housing Unlocked, the current Irish Architecture Foundation/Housing Agency exhibition at Dublin’s Science Gallery, can see a wealth of ideas for making homes in unexpected spaces, including former churches and bank buildings. There, they are presented by a selection of models and drawings by talented and thoughtful architects, but it can take something such as MacCloskey and Parson’s place to help you see how wonderful things can be in reality.
Parson says that, optimistically, they were encouraged by its general condition. ‘It had been re-roofed in the 1980s, and it was dry as a bone. They knew how to build things in 1825!’
Love at first sight, it was also, luckily, a love that wasn’t going to break the bank. “We bought it in 2018. It was listed at €50,000 but we offered €40,000 and got it.” Prices like that makes you wonder how much of a daunting prospect it might have been, but Parson says that, optimistically, they were encouraged by its general condition. “It had been re-roofed in the 1980s, and it was dry as a bone. They knew how to build things in 1825!”
Change of use
The next step was to get planning for change of use, but the couple consulted with local architect Mark O’Mahony, and directly with the local planning office. “They were receptive,” says Parson, understanding how vital it is to bring buildings in town and village centres back to use. Working with what we already have can be an antidote to the sprawling developments that are eating up the countryside.
‘Our tiler Bobby could not be phased. When presented with 80sq m of hexagonal hand-made terracotta floor tiles, many would turn on their heel’
Using lessons learned, and skills acquired from their own home-building project, Parson and MacCloskey were happy to tackle what Parson describes as “the thankless tasks” themselves, including demolition, repointing stonework, insulation, and some of the carpentry and plumbing. “However,” he says, “through our local contacts, we also discovered some absolute legends. Our tiler Bobby could not be phased. When presented with 80 sq m of hexagonal handmade terracotta floor tiles, many would turn on their heel. But not Bobby!” Meanwhile, Donie Bowen at the local steel forge designed, built and installed the custom staircase to the mezzanine second bedroom.
Work was steady, but slow: “we started tentatively in 2017, but the real progress wasn’t made until 2020 to 2021 – the Covid years.” The combination of time, what some like to call sweat equity (ie getting stuck in yourself), and good local contacts meant that the renovation was completed for around €100,000. “It’s hard to judge,” says Parson, trying to add up his own time, but then getting sidetracked to describe his pleasure in building the fireplace himself. “I had never built with brick before, but I was working it out as I went, so I knew it would be easier to just do it, rather than stand over someone else explaining ...”
Touches like these add a lovely layering to the house, so that it appears timeless and right. “We were very keen for the interior to feel like it had evolved over time,” agrees MacCloskey. “We weren’t interested in creating a ‘show house’ look, but wanted a space that was honest, somewhere that friends and family would feel completely relaxed.”
‘There’s no comparison between the quality of old furniture and what is mass-produced today. It was very satisfying to reuse and repurpose where we could’
Giving themselves time also meant that they could gather an interesting and eclectic mix of furniture and bits and pieces. The white and raw stone backdrop lets the textures of terracotta, oak, steel and brick sing; then books, ornaments and upholstery add pops of colour without it feeling overdone. “I spent a lot of time on DoneDeal and Facebook Marketplace,” MacCloskey recalls. “We met lovely people along the way, and there’s no comparison between the quality of old furniture and what is mass-produced today. It was very satisfying to reuse and repurpose where we could.”
Testaments to this approach are the gorgeously recovered set of 1960s dining chairs, bought for €50; a chandelier for a tenner from the local charity shop; and the kitchen cabinet doors made with lumber from the local sawmill. In the en suite, the elegant console is actually a second-hand desk, sawn in two and topped with marble from a Clonakilty scrap yard.
Parson says the long-term plan is to move in when their family, complete with dogs, cats and kids, have moved on. “We approached the refurbishment with this in mind: to make a comfortable home that we can look forward to.” In the meantime, if you’re intrigued and want to see what ideas you can steal for yourself, or if you’re simply smitten, The Old Church Hall is currently available for stays via Airbnb.
The highs and lows
Biggest mistake: Having been through a build once, and having the luxury of time, Parson says there were no real “oh no!” moments. “This was genuinely the product of the slow process. Mistakes often happen as the result of a rush.”
Biggest win: “The flooring: we knew from the outset that we wanted terracotta.” Finding a supplier in the UK, who sourced from Bangladesh, the couple ordered “before the ink was even dry on the purchase contract. A friend graciously stored them in his barn for a few years, until they were ready to be installed.”
Best advice: “We spent our budget on the things that mattered to us: a beautiful floor and quality fittings,” says MacCloskey. “Invest in the fabric of the building and pay experts for their skills. Economise in the right places,” adds Parson. “Most of all – go for it!”
What’s next? “Our next project is to upgrade the windows.”
