WHEN LOUISE KIERNAN first saw the house she now owns in Cabra, she knew it was a fit for her even before she walked inside. “I was really drawn to the original front door and the old-style pane glass windows,” she says.

The house – a 1930s two-bed – was in need of total restructuring and modernisation. “Originally when you walked in, there was a sitting room and a kitchen downstairs, and you had to go out through the back door to use the bathroom,” recalls Louise in the second instalment of our Home Is… video series with Bank Of Ireland.

By now, two years on, the entire footprint of Louise’s future home has been changed, but it’s still very much a work in progress. Working with an architect and a builder, Louise has added a facilities for a main bathroom upstairs, raised the ceilings on that level to add more space, and created what will be an open-plan kitchen and living area downstairs.

Although making over a fixer-upper into the home of your dreams is certainly a challenge, it’s rewarding too, says Louise, who has documented much of the project on her Instagram account: 

I would say to anyone doing this kind of project that it’s definitely worth it, you’re going to learn loads along the way. It’s a really nice thing to see something evolve, and to see walls go up that haven’t been there before. I’ve loved reimagining the space and knowing that hopefully I’ll get to live here in a few months time.

The house is bursting with history, from original features like the upstairs and downstairs fireplaces to the wealth of books, maps, leaflets, photos that Louise discovered in the attic, along with one of the gas masks sent to Irish homes in the early stages of World War II.

“I’ve found so many things… It’s like a snapshot into Dublin at that time. I really cherish it all,” she says.

And what’s Louise most looking forward to about moving into her completed place?

I want to have people over, and also to do things like putting artwork on the walls and adding plants to the garden… For me a comfortable home is where your friends and family can come and relax, chill out and feel like they’re almost at home themselves. I want this house to be a place where everyone feels at ease.

Watch the video to see Louise’s work-in-progress renovation and hear more about her vision for the completed house.

Whether you’re buying a home or making one, welcome home. Talk to Bank Of Ireland about home improvement loans. Find out more here.

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