“SOMETIMES WE FEEL like we’re not in our own house and it’s a dream come true.”
For new homeowners Laura and Ciaran (@the_dublin_nest), the process of moving into their Dublin home wasn’t exactly straightforward. The pair bought their house in March 2020, just as the first lockdown began, moved in during the summer and moved out again last year for seven months to renovate.
“Because we moved in during a pandemic and a lockdown, it was particularly difficult to do even the smallest things,” says Laura. “Right down to collecting our keys from the estate agent – we had to wait in our car until she put the key behind a flower pot and got back into her car.
“It was hard as all we wanted to do was invite our family and friends over to celebrate, but we couldn’t do that for a long time due to the lockdowns.”
The renovations that were carried out on the property were extensive as almost nothing had been done to the house since it was built in the 1950s, says Laura.
“We fully gutted it. A lots of supplies were more difficult to source due to a mixture of the pandemic and Brexit, so we had to be very patient with it all.
“We love all of the old features that we managed to restore, like the original coving and the arched brick doorway. We also love the high ceilings – they were a very important factor for us as Ciaran is 6’6″ and could barely fit into the rooms in so many of the houses we viewed while looking for a house.”
Having a warm and welcoming feel throughout the house was hugely important to Laura and Ciaran, who “love” to host. “We always wanted a slightly more traditional style kitchen – open plan if possible – as we love to cook and host dinner,” says Laura. “We wanted the whole house to be cosy. Even in the rooms that tend to be more cold like the bathroom, we’ve added textiles and things that’ll warm them a little like rugs, bath maths and natural wood.”
Another important factor was having their WiFi set up as soon as possible to accommodate working from home. “We made sure to organise WiFi before even furnishing the house or moving back in as we both work from home full time so it was a priority.” This service is offered by providers including Sky, where movers can book in for an engineer to install Sky TV and Ultrafast Broadband as early as moving day.
Having moved back into their house in October last year after the renovations, Laura says “it still doesn’t feel real.”
“It took us almost three years to get to this point, but we feel like it was all worth it. There’s still so much to do, but we are taking it all a little bit at a time. We are very grateful to be where we are and glad we played the ‘long game’ with renovating an old house.”
Tick one big thing off your list before you move in with Sky’s exclusive new home offers and get your Sky TV and Ultrafast Broadband setup for your move in day. Find out more here. Terms and conditions apply.
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