Episode 27 - Grainne Gillett's Victorian Cottage Renovation

 Today on Rip It Up we are joined by Gráinne Gillett who became an internet renovation sensation in 2022 when she took on a seriously rundown Victorian cottage in Dublin, documenting every step of the transformation and getting very hands-on in the process. With a keen eye for interiors and an impressive DIY skill set, Gráinne has inspired countless people to take on their own renovation projects. 

Transcript

Jen: Welcome to Rip It Up: The Renovations Podcast. I'm Jenny. I'm Kate. And between us, we've renovated a lot of houses and it hasn't scared us off. In fact, we loved it so much that we can't stop talking about it. So in this podcast, we will give you all the tools and info that you need to tackle your own renovation like a pro.

Kate: Today on Rip It Up we are joined by Grainne Gillett who became an internet renovation sensation in 2022 when she took on a seriously rundown Victorian cottage in Dublin documenting every step of the transformation and getting very hands on in the process. With a keen eye for interiors and an impressive DIY skill set she's inspired countless people to take on their own projects.

Jen: Okay, welcome back to the podcast. Hi Kate 

Kate: Hi Jen!

Jen: And hi Gráinne 

Grainne: Hello!

Jen: Gráinne Gillett, we are thrilled to have you on the podcast, both avid [00:01:00] fans of your renovation along with much of the rest of the country. Um, so thank you so much for joining. We've so many questions about where you started, the extent of the job you took on, where you are now, which I can tell, actually for those of you who aren't watching this episode on YouTube, uh, Gráinne is in her fabulous new kitchen, which has just been finished and it looks incredible.

So I'm sure you're only delighted to have gotten to this point in your journey. 

Grainne: Absolutely thrilled. Yeah. 

Jen: Okay, so what we love doing on this podcast is starting at the very start of the renovation journey. So just give us a quick overview. Where did you start? When did you buy the house? What did you think you were taking on? And, uh, let's get to where we are now, step by step. 

Grainne : I bought the house in November, 2022. I think that's when I got my keys. And then, um, that weekend I, that very night, I came over and I was stripping wallpaper. And then as the week went on, I had more family members coming over. Um, my brother came on the Friday night and he started pulling off wallpaper.

And then when he was pulling off wallpaper. [00:02:00] He ended up pulling off plaster work, and then it just started crumbling, like these huge chunks of plaster work, and then it just turned out that it was going to be a much bigger job than I ever anticipated. I did know it was obviously going to need a lot of work.

An elderly couple had lived there before, and they hadn't really changed anything, and obviously, like, there was no, um, I had a shower in the kitchen, there was no actual

Kate: The shower, the shower in the kitchen, I'm sorry.

Grainne: and there was just, like, Yeah. Yeah. So like, I knew I had to do like work like that, but like the other rooms, like the front room, like the good room, you know, I thought, okay, like I'll pull up the carpets, I'll take the wallpaper down, I'll just paint it.

That will come together really quickly. I'll be gorgeous. I'll be so cozy in here for Christmas. And that 

Jen: Christmas, sorry we're talking November to Christmas with your 

Grainne: Yeah, I was, I was okay with living with a shower kitchen for a while and then

Kate: The shower in the

Grainne: getting it done. 

Jen: So we talked, we thought two years, two months and now we're, or we thought, you thought two months and now two years and three 

Grainne: Well, I thought like two months that I would [00:03:00] like have one room kind of ready. Yeah. And it wouldn't be like done or anything like that. But I would move into it and then tip away at it in the evenings and weekends and stuff. But that did not turn out how it was. Yeah.

Kate: Oh my god, it's something we say so much though. It's like, you go into these old houses and it's so tempting, right? You see the paper, oh it's just peeling away there, I'll just pull a little bit and then comes down the wall. Or like, you start to touch like, I don't know, any of the kind of old floorboards and then you say, oh it's all rotten under there, cool.

Like, so where do I go from here?

Grainne: I think if you want to move in, don't just paint over your wallpaper. Just don't

Kate: that's what I did this, that's what I did this time. I was like, don't touch that wallpaper, just paint it.

Grainne: Yeah. Cause like, 

Jen: going to fall down it doesn't have to be on your watch. 

Grainne: yeah, exactly. So if you just need to live there, just paint it or ignore it. Just live with the wallpaper and just don't touch it and you'll be fine. But if you start pulling that things, you'll just uncover so many issues.

Yeah.

Kate: Yeah, wallpaper is structural in these old houses,

Grainne: Yeah, it really is.

Kate: Is [00:04:00] that load bearing wallpaper? Yes, don't touch it.

Grainne: yeah. 

Jen: Claudia, I'm really keen to know what made you think that you were able and willing and confident about taking on a job such as sanding floorboards? Because I, I really, like, we really want everybody listening to, to get to that place where they feel like they can do it themselves. And I know it's a huge job, but had you done stuff like that before? 

Grainne: No. 

Jen: you 

Grainne: No, I just always had this belief that I would be able to do these things. You know, like when I was a kid, I always watched those shows like Property Ladder and things like that. And you just see like regular people just getting stuck in. And so I was like, anybody can do anything. It is. Like, I do think that's so true.

Like, there's obviously things that you need professionals for, but like the demolition kind of side, like anybody can do that. You don't need to be skilled to do that. And like, what's the worst that can happen with some of the DIY things that like you fail and then you end up having to get a contractor anyway.

It's not like the end of the world. So like, I think watching those kinds of programs, you know, all like Escape to the Chateau and stuff like that, like people just try [00:05:00] it. So then it's like, why couldn't I try it? What's different with me? So like my mom's quite good at just like giving things a go as well.

She helped a lot with like my parents, like every, I roped in all my family members to help at some stage. So it was just, I don't know. I just always thought I would be able to do it. So I tried it

Kate: It's actually, it's actually pretty thera yeah.

Grainne: could do.

Kate: I find like that demolition part is very therapeutic as well. I remember doing it at my old house where we like cleared the site for the builder to come in and I was like, we probably saved ourselves, I don't know, four or five grand in demolition charges and fees and whatever.

And I was like, that was just cool. We just got to like knock walls and like

Grainne: know.

Kate: pull stuff up.

Grainne: 10 times longer than like a team of builders coming into jail first. Then at least you have a bit of a part in the renovation yourself as well, even if that's like the only thing that you do. And like, it's fun. Yeah, like taking apart walls. And then seeing the house change as well, when like, where I am now, that used to be kind of like two rooms, and then there was like the WC and like another little hallway kind of thing.

So I knocked all that into one, and like I just [00:06:00] did that myself, and that was very satisfying to do. And then just seeing like how the light changed, and how the space opened up and everything like that. So that was, that was very enjoyable. 

Jen: am going to say before anyone sues us because we told them to go ahead and knock their house down. Be careful of electrics, be careful of 

Grainne: Yeah, yeah, I did get advice. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kate: Yes.

Jen: get a bit of advice. 

Grainne: I got a builder and an architect to tell me what was load bearing and yeah, I turned off the electricity and stuff like that. Like I had like no electricity here for like so long while I was doing things and yeah, so. 

Jen: that, you're so right, what's the worst that could happen? Just give it a try. 

Grainne: Yeah, yeah. Obviously know your limits with some things, but like

Kate: Don't go putting in a new boiler yourself or

Grainne: like that kind of thing. Electrics and plumbing. I don't know, I wouldn't, yeah, I wouldn't, I wouldn't be trying that myself but like the other stuff I think you can, you can

Kate: any of those big DIY bits, because you were doing like floor installation and everything at the start, right?

Grainne: Yeah I did that, don't recommend that, but you know

Kate: What, what are the ones you would do again and what are the

Grainne: uh, well I suppose the floor insulation, like I think I'd do [00:07:00] everything again because I would do things differently, like I'd learn from my mistakes, so I didn't enjoy the floor insulation but I think I overthought the whole process and I tried to do it like.

Perfectly and I couldn't do it perfectly because none of the walls were straight and the floor was straight So trying to like level it off and everything and like I didn't have you know Like big tools or anything like that I was just like me and my mom doing it or me doing it by myself and then like I we did the front part of the house and Then the builders did the end part and the back part and they did it in like two days But then when I came in and saw what they had done I was like, why did I need to be so like overthinking of what I did.

You know, like I was like, we both got to the same standard or you know, like I shouldn't have been so thriving for, for protection, which I never would've gotten, and I didn't need to, you know, like I, I overthought the whole thing, so it took me like twice as long as it ever should have. Um, but, um, yeah, like I, I would do everything again.

I, but like now, I, I know what I would do better, so. There's nothing that scared

Kate: You do everything

Grainne: I didn't enjoy [00:08:00] it, some of it, but I would do it again.

Kate: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Grainne: Yeah. Yeah.

Kate: much in awe like I definitely haven't ever tackled anything like floor Insulation and all that when I saw those videos I was like fair play But like when you actually see these houses stripped back, they are pretty basic, right?

Like they are, you know, they're not complex systems So like once they're actually stripped back, like you said like there's not massive amount that can go wrong Besides knocking load bearing walls. But like, you know, you can do bit by bit. Or, I remember we did some patch plaster repair in our current house.

The one that's been renovated. And people were like, well how do you have plaster? I don't know, I just watched a YouTube video and just mixed a tiny bit. And started on this tiny bit and then, you know, spread a bit or whatever, you know. So I think it's just like tackling those little bits, little by little.

And building your confidence. Is that what

Grainne: And there's so many like resources out there from either people on like Instagram or TikTok or YouTube, like people are sharing their advice and their knowledge. So. Like, it's there at your fingertips if you want to be able to do things as well.

Kate: What, what resources did you [00:09:00] use? Mainly YouTube and stuff like that? And like, yeah. Yeah.

Grainne: Yeah. Um, I did buy like um, Uh, like an old, I can't remember what the name of the book was, but it was something about restoring homes or something like that.

So I looked at that a bit. And then I have a really nice builder who let me do things that I could, and he would give me advice about stuff. And like he was never intended to do like a full big job. I just came, asked him one day for advice and he came over and then he was like, just call me when you need advice.

So like that was very help helpful. So like that was a huge resource. And then my brother-in-law is very handy as well, so I could ring him and ask her questions as

Kate: you were like just stringing in everyone.

Grainne: Yeah.

Kate: That's, that is, that's it though.

Jen: people ring. You'll be the person that people contact 

Grainne: Yeah, I don't know.

Kate: I think we said that before in an earlier episode, Jen, we're like, you know, trading kind of skills between our friends. Do you know if there was someone that could do something for you and then you could do something for them later on or whatever? Like, it's like get everyone roped in, get people beers and pizzas and they're happy to help like,

Grainne: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. But sometimes. 

Jen: [00:10:00] furniture all day long. If somebody wants me to come and build furniture, I love it. That's a day well spent, whereas there's certain things, tiling would put me off a little bit, even though it's doable, but, 

Grainne: Oh, so I did that recently and I don't know. I don't know. 

Jen: I do 

Grainne: It was. 

Jen: about people, because people always ask me, should I tile my own plaster? And I'm like, I've never done it, so I can't give you the definitive answer. But I would, I think what you both spoke about there, that approach is so smart. Just try a little bit. 

Grainne: Yeah. 

Jen: Do a small bit and try cutting a tile, see how it goes, get some samples. the stuff, you know, you can always sell it or rent it or whatever you borrow it. 

Grainne: Yeah.

Jen: try tiling you can do it, great. And if you can't, 

Grainne: Yeah. I think my problem with tiling, like, it just took me months to get my tiling sorted. I just hated doing it because I didn't have the right equipment from the start. And then, you know, I was cutting outside in the depths of winter. I just, like, hated the whole process. But, like, now I'm like, okay, I was just, like, I can use a grinder and stuff now.

I'm, like, happy with using that. So like, I'm more confident if I would have to start off another like tiling job or whatever, [00:11:00] like I'd be okay. But, uh, the tiles I chose, I chose like small tiles. I chose like thick floor tiles

Kate: And patterns, pattern matching.

Grainne: the pattern was okay. Cause the floor space is so small in there.

It's only like, it's like a meter squared or something. It's tiny my WC. 

Jen: your powder room 

Grainne: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Jen: these beautiful, you know, the elongated, rectangular, um, vertical tiles. Lovely dusky kind of pink 

Grainne: Yeah. Yeah. 

Jen: I feel pink is a theme we're going to come back to a lot over the 

Grainne: Yeah, I do like, yeah. Pink, gold, um, like cream and green are probably like my favourite colours. So, I think that's represented pretty well in my house. Sitting here in my pink top in

Kate: Yeah, in your pink kitchen. 

Jen: not a pink kitchen 

Kate: What is your favorite?

Grainne: I didn't. 

Jen: of pink in there. So I think I love that choice. I'm all for a pink kitchen. Anyone out there listening who has one. I really applaud your choice. I love them. But I think the way you've gone about it, Gráinne, to choose a neutral color and then to have lots of pink [00:12:00] accents. It just came together so beautifully. I'm so impressed. 

Kate: Yeah. 

Grainne: Yeah.

Like I, uh, When I first started planning my kitchen, I was going with a kind of an off white cream kind of color and then maybe having like those zealot tiles and brass details and things like that. And then I was like, Oh, maybe I should do a pink kitchen. So I was onto that for ages. And then I saw, um, someone's pink kitchen online.

I was like, Oh, I just don't know. Like, maybe that's just, you know, I have enough pink. I have a pink front room. Um, my bathroom is like pink. And then my powder room was going to be like pink as well. And I have lots of nice pink artwork. So it's like, maybe it would just be kind of like overkill or whatever.

And so I just thought I'd go more neutral and then just, um, decorate it with artwork and stuff. I had intended to get a brass wall behind me, but I can't afford it. Like I bought a quote for like two grand. 

Jen: love that. Love that. 

Grainne: So maybe in the

Kate: like clad in actual brass, like is

Grainne: Yeah, like, do you know, like, Jenna Lyons, she has, um, the brass, uh, the unlacquered brass work top.

So I wanted that above the shelf, all the, all the way up. But then, [00:13:00] like, now that I have my art and stuff like that, I actually don't feel like I need it. And it's gonna cost, like, two grand, so I won't do it. 

Jen: um, that I was, Roisin Lafferty had a lovely point about that, about, about putting Transcribed mirrors or any kind of reflective, light reflecting surface in a small room, especially a kitchen, it can look stunning. I really, really love it, but you're right, you have lovely artwork. And it's something to be said as well about if you, if you do have a strong preference for a color and you really want everything in that color, actually sometimes creating the right neutral background to let that color pop.

Cause like your kit, you know, like the color I think of when I'm looking at your kitchen now is pink, even though that's only a tiny of it, 

Grainne: yeah. Yeah, 

Jen: it stands out against the lovely, um, Neutral. 

Grainne: and I think like this, like I could change that artwork to just all brass stuff or green or blue or something like that and then would change the look of the kitchen completely as well. So I did want something that was a bit adaptable too. [00:14:00] Yeah,

Kate: of looking at pink kitchens? Like, I only have a fraction of your following and I saw enough green kitchens to hate my own green kitchen by the end of the time I left my last house.

Grainne: but like the good thing about kitchens now you can paint them, like, well you can paint them anyway before, but like, yeah. So you can change up your kitchen. It's not that like, if you want to go for a whole look, you can just change the color of the paint and it completely transforms your kitchen.

Kate: Yeah, for sure, but I think it laughs

Jen: the ways to bring in pops of colour, obviously you can have like neutral walls, neutral furniture and then bring it in through your neutral walls, neutral kind of cabinetry and then bring it in through your prints or your furniture, your accessories, whatever.

Another look I love is going all neutral in like your furniture. your accessories, everything and then just having a really bright colour on the walls and then you can change the colour, you know, as often as you have an appetite to repaint that room but I think it can look great. Anyway, we're going way off course.

Back to the renovation. I want to, just want to get into the nitty gritty highs and lows of the renovation. So we were at where [00:15:00] you insulated your own front room, 

Grainne: Yeah.

Jen: bananas at the time, I thought you were 

Kate: Yeah, me too.

Jen: you.

Grainne: Yeah. I'd say that that's like the pit of the renovated journey. There was just some days I was, I had no toilet. I had no, uh, sink. There was no running water. I don't know if there was electricity. It was just grim, but it was during the summer. So at least there was light, but like, yeah. You know, when you're like just going into that for the whole day, it was like, Oh my God, I just wouldn't really eat.

I wouldn't really drink when I was there because I was like, just get the work done and try to get over it. So then I'd be hangry and then trying to get all the insulation done. Um, yeah, but I would, as I said, I probably would do it again, but now I know so much more about it. So it would be a lot easier.

But at the time that was pretty dark. And then around that time I had to take my stairs out as well because I found that my stairs was like kind of rotten underneath. And then to get the level of the insulation. Everything, yeah, I was sad about that because I did want to keep the original staircase but then it just wasn't going to work and it was so steep as well.

Um, [00:16:00] so, yeah, I have all those emotions kind of tied together. Um,

Kate: you were doing that early stuff, were you working full time as well as this? Or was this kind of your full time? Oh my god. Like, so you were doing that when you were coming home or finishing work and you were coming back to the house?

Grainne: yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jen: And 

Kate: Oh, that's full on.

Grainne: Yeah, yeah. 

Jen: like we're not talking about an easy job 

Grainne: Yeah. 

Jen: forward to a bit of hard labor at the end 

Grainne: I, I'm like, I had a Monday to Friday job, um, in midwifery at the time as well. So, um, like at least I knew I had my evenings and I had my weekend set. So like, that was good.

Kate: Oh my God. That's, that's full on.

Grainne: But then, you know, you're so far deep into something.

It's like, I just have to keep going. So like, there's, you just have to keep going. So you have to give your time up. Yeah. You know, that grand designs,

Jen: to 

Kate: Yeah,

Jen: in the evenings and 

Grainne: but yeah, I know. Like, especially when I was doing, um. Oh, I was like hammering the concrete here where the old, um, uh, the old hallway used to be. And I'd be with a sledgehammer, like smashing it like [00:17:00] that.

Or at times when I was like carrying stuff, I could really feel it. Like after the

Kate: big guns.

Grainne: could feel, yeah. It's like, I definitely don't need to, to go to the gym. Yeah, cause it would be, it's labor intensive. Yeah.

Kate: And how, how did you go about finding your builder then? And did you have an architect as well for all your plans or

Grainne: No, I just had, um, my dad's friend is an architect. The guy that did my, um, my dad, my parents house years ago. He's an architect and builder and he just came and gave me advice. And also, um, my dad had a conservation architect come as well. I wasn't able to meet him that day, but my dad met him just for advice about damp and, uh, like low bearing walls and all that.

And then my builder had been the carpenter on my parents job that was done like nearly 20 years ago at this stage. And he had set up a building company. So when my dad met his friend, he just said, Oh, I'll get, um, I'll get out to Jonathan and maybe he'll be able to give you some advice. And then I clung onto him.

I asked him for so much advice and then he ended up doing like so much work [00:18:00] here as well.

Kate: Okay. And then can I move into the kind of prettier side or I think the more fun side of renovations when you had a lot of that, like guts work done and you know, how did you start to kind of craft? Like you obviously have a really clear aesthetic, right? Even from early on in your kind of Instagram.

Great, you've like, you, you know, you knew your style, but like, how did you, where did you look for inspiration? How did you decide what finishes you're going to do in what room? Did you have a process or did you just kind of go with your gut?

Grainne: I kind of just went with my gut. Like, obviously, like I spent an awful lot of time online as well, like Instagram and Pinterest. I think, um, just from going, like, traveling, going to nice restaurants, hotels, that kind of thing, seeing how things are done, um, like, looking at, like, AD, house walk arounds of different people.

I, I'm an, I'm an interior designer as well. I went back to college and I did a degree in interior design, so that's obviously hugely influenced. Um,

Kate: So you said, are you still working as a midwife as well or have you moved fully now full

Grainne: work, I am a midwife, but I work in project management, um, in the [00:19:00] hospital. We're bringing in, um, electronic medical records. So I'm part of that project.

And then I went back to college in 2019 and I did my degree then. So I do, um, some part time when I can as well. Um, so that obviously opened up a whole new world for me as well. Um, so that influenced, and just even like my, my friends, um, from college. You know, seeing their design aesthetics, you all just kind of like influence each other.

Um, so I don't know, I, I think I, I take, um, inspiration from like everywhere. Do you know, like if you could go to a coffee shop and you see something nice where you're in, like, um, I don't know, even clothes and things like that. And just from being on, on Instagram and coffee table books, all that kind of stuff.

Yeah. There's inspiration everywhere.

Kate: a bit of everywhere. And, so, sorry, go ahead Jen, were you going to ask something?

Jen: well, the only thing I was going to mention was, because I get the sense you have a fairly strong personal style as well, so it just, it really helps and it, like, that level of cohesion, I don't know if everybody would have that naturally, I think it all came together so beautifully. I feel like you had a strong vision of what you really liked and didn't like and kind [00:20:00] of, 

Grainne: Yeah. Yeah. And I think obviously like going back and studying design and stuff like that, that helped with, um, You know, knowing more about like scale, proportion, all that kind of stuff, and taking that into consideration when designing as well, and then learning about materials, like that was huge, so, you know, I was, I was ready for a renovation.

Yeah,

Jen: so beautiful. Yeah, 

Grainne: yeah, um, but I think like, sorry,

Kate: go ahead,

Grainne: sorry, go ahead. Yeah,

Kate: I was going to say, you know, you run the risk, I suppose, in a smaller house, when you kind of clear it out like that and you put in more modern glazing and you have quite a neutral pile of kitchen of it being a bit, like, kind of soulless and plain but you've brought so much warmth in through the pinks and the gold accents but also what I love is your thrifting and your kind of second hand, second hand furniture could you talk a bit about that because I'm obsessed with second hand furniture.

Jen: chairs. 

Grainne: I love, I think that's my favorite activity in the world is to go off for a day and go secondhand vintage shopping. Like, it gives me such a thrill when you find something. Um, [00:21:00] so like my cage in my front room, I got that for like 150 from Pete's Antiques and it is just, it brings me so much joy. It like stopped me in my tracks when I walked past it.

Should

Kate: Have to have it?

Grainne: I was so deep into like the dark days of the renovation at that stage, there was no chance of me sitting. But I think that's like the nice thing that like they held onto it for like a year before I got it,

Kate: Really?

Grainne: but, um, and I think, yeah, it's just so good. And like having like one off pieces like that, then that influences the rest of the choices.

So then I had like a floral sofa. So then, you know, I knew I had to have more of a. You know, I wouldn't go for like a crazy wallpaper or anything like that. So getting like pieces that influences the rest of your like style journey and your choices. And I have a good bit like, um, I, yeah, like I've always just kind of liked secondhand stuff.

Like my sister, she used to live in France and going up to her, we'd go to like the Brockhans and things like that. And she used to sell vintage, um, vintage clothes. I'd always help out [00:22:00] with that. And Like, so we went to like, um, the big, uh, flea market in Lille, you know, like they turn the city into like a flea market and just, so we've always kind of been around it a bit.

Um, so like, I have no qualms with secondhand things, thrifted stuff. Like, I think it's just so nice. They're more like individual and sometimes you don't know what you need until you see it when you're out at a market or something like that. Yeah. Um,

Jen: have a lot of patience, but then you can, the payoff can be huge

Grainne: the payoff can be cool. Yeah. And you can just get such lovely things, like.

I got a really nice silver butter dish the other day in Enniskerry, in that second hand shop that's there in the town. And it's just gorgeous, it's lovely. Um, and then I have like things that used to belong to like my grandparents as well, like I have their old kind of like drinks cabinet now that's in my front room.

Um, I have like a wickery kind of coffee table that belonged to my great aunt. Um, so it's just like nice to have pieces of my family with me as

Kate: but they're like such important pieces as well they're like heirlooms I guess and then they're like I don't know, I just love the idea of [00:23:00] that really simple palette, like, neutral everything. And then, like you said, with your kitchen, it becomes so adaptable. You change out the accessories and it's a whole new space, right?

Like, I

Grainne: and actually my kitchen chairs, I found them on the street 

Jen: This is the 

Grainne: and I just, I just recovered them. Yeah. They're my street chairs. I just finished recovering them this week, but like that was just driving down and I saw people throwing them away with their outside of skiff and I was like, are these going in the bin?

And they were like, yeah. And I was like, can I have them? So, um, chance encounters like that.

Jen: this on YouTube, you'll see the recently recovered street chairs, but if you're listening, go check out Growny's Instagram, where Growny's last I think, I mean these chairs, when you picked them up, I was like, what is she doing with these things? 

Kate: Yeah, yeah.

Jen: I have a bit of vision for stuff, but I was like, what is she doing?

They were these kind of office stair, 

Grainne: Yeah, blue. Blue office chairs. Yeah. 

Jen: office kind of chairs, with, you know, the chrome, uh, metal wraparound. And now they've been recovered and redone, and they look incredible. But my God, they were, I would have walked right past them and 

Grainne: They were, they were blue for so long as well. And [00:24:00] then like about two weeks ago, I was like, I cannot stand this one more day. So I finally got to recover and I wanted to see what my kitchen was going to look like anyway, and then like decide on it. Um, but like, you see, like when you go into those like vintage and secondhand shops, like there's so many chairs and things, it's like, why am I actually going out and buying a brand new piece of furniture when there's so many?

Pieces of furniture, they're ready to go. You don't have to pre build them. You can individualize them yourself. Like, it does make you think about the waste and everything like that to do with, um, interiors. Yeah, there's so much 

Kate: I personally think some of those older pieces of furniture have better backbones and better structure in them than some of the more flat backy stuff today that aren't built to last at all. So I think like, you can really get gems. Had you done any upholstery before or were you just trying your hand at it and seeing?

Grainne: No, I don't think I'd done anything before. It's just a staple gun. I bought an electric staple gun, which was good. It's very fast. Um, but I was using like a handheld one. Um, had I, I don't think I had done anything like that before. Yeah, but it was [00:25:00] easy. Like that was a very, Oh, I've done. I've recently done my sister's kitchen chairs for her as well.

So I started with

Kate: It's a perfect little kind of entry level for upholstery but now you're going to start buying other bigger pieces and bigger pieces.

Grainne: Yeah.

Kate: I, I remember buying,

Jen: it is to recover, 

Grainne: Yeah.

Kate: I bought a big um ottoman one time on adverts and I think I paid like 50 euros and it was like one of those hideous kind of metallic y big bold patterns, kind of repeated pattern in it and just, But I noticed it had a cool curve in it.

And I was like, that could be really cool. Like, re covered. So I put, I got like one feature on Amazon or something and then I re covered it in like a neutral booklet at the time or something like that. But like, unbelievable. It was like 50 quid. I think I spent 20 quid on fabric or something. And I think if I was to buy the thing new it would probably be like 800, 000 euros or something in a

Grainne: least. Yeah. I, yeah. And then you had a partner as well. So every time you look at it, you're like, Oh, I did that. Yeah. 

Jen: I think that part can't be underestimated, like, you know, obviously the amount of work and effort and labour that you put into your house is enormous [00:26:00] and And, uh, that shouldn't be underestimated to anyone thinking of taking it on. But the satisfaction of sitting in a home that you've worked, like, your own blood and sweat and tears.

Well, maybe not blood, but, you know, potentially a little bit. 

Grainne: No, I'd say I did.

Jen: into it. 

Kate: a few knuckles, a few knuckles grazed.

Jen: yeah, the satisfaction that comes from that, I'm sure, does it feel incredible. 

Grainne: Um, yeah, it feels really nice to, Like, I'm sitting in my kitchen now with the sun beaming in. Um, that's lovely. Like, yeah, it's, it's great. And when I close the door and I'm like, oh, I'm home now. Like, it's, it's a brilliant feeling. Yeah.

Kate: You did a fab job in your, on your patio. Oh, kitchen. Yeah.

Grainne: Oh. Oh.

Jen: Yeah. 

Kate: I love it.

Grainne: Yeah, uh, I do need to get some planting. So I went with an Egyptian limestone from a patio. Um, and, um, I was very, uh, particular that I didn't want anything too orange. I wanted it more beigey, very neutral, very light. Um, and then I have kind of like [00:27:00] cobbles as well around like the, I have a step up, um, so the cobbles, um, are around that.

And then a little bit detail, um, just as soon as you walk out the door as well. And it's just really nice and neutral. Like before, when I bought the house, there was a garage. Yeah. And then there was just like, well it's wider than that, but it was just a concrete courtyard. There was one little plant in it and like now I just feel like it looks huge outside there.

It's so open and airy and everything like that. So I just need to get on with my planting. I need to paint the walls. But um, yeah, I can see my summer ahead of me sitting out there, which

Kate: It's, is it real limestone or is it actually porcelain effect

Grainne: No, it's real

Kate: Oh, it's real limestone. Were you kind of like warned against it for maintenance or anything like that? Or what's it, what's it meant to be like?

Grainne: I do have to seal it. I haven't gotten around to sealing it just with the weather and everything like that.

But once you seal it, it's supposed to be like, fine.

Kate: Really? Oh, it

Grainne: it's, it's, I'm in a courtyard, so it's not like too much stuff can like fall into it or stain it or anything like that. Um, so I think it will be fine. And I wanted something more natural than a porcelain out there as well. I wanted it to feel a [00:28:00] bit, like not rustic, but like a bit more lived in, I suppose.

Yeah.

Kate: Oh, and planting goes into that. It's just gonna be such an oasis.

Grainne: Yeah, I need to learn how to garden. Well, I just have a planter. Actually, my planter is built out of old bricks from the walls of the house. So that's

Kate: Oh, nice!

Grainne: Yeah. 

Jen: that. Great 

Grainne: Yeah. It's nice to look at. And then I'm like, this is like basically the bricks that were between the kitchen and the dining area is what's like looking at me at the planter there.

Kate: there's probably some blood, sweat, and tears in that too, literally.

Grainne: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 

Jen: Okay, let's go from the outside in then, because I'm just dying, I remember the day on Instagram when a bunch of boxes arrived with your kitchen in them, basically, and the work ahead and getting everything installed. So talk us through, was that one of the first things you laid out or the, or your living room I know came first, but like how important was your kitchen?

Because for, for both Kate and I, that was definitely where we started and the biggest job to get the layout of the kitchen right. 

Grainne: Yeah. Like I, I have been planning [00:29:00] my kitchen for, since the start, like, and I had so many different layouts, like I used SketchUp when I was designing and that and trying different layouts and I was, every time I went to someone's house, I was like opening up the kitchen cabinets and being like, what do you have stored in here, like what do you do?

Um, so it was, it was always on my mind, but like financially I had to leave it until the end, like towards the end to be able to do, um, and I think maybe if I was to do my renovation again, I might install like a proper sink somewhere. At the very start, just to have a little bit more of a kind of a kitchen kind of zone or something like that.

Living without like a kitchen sink, I find very hard the past, like six months I've been living in the house or so. Um, but I've been planning it for, for like the two years before that, like, you know, as soon as I went sale agreed, before I went sale agreed and I was like, that's my house, you know, this

Kate: This is my kitchen design. This is my kitchen design it's gonna look like. Yeah.

Grainne: as the renovation changed. And then obviously like. Structural things changed my original plans. Like I had to get the whole back of the house rebuilt and I had originally planned on [00:30:00] doing kind of like, um, like kind of a pull window, what do you call it? Like a sliding kind of window and then having like a breakfast bar outside.

And then, then I changed that to having like, you know, a full wall of glazing and then that changed the shape of the kitchen and everything like that. So, um, you know, things that happened along the way that influenced design, but it happened in a good way. And, um, yeah, no, well, like I enjoyed my kitchen planning.

Like you just have to think about everything that you want in your kitchen. And when you actually go to put it into your design, it fills up pretty fast. And I knew I wanted like, um, I knew I wanted it to be like things hidden away as much as possible. Like I just have a kettle out at the moment. And anything else is just like hidden away, any appliances and things like that.

And then I wanted my shelves to like a shelf to be able to put like nice little details on and then to have artwork there as well. And because it's a small kitchen, like I don't love overhead, um, um, cabinets, but it's a small, but it's a small kitchen. So like the only way to get things in, and I just put it in the corner [00:31:00] area.

And then I left that side open just to make it more, like less kitchen y then on that kind of side. And that's where the, yeah, 

Jen: you on the overhead cabinets, and I maybe ended up having a bit of space, but I was the same, I was adamant, I just, I, they're a health hazard, they're just not for me, I don't like 

Grainne: Yeah, but I, and then, 

Jen: I, think you've done a great job of, of, of really maximizing the kind of, the storage you just needed, and then, still having some of that open space above the sink, it looks 

Grainne: yeah, and then I didn't put, um, like I have my handles there on the below and then I left up above my complaint so then it would just be a bit more. Seamless, I suppose. Yeah, but actually like there is a Yeah, I only have like my extractor fan is in one then a corner unit And then I have like tea and coffee and glasses and things like that So, um, it is actually it's quite handy to have them but I love the look of just like if you had a gorgeous big kitchen and you just have like a nice open shelf and Curate it really nicely.

That's 

Kate: We talk about this a bit, because Jenna is like, yeah, pretty against overhead cabinetry. I'm, I'm not so against it because I think we have [00:32:00] this memory of like the way overhead cabinetry used to be like aligned, then it would go up for your extractor and then back down and it was just messy. Like it never looked clean overhead cabinetry and there was handles bloody everywhere and shaker doors.

But I think. Some of them wear minimal overhead, especially when they're really elongated ones. Have you ever seen overhead cabinetry that goes all the way to the ceiling, so the door is like real long rectangular doors? I think they can look really slick, if they're

Grainne: Yeah, no. Yeah, yeah. I know that look of like that pine kitchen, and there'd be like, the extractor would be like at a different level.

Kate: Yeah, yeah.

Grainne: but yeah. Mine's all at like the one level as well. I was so adamant about that. So then I had like, they're, I'm like tall enough anyways.

They're quite tall, like to get it. Um, otherwise they'd be a bit lower, but I hate, but I didn't want to have. The extractor and then lower down than the end of it. Yeah. I just like when everything's a bit more neater like that. Yeah. But there is a, there's definitely a place for, cause otherwise you'd be losing a huge amount of storage.

And then you need to have nice things to be able to put on open shelves as well. Like you don't want to just have, 

Jen: be [00:33:00] 

Grainne: yeah,

Jen: going to keep them nice, 

Kate: You have to be somebody. That's, that's so key. Like, if you're not someone that has nice, you know, set out shelves, don't put in open shelves. You know, even though it's a trend, like, don't do it. Your kitchen will always look messy then. If you have, like, letters up there and, like, plastic bottles, water bottles.

Like, you have to have a lovely collection of stuff like you have there or else don't put it up in shelves I would say.

Grainne: Yeah, yeah, I definitely agree with that. And it gets greasy then as well with your cooking and things like that. So, um, it has to be stuff that's like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Kate: Yeah.

Jen: sets in. I'm aware of that. I just, I love, I love the option to have them out. I know there always has to be a bit of compromise. But funnily enough, the only time I don't like them is in a small kitchen, where you actually need the storage. So I'm contradicting myself.

Actually, in a big open space, I do love those big tall cabinets. I think it all It all fits better, but you probably don't need the storage because you already have loads of under, under, counter storage. So, 

Grainne: Yeah. 

Jen: contradiction, really. 

Grainne: You can never have enough storage though, can you? You're like, you just have so much things. [00:34:00] 

Jen: funny on this, because obviously I'm very, I have a tiny house as well, and I'm really big on storage and maximizing storage and having stuff, you know, everywhere.

I also, though, feel there's a line, and this is easy for me to say because I don't have, have kids and I just don't need storage. a lot of extra storage. But there's a line cause sometimes there's this mentality of like put storage in everywhere and you have to have, why would you have that wall there?

You have to have cupboards there. But if you do that then you fill it with stuff and then 

Grainne: Yeah.

Jen: and you don't need all the stuff. So there's, know, you can have too much storage so 

Grainne: Yeah. You can. It's true. Yeah.

Jen: through really realistically like what do you need storage for, what are you going to put there.

And maybe put a little bit extra cause there's always a little bit extra, but if you put Too much, you get too much stuff and it's 

Grainne: Yeah, we have too much stuff as it is, like, why, yeah, I just, I need to start culling things down, I think, in the house, yeah. Yeah,

Kate: kids stuff you amass, like, just from, like, grandparents bringing toys and whatever. And toys are so kind of cheap and throwaway now that they're everywhere. Like, they're at a bloody McDonald's Happy Meal or whatever.

So, like, every two months [00:35:00] I look at their toys and I'm like, they haven't played with that and that and that in a while. I'll put it into a box, into the garage. If they don't miss it within like two weeks, I'm like gone to the charity shop.

Grainne: yeah,

Kate: You have to

Grainne: toys are all, like, primary colors and

Kate: oh stop, I know.

Jen: Oh, 

Grainne: hidden away, yeah.

Jen: They ruin it. 

Kate: to play with them,

Grainne: They don't want them. I, one Christmas, I got all my nieces and nephews, all those nice wooden y kind of things. And it was the worst Christmas for them, I'd say.

Kate: Sad, sad beige.

Jen: your way 

Grainne: I spent a fortune, you know?

Kate: No, I just want to go around in this fire engine inside the house that has all

Grainne: The loudest, the loudest, brightest thing I could possibly find. Yeah.

Kate: Oh, I loved your, your find recently for them, the toy box, and you painted and everything. That was

Grainne: That was, I had been on the lookout, I had hoped to have done it before Christmas, I just couldn't find, even like to get a new one online, and then I don't really want to buy a new one, I feel like it's something that should be available in a second hand shop, I will find one, so, I got it done, um, like last weekend, and they like it, so I got, um, I need to put [00:36:00] like the safety things on it, so it's kind of hidden out of sight from them for the moment, and, yeah, it's cute, so, they have a lot of dress up clothes, so they'll love it, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Kate: Back to, um, sorry, can I ask on the building stuff? We, we kind of forgot to mention. Did you go for any grants in your house at all? Did you, were you

Grainne: I got, um. Um, I got an attic grant and then I just got wall insulation. That's all I qualified for. So I got a few thousands. Yeah. About four or 5, 000 back from that.

Kate: thought it was worth it? How did you find the application and stuff? Cause we have a little episode on grants, but like we hear mixed reviews. Some people are saying, Oh, it was totally worth it. But some people are saying the amount of hoops you have to jump through. Like we didn't, wasn't really worth the effort.

Grainne: Um, I, it was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. Um, so I originally had done attic insulation myself. That was. Grim as well because the attic space is so small. And then I had done all that. And then a few months later, everything needed to be taken out. The back wall came down. All that we've realized all the joints are rotten after that.

So it has to be redone the builder, the builders did that. And then once you have a builder that's [00:37:00] registered on the SEAI website, Then they can apply for the grants for you. So they did the wall insulation and then they redid the attic insulation. And then they added in my insulation that I bought as well.

And so I have like triple the amount of insulation up there or whatever, um, which is good. And then I got someone to come in, review the house, and then we filled in some forms and then I got my money. And once I submitted it, like the money came within like the week or something like that, I thought it was very straightforward.

Yeah.

Kate: That's

Grainne: But I didn't. I didn't qualify for like the Derelict Home Grant or anything like that. Someone had been living in my house, um, the granddaughter of the woman, um, who had passed away, uh, she had been living in the house, so like the house had electricity and was functioning and everything like that, so I hear that it's quite difficult to organize the Derelict Home Grant, but

Kate: Yeah. Yeah. And timing and the order of events and everything in the order of getting stuff done, it seems to be tricky. Right. Um, but totally worth it if you qualify for them and, You know, you can do them individually like that, I feel like that's the, I think that's the answer where people are applying for like specific things, you know, and getting paid out for [00:38:00] separate, separate things with separate, um, contractors seems to be the way forward, I think.

Grainne: Yeah, and then like you only, if you're getting the individual grant, or like, I only qualified for the, um, the attic installation and the, um, and the wall installation. I couldn't get any glazing or anything like that because you have to do like a bigger job and do like a one stop shop basically to be able to get them, like it has to be a big retrofit.

So you can only, if you're doing small kind of jobs, you can only get a smaller amount of them

Kate: I think it's hilarious that yours doesn't count as a big job though.

Jen: Yeah, I know. 

Grainne: Had I gone from the start, I did get like, um, I can't even remember the name of the company to come and give me a quote and everything like that. And then it was like a huge amount of money, but it was like, and we'll do this and it will be done in like six months. I was like, I want to do some of it though.

So then I was like, Oh, I don't know. Like maybe I could do it a bit cheaper myself or whatever. I probably ended up spending the same amount of money.

I don't think I would have gotten the [00:39:00] house I would have gotten had I just jumped on board with that straight away as well. So,

Kate: yeah, for sure. Yeah. That was pretty much all of my questions except unless you had something else. Painting. What am I talking 

Jen: My big one is really just overall 

Kate: his entire house 

Jen: what? What are your tips? Takeaways? Like somebody in your shoes or even speaking to your past self or you know, people who love following your, your. Your stories and your journey on Instagram and who are listening now and are thinking okay, I'm ready to pull the trigger, I'm wondering, you know, how big a job should I take on, should I go for the house that's nearly done or should I go for the, the one that needs to be totally gutted and, and started again and, you know, what would you say to them to help them make that decision? 

Grainne: I suppose for everybody it's different, but, um, Uh, the way things are at the moment, you need, like, if you're doing a big job, you need a huge amount of money. Obviously, anything that you can do yourself will save you money, but I always knew I wanted an old home. I wanted a period property if it, if I could, um, get one.

And I knew even if I [00:40:00] had bought, like, a new build, I wasn't gonna like the boring kitchen that was in it. I wasn't gonna like the grey bathroom. I knew I was gonna want to do a new kitchen, a new bathroom, probably anywhere that I was going to go into. So I wasn't scared about coming into a house. and knowing that there was a good bit of work to be done.

Um, like you need to put in a bit of money. You need to put in a bit of time and effort to be able to realize, um, your vision for your house. Um, and I'd say like somebody in work told me this before, how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time? And when I got overwhelmed, I would think about that a lot, being like, okay, like, how can I divide tasks into like smaller jobs that I can do?

instead of focusing on like a huge big task that was ahead of me, just try to tip away at it. And like your home, I don't know if it will ever be finished or like, you know, complete, you'll always be tipping away to things. So that's like a renovation didn't scare me that much as well about putting time into it.

It's like, even if I moved into a brand new build, you'd still change the [00:41:00] color of something like a year down the line, or you'd want like new curtains or something. There'd always be jobs to do. And just give things a go. Like, as I said, like you can, there's things that you need contractors for, but there's also a lot of things like painting, wallpaper, and that kind of stuff, like we shot, yeah, yeah.

Jen: much painted 

Grainne: Everywhere. Yeah.

Jen: I, yeah. 

Grainne: Yeah.

Um, but like, I wasn't going to spend thousands on someone to come in and paint when it would just, you know, You know, it would just take my time. Maybe my finish isn't the highest standard in some areas, especially the really high ceiling areas in the hallway. But, um, like if that's a job that we should be able to do and like learning, learning skills, DIY skills, the more you do, the more confident you become, the more easier taking on the next thing.

And like, I feel like we should probably learn more things in school. Like we should learn how to like hang shelves and things like that. So. Yeah, like I think it's a future learning for yourself as well. You're putting in some time and energy into yourself that will pay off. You'll, you'll use those skills again and again and again.

[00:42:00] So, um, like I love my renovation journey. Like I still have a good bit of stuff to do as well. Um, I would do it again. So 

Jen: That's the big 

Grainne: yeah.

Kate: That's the big question, would you do it again? And thanks for being so kind of honest with it online as well, because sometimes I find, I find Instagram renovations like, here's just the dumb thing and it was just so easy. And you're like, it's not that bloody easy. And then like, Show the kind of hardship a little bit, but you don't deter anyone because like you have this positive outlook and positive kind of, um, memory of it, like,

Grainne: Yeah, like there's times I got extremely stressed. I don't think I've ever cried. I'm not really a crier of a person, but I will get really

Kate: You're a midwife, I'm sorry. Midwives are the strongest, most stable people, no?

Jen: of steel. 

Grainne: Yeah, but then it's like when, especially when I got in so far, when like, you know, the back of the wall was off of it.

It's like, there's no going back. I just, there's no point being, you know, You just have to keep going. They have to find a solution and you have to just move on with what you can. [00:43:00] And I obviously like financially wise, like you have this dream of everything that you want, like, I'm going to have like the most beautiful house and most amazing finishes and everything like that.

And then most of your money goes and all the boring stuff, like the installation, the floor installation, electricity, your plumbing and things like that, so you readjust and then I suppose maybe that's, um, made me do more of the painting and also like secondhand furniture shopping and things like that.

Um, so like everything happens for a reason, I think. So yeah, no, I would encourage anybody to do it. I think it's, yeah, it's, it's, it's a great journey to have. Yeah.

Kate: Yeah. And most of the country already follow you, but if you don't, absolutely go to Gleann's Instagram page, we'll put it in the show notes. Yeah, you'll be inspired to do it yourself.

Jen: We're going to wrap it up there.

.

Gráinne, thank you so much for joining us. This has been so inspirational. Listener, I really hope that anyone who has heard Gráinne's story is inspired to just try something. Tackle something themselves, try something.

Because really, ultimately, [00:44:00] it just leads to the home of your dreams, right? That you probably wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. 

Grainne: Um, yeah, give it a go. Why not?

Kate: give it a go. 

Jen: go. I love it. 

Kate: That's the title of this podcast. Give it a go.

Jen: Give it 

Grainne: Yeah.

Kate: If you found that episode useful, please do us a huge favour by giving us a like and a few stars and especially click that subscribe button. Thank you!