WATCH: I built my dream home in Cork: ‘I still wonder how I did it... I’m so proud’

It’s been quite the rollercoaster, but Cork woman Deirdre O’Sullivan has moved into the house she all but single-handedly built herself, and says if she can do it, anyone can.

Well… if you’re prepared to meticulously plan, furiously save, accept that burn-out will be part of the journey, and revise designs to keep in budget, you can.

Deirdre has featured previously in The Echo where her story to save enough money to build her dream home that saw her buy and renovate a mobile home where she lived for five years, captivated readers.

Everyone was rooting for her!

The self-employed entrepreneur from Blarney came up against what at times looked like insurmountable obstacles, including being quoted €468,000 by a quantity surveyor to bring her dream to reality.

Re-evaluating her needs, she dropped a bedroom and was approved for a 30-year mortgage of €100,000, which, along with savings of the same amount, allowed her to embark on building her two-bed, 134 square metre house on a site gifted by her parents, with work starting in February, 2023.

That’s where The Echo left Deirdre, on our last interview.

Now, lots of people would have quit before they got to this stage – not Deirdre. Before planning permission was even lodged, before a sod was turned, she already knew every tiny detail about the house.

The only variable was when she’d actually move in.

“The house existed in my mind before it was built – I had pictured every last detail, down to where the cups would be in the kitchen, so in many ways it came with ease once I released all the tension that would typically surround such a project,” she said.

She uses the word ‘manifesting’ to describe how the house came about, but she also points out how long and hard she’d saved to make the dream come true.

“It all came together very easily in the end, but only because I spent most of my adult life working towards it. The reality is that I built a business with the sole intention of providing a home for myself. In a sense, building the house was definitely the easy part. It symbolised the end of the ‘slog’ for me.”

She moved in during June, 2024, and it’s only now, over a year on, that Deirdre feels she has the presence of mind to reflect on the journey, which she still finds semi-surreal.

Mid-way through, Deirdre called time on her very successful business, Style 25, which specialised in hand-painted kitchens, to focus on the build and her herbal medicine studies.

“I was starting to feel it in my body! The painting was only a small part of the business, and I was sanding all day, every day,” she said.

Her interest in herbal medicine studies came from personal experience.

Having previously suffered extremely debilitating pains in her bones and joints, she sought out help from alternative practitioners.

“I was completely healed through energy work and herbs,” she said and she is now nearing completion of four years studying Vitalist Nutrition and Iridology in the Irish College of Herbal Medicine.

But Deirdre still needed some income stream and took on part-time jobs such as receptionist work, which helped her sustain a healthier work-life balance.

Balance is what she’s all about.

“I kind of felt like I’d done my ‘time’, that I’d worked hard enough, for long enough. Taking some time out was more important to me and more sustainable.”

Listening to her body is important.

“I’m uncomfortable living in a time when it’s the norm to be disconnected from ourselves, where we work so hard just to pay bills, and where rest is a luxury.”

There were plenty of times she needed to step back from the build.

“There were times when, physically and mentally, I needed to rest. I knew that I’d achieve nothing if I went on site, even if it was very hard to be so close to it and not see progress being made, but I had to respect how my body felt at the time.”

Because she was free from external pressure, such as a deadline to move in, she enjoyed some freedom.

“I had planned the build so well, because all the decisions, financial and otherwise, were made on my terms, which meant it was actually a lovely process that was going to take as long as it was going to take.

“If I had been paying rent, or had a huge mortgage, I’d have felt very different, but this was something I had spent years planning. I had set my intention to be mindful and grateful, even when things went wrong.”

And they did.

“Obviously, plenty of things cropped up that weren’t planned, but it was about adapting to them, and not getting stressed,” she said.

Among them was an issue with windows. “The openings for the windows were the wrong size – my fault as I had forgotten to add the depth of the sills so they all had to be dropped down. Luckily though, this was fixed with ease thanks to the fact that it is a timber frame house. Wood is far more forgiving and adaptable, for those thinking of building themselves.

“Then the roofer I had secured literally disappeared on me, and the next one I found just didn’t feel right because it was a specialised job, but it all worked out perfectly as my friend’s husband came to my rescue and did the job brilliantly, which makes me believe that it was all meant to be! Everything happens for a reason!”

Deirdre was also extremely lucky to have the help of her father, a retired entrepreneur (the apple falling from the tree, etc) and brother (an electrician) throughout the build, something she didn’t take for granted.

Anything she could do herself, she did, upskilling for some tasks and relying on YouTube for others. For example, Deirdre did as many easy and light jobs as she could, including the external insulation, and points out that experience isn’t needed for lots of things, only time and an appetite for hard work.

She decided what she needed to call in outside help for, and what she could do herself. Again, it’s back to finding a balance – and ways to save money.

“Even if you don’t want to take on an entire build, you can step in and control some elements to save money. It doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’. Even if you only save a few thousand euro – that’s straight off your mortgage.”

Through Deirdre’s work and her passion for interiors, she had accumulated some stunning pieces of furniture.

“I didn’t buy anything new besides my kitchen counter. I’m not a fan of new things, but I couldn’t have even if I’d wanted to, there wasn’t any budget – I used my wages to buy materials on a weekly basis. I had no money for a kitchen so I made it myself along with built-in cabinets. I even got my bed on DoneDeal!”

She’s in, and thrilled, even if there’s still work to do.

“I realised my house was never going to be turn-key and I was fine with that – I still got more done than I expected. My en-suite isn’t done yet and there’s absolutely no need to have it done at the moment. My utility is the next project I’d like to start on, and the driveway – but I’m still living in absolute comfort, “ she said.

The house came in €10,000 over budget at €230,000, and there’s nothing she’d change.

“I’m such a visual person – I saw it all before it happened, the floors, the windows, down to the screws, and that was invaluable to help manifest it and bring it to life.”

What happened to her stunning ‘tiny home’ that captivated our readers?

“I sold it! It was heartbreaking, but the right buyers came at the right time, and it was part of the process, letting it go, that old chapter and embracing the next!”

Besides, her new house already feels like her forever home.

“It felt like home from the minute I moved in. I had spent every day in the space, creating it, so it was a very easy transition to actually live here.

“I still wonder how I did it – physically and mentally – it was such hard work and it still seems a bit surreal, but I’m so proud of myself.”