Co Antrim self-build wins Home of the Year 2023

Rob and Janice McConnell have lifted the coveted RTÉ Home of the Year 2023 trophy for their architectural new build in Co Antrim.

The ninth series of Home of the Year saw the three judges Hugh Wallace, Amanda Bone and Sara Cosgrove visit 21 homes across the country, choosing Rob and Janice’s home as the ultimate winner.

The winning house is nestled in rich woodland and has stunning sea views. The coupled wanted their new single storey build to fit in with its surroundings by using as many natural materials as possible.

The resulting modern home has panoramic sea, forest, and mountain views which can be enjoyed year round from a patio area with overhang.

“What stood out for me this year was the homeowners’ understanding of the importance of good design, of making the most of the orientation and connecting with the outside,” judge Amanda Bone said. She added the winning home was “all about capturing and reinforcing the spirit of the place, its setting, its connection with the landscape, this home lifts you up, it makes you feel good, it’s magical”.

The ROI government “gives with one hand and takes away with the other” on energy grants, said architect and TV personality Hugh Wallace at the Hardware Association Ireland (HAI) conference in Kilkenny in March.

Energy upgrade grants from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, for the One Stop Shop, are capped at €27,500 on a total expenditure of €60,000 to upgrade the building to a B2 building energy rating, yet all amounts include VAT.

Excluding VAT, the grant only amounts to €19,000, said Wallace, arguing for a zero VAT rate on all home improvements carried out by owner occupiers and residential landlords.

One Stop Shop grants are for deep retrofits, meaning the entire home is insulated, made airtight, includes a centralised ventilation system, and a heat pump as the source of heating.

Many properties aren’t suitable for a B2 renovation, cautioned Wallace, meaning they are unlikely to be suitable for a heat pump – yet gas boilers will be phased out by 2030.

Empty homes grants

Supporting the HAI’s Empty Homes Campaign, Wallace said that there were 250,000 vacant buildings available to refurbish in ROI, with at least 50,000 that could be upgraded now. Refurbishing an existing building has a 40 to 50 per cent lower carbon footprint than building new, he added.

The vacant properties grant, known as the Croí Cónaithe Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, of up to €50,000 to renovate a vacant building anywhere in ROI, “should come with a health warning”, said Wallace.

Because banks won’t lend on derelict properties for first time buyers: “no toilet, no mullah”, he said. Those who aren’t first time buyers need to sell their house and prove it’s stayed in residential use, he added.