TX DATE: Thursday 11th April @ 9.35pm on RTE TWO
The Home Rescue crew is one big family where everyone plays their part and – for designer Dee Coleman, builder Peter Finn and their team of fitters, painters, chippies and clutterbusters – every second counts because they have just five days to complete each makeover.
That’s right: five days from first sight to finishing touches!
This year, the Home Rescue team brings the Big Fix to a variety of homes in Louth, Kildare, Dublin and Co.Clare.
EPISODE ONE – Claire, Pearse and Doreen, Dundalk
In Dundalk, County Louth, Granny Doreen, her three grandchildren, her daughter Claire and Claire’s unflappable stay-at-home husband Pearse share a bungalow – originally built by Doreen’s husband, former firefighter Pat. Three generations of the one family sharing space in a house that should be big enough for all of them, but just isn’t. Claire, Pearse and the kids moved in with Granny Doreen two years ago when Pat, who has dementia, moved out to a care home. But, despite its size, the house is no longer fit for purpose. With mum and dad sharing a bedroom with their 9-year-old son Odhran, who has additional needs, the room is cramped for all three of them.
Claire’s job as an account manager means she spends a lot of her time on the road. Back home, Pearse is a full-time carer, cleaner and cook for the whole family but with a chaotic layout, a disconnected dining room and a tiny kitchen, he struggles to manage.
As the clutterbusters and a willing cohort of friends and family get to work sorting the combined clutter of three generations at a local community centre, Dee sets out to re-invent the kitchen and create a sensory space in the bedroom for Odhran – taking expert advice from the teachers at his school.
Meanwhile, the whole family decamp to a nearby AirBnB as Pete and the build crew tackle misplaced fuse boxes, awkward walls, and a door that must be replaced with recessed shelving – laying the groundwork for a brand-new kitchen to replace the cramped, cluttered and barely useable storage-free galley.
Reinventing a house to serve the very different needs of three generations is quite the challenge – even for the Home Rescue team. The question is: can they strike a very specific balance of accessibility, functionality, and calm in just a few days?
Goodbye Clutter. Hello Makeover.
Narrated by Irish comedian Neil Delamere – Welcome to Home Rescue, The Big Fix!
Home Rescue is proudly sponsored by “Cash & Carry Kitchens”.
