Episode 3
Old Cowshed, Lough Key, Co Roscommon
Nestled in the dense forest of Lough Key, Dublin-based architects Fiona Brugha and Paddy Dunne found a substantial, 1870s colonnaded stone building which was once the cowhouse belonging to the vast Rockingham Estate. They plan on turning this thick stone walled ruin into a contemporary family home for themselves and their two small children.
The defining feature is the row of tall arches running the full length of the building, which give most rooms in the house a view of the surrounding forest. Their budget is €350,000, but a restoration project among the trees doesn’t come without challenges. Can Fiona and Paddy work around the old building’s quirks to construct their sleek dream home in the forest?
Series 5 Overview:
Hugh Wallace is back to chart the highs and lows of home restorations in Ireland. Adventurous homeowners battle to restore derelict or unloved properties to their former glory, but can they create their dream home in the ruined walls of our past?
Presented by architect Hugh Wallace, this series follows homeowners across Ireland as they try to restore and transform their derelict properties into comfortable homes fit for today – while saving a piece of the country’s architectural heritage.
In this new series, Hugh meets homeowners who are transforming a cowshed on a ruined grand estate, a rotten farmhouse with a secret, a former seaside guesthouse, a derelict vernacular cottage, a Burren herder’s hut, an old grocery shop, tumbling cabins and a depopulated village’s former Post House, across the country from Cork to Donegal.
Every aspect of the work is documented, from missed deadlines and budgets to battles fought and challenges overcome. Every property is different, and each brings with it its own unique set of problems for the brave homeowners, for whom every restoration is a personal passion project.
With our housing shortage in the headlines daily, can these restorers show us the way to a dream home by resurrecting buildings from our past?
With budgets ranging from €75,000 to €400,000, Hugh will find out just what is possible to achieve when people set their hearts on their new dream home.
