Episode 5
West Cork Country House, Rockhouse, Co. Cork
Secondary school teacher Grace Cotter and her landscape gardener husband John are restoring what they think is a modest Georgian farmhouse in the hills of Kilmacsimon for them and their soon to be three children in West Cork.
When John and Grace purchase their home, it’s hard to see past the dire condition the house is in.
Sitting high in the hills of West Cork, Rockhouse has been left neglected and unloved and has become a shelter for nearby farming cows, as well as the odd rodent or two.
John does most of the work himself, and when he’s not working for his own business, he spends every spare moment at the house. Missing out on weekends and family holidays, to make a home for his growing family. Tackling delays in securing their mortgage as well as facing grief in the midst of their renovation, Rockhouse’s revival is far from straightforward. Is Rockhouse beyond saving, or can Grace and John’s grit and determination transform this shell of house into their vision of a beloved family home?
Series 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.
