Episode 7: Ruinous 1800s Farm House & Sheds, St. Mullins, Co. Carlow
Carlow man Tommy McDonald’s childhood dream of restoring a cloghan of cottages down the lane from his family home, comes to life, when he and partner Emily Lewis decide to transform the ruinous property into their first home.
Emily is originally from Wales, and fell in love with the home not just because of Tommy’s connection to the place, but because of how much it reminds her of home.
Tommy, who has no building experience has decided to tackle the project himself. In a bid to cut costs, he stubbornly starts the build without a project plan. The build becomes a slow and arduous process. Delayed by bad weather, and Tommy’s lack of experience the build comes to an absolute standstill.
In the midst of their renovation, and while living in a mobile home on-site, Tommy and Emily welcome their first child, baby Elias, into the family.
Tommy is determined to bring the renovation under budget, on an already tight budget of €250k. But along with the budget restrictions, grant deadlines and the many hurdles that befall the project, will Tommy and Emily ever finish their 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.
