DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland, the show that rebuilds people's lives by rebuilding their homes, is back for a second series.
Presented by Baz Ashmawy, the heart-warming show airs on RTÉ One every Sunday at 6:30pm, introducing viewers to families based in New Ross, Meath, Santry and Waterford city.
This year, chief-motivator Baz is joined once again by some familiar faces; designers Aoife Rhattigan of Restless Design; Kerry Hiddleston of Hiddleston Interior Design; garden designer Peter Doneghan; health and safety officer Helena Ryan.
The challenge posed to the DIY SOS team is this: create a fully functional home for a family in need in nine days, depending solely on the generosity of volunteer trades and supplier donations. No pressure.
One special episode brought viewers to Santry, North Dublin, where a team of volunteers took on the task of renovating the Costello family home.
Laura Costello was left partially paralysed following a rare birth event, which happened while giving birth to her fourth baby in June 2020.
Immediately after the birth, the young mother fell unconscious and was taken into the ICU where her brain activity was extremely low.
Her loving family (husband David, stepson Dylan and their four youngest children, Thomas, Matthew, Sophie and baby Daniel) were preparing for the worst but Laura is a fighter, and after a few days she started to show small signs of improvement.
Laura has defied the odds so far and is making steady progress with her recovery, but the family home needed significant adaptation to facilitate wheelchair use and various complex occupational needs.
We caught up with Aoife Rhattigan, Creative Director of Restless Design, to find out how she created a home for the Costello family and how she dealt with some of her most stressful deadlines.
How did you get involved with DIY SOS?
I did a show with RTÉ a few years ago called Design Doctors, so I guess off the back of that I was asked if I was interested in getting involved. I quickly did a Google of DIY SOS to get a feel for what it was all about and the 'doing good' element really appealed to us. I love a challenge and I love a deadline, and there's nothing like a DIY SOS deadline.
How do you prepare for these projects?
At the beginning, we get a brief on the family but I don't always read them straight away. I have to prepare myself for it because once I read the story, I carry it around with me. They're heavy stories and you'd want a heart of stone not to be effected by them.
I pride myself on not having a 'house style' at Reckless, we respond to the brief and exactly what a specific project needs. To truly get under the skin of a project, I try to imagine myself in their various different scenarios and relate to the people involved.
There's a lot of back and forth with the family and the producers in order to make sure that we're hitting our marks and addressing the different needs.
Once the design is locked in, you go into 'getting it done' mode and making sure, as much as you can, that everything is lined up for our first day on site.
What's it like to be on the ground on these projects?
Every hour on a DIY site is like a week or two weeks in normal time. You kind of go into 'doing things' mode and then the night time before reveal is when you start letting it all in. Everyone starts to get emotional because you know you've landed it then. In Santry, I found it hard to keep it together.
Tell me a little about Laura's home needs
The big message that came through from Laura and David was that her need and her want was to be at home and be a mammy to her kids. The initial nut that we had to crack was the wheelchair and getting access for Laura so that she could move through the house freely. That was really challenging because these houses aren't designed for wheelchair access at all. Every single millimetre counts.
I wanted her bedroom to feel comfortable and warm but also for her to have access to shower facilities. She also spoke about putting the kids to bed and getting ready for bath time so we thought about keeping the bath on the ground floor. It was about digging into how, technically, this family would operate in the space.
The kitchen is a big challenge because the kitchen has to do a lot in the home anyway, and then you have wheelchair users and able-bodied users. The sink is not wheelchair accessible but that's something we talked about with them and the Belfast sink was just something they really loved and wanted.
That's why DIY is special. It's not just about making a home wheelchair accessible and ticking boxes, it's about addressing the family's wants and needs.
How do you find sourcing all of your voluntary supplies?
It's definitely a team effort. We're finding our groove with it now and we've got a bit more of a system. We've got some processes in place for our schedules, and we've got more of a rapport with suppliers who are coming back repeatedly and being great friends of the show.
We're getting to know these people and have personal relationships with them. The show is a good litmus test of who you want to work with outside of the show. If you're involved in DIY, you're good people.
Watch DIY SOS on RTÉ One every Sunday at 6:30pm.
