In The Great House Revival, architect Hugh Wallace 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.
Every aspect of the work is documented, from missed deadlines and budgets to obstacles overcome and battles fought (sometimes with Hugh himself).
"Pardon?!" 😂
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) March 21, 2024
To panel or not to panel? Let's see what happens this Sunday in a new series of #TheGreatHouseRevival.
Sunday, 9.30pm | @rteplayer pic.twitter.com/lRoZo3knmN
Going by the latest teaser trailer, it seems that the presenter got into quite a few tiffs with the homeowners over the two years that the series was filmed.
"Of course I'm ignored," laughs Hugh, "but it's their homes, and I think that when you see what work they do, and when you see the homes they have when they're finished - I mean, who wouldn't want to move in?"
"They're so committed and tenacious in what they do," he adds. "I'm blown away by them, I really am. Some of them don't know what a hammer looks like, and yet, there they are."
In this new series, viewers will meet homeowners who are transforming old cowsheds, tumbling townhouses and an abandoned former school, across the country from Cork to Wexford.
"Everyone on the show is very interesting because they sort of fall in love with their building," explains Hugh. "They want to respect the heritage and the past.
"In the school, in particular, the homeowners spoke about the maker's mark, and how the people who built these houses 100, 150 or 200 years ago left a maker's mark. The great thing about all these homeowners who are now refurbishing and rebuilding is that they're leaving their own mark.
"That's a lovely and amazing thing to think about: they are leaving their mark for future generations."
We just can't get enough of the wonderful @architecthugh! He’s back with a brand new series of #TheGreatHouseRevival this Sunday, starting with couple Mary-Claire and Sully and their Georgian house in Co. Cork.
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) March 20, 2024
Sunday 9.30pm | @rteplayer pic.twitter.com/9luxgt9994
With the housing crisis is making headlines daily, this show aims to discover just what is possible to achieve when people set their hearts on their new dream home.
Speaking on the Vacant Home Refurbishing Grant, which the homeowners in episode one avail of, Hugh says that the sums of money available for refurbishment are game-changing.
"The grant can make all the difference of the project being viable and deliverable or not," he explains. "The grant does exactly what it says on the tin.
"I'm driving around Co. Clare at the moment and there are just so many derelict houses, and they're also in our towns and villages. It's so important because if you have people in an area, you have coffee shops and a community, so we really need to focus on people getting back into the buildings."
In tonight's episode, Hugh meets with mental health nurse Mary-Claire and carpenter Sully, who fell in love with The Parson’s House, a four bedroom Georgian cut stone building, the second they saw it.
In fact, they were so determined to have the house that they didn't care if it was "made of lollipop sticks", which may explain why they didn't bother getting an engineer in.
"Mary-Claire and Sully were amazing, the were never in a bad mood," says Hugh. "But you do need to get an engineer in to make sure the place isn't going to fall down - that's always helpful."
Located at the central crossroads of Churchtown in north Co. Cork, the village is conveniently halfway between their two homeplaces. More importantly it is neutral ground for their different local GAA teams.
With a budget of €130,000, Mary-Claire and Sully had to put in a lot of the hard graft themselves to bring this home back to its former glory.
Over the course of a year and a half, the pair battled a series of obstacles, ranging from awkward steps to crumbling walls, to make themselves a stunning home.
"There's always the unexpected," says Hugh. "You don't know what's behind the wall or the wallpaper until you take it down. You just have to be willing to expect the unexpected."
Watch The Great House Revival on RTÉ One at 9:30pm on Sunday, March 24.
