Presented by architect Hugh Wallace, The Great House Revival 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, and a depopulated village's former Post House.
In this week's episode, viewers met Carlow man Tommy McDonald. A man who dreamed of restoring a cloghan of cottages down the lane from his family home. Alongside his partner Emily Lewis, he decided to take the leap and attempt to transform the ruinous property into their first home.
The couple bought for €45,000 and have a further €250,000 for the build. However, Tommy's building experience goes no further than doing up a camper van, so he's very much learning on the job in the hopes of cutting costs.
The couple don't have a project plan and this, coupled with months of bad weather, slows progress way beyond their planned timeline. Not to mention the arrival of their first child, Elis, while they live on a mobile home on-site.
Watch the episode back on the RTÉ Player now or click through the photo gallery above to see the results.
