The Great House Revival

4k, some nordie fella- good value imo. If it was a crowd in Dublin 18k + vat!

Theres not many people left who make stained glass windows in ireland

The Rathmullen house was amazing. Mrs Sleepy was utterly in love with it.

When visiting the chapelizard house, Hugh commented if he could get old furniture and reupholster it.

The guy commented that his mother and granny had furniture.

Not sure if that's what was used. It could easily be staged for the final day filming.

Its hardly a revival if the whole thing is being pulled down due to being unstable!

That was a huge project tonight and the budget was a bit ridiculous to say the least. They seemed to cut it back from 285k to 230k and 70k of that was a grant, so only 160k renovation budget.

Nice couple but I think they were in a bit over their head, a project like that will take alot of time.

I didnt see much timber frame build, it looked like block to me, they must have changed plans.

Could Hugh have delayed his final visit to this month and give them 2 more months building time ?

Will he go back next season for a follow up ?

Felt like a bit of a waste of time. I don't think Emily had much time for Hugh

Felt like both of them did towards the end. He was very patronising to them though.

Yeah I was wondering if that was just her manner though.

I don't know, I initially liked the couple at the start but found them annoying at the end. Being wide eyed and optimistic at the start is one thing but at a certain point you need to sit down and form a decent timeframe and budget. They'll still be building that house 10 years from now 🙄

I thought it was an absolute shame they didn't rebuild at least part of the second building that had to be torn down with the original stones.....there was certainly enough of them. I also wouldn't be a fan of a flat roof.

It wasn't an overly enjoyable episode. I can find Hugh bitchy but he has calmed down in recent years. I think he was frustrated last night with the lack of planning 70k is a large chunk of change to miss out on because you've kept your head in the clouds.

I'd like to see it finished....I actually struggled keeping my eyes open last night and thought I had missed the end ..I rewatched the end this morning and I hadn't missed much at all ...it's still only a shell after 2 years.

Like that time when the owner (an influencer selling beauty products or something) stripped out the WHOLE HOUSE in Stradbally, it was one of those misfit choices. I liked the couple and what they are doing, but it fitted more into a DIY very long-term project than something design-led. Complete contrast to the Burren build with an experienced artist and business woman with a wealth of contacts and ideas she can draw on, even if it ultimately ended up on AirBnB. The end product was architecturally interesting from the perspective of how it respected the proportions of the original cottage and its materials.

Hugh's job with the last one in Carlow would have been easier with A) bigger budget of min 300k B) led by an architect or craftsperson who was an expert in restoration. It did seem that the walls were too far gone, but the stone could have been reused instead of all block walls. Your average builder is only too happy to clear away ruins and go straight to block build because they don't have the skills or knowledge to work with the stone or the original form and its limitations. Many vernacular homes restored using the derelict homes grant get converted to unrecognisable modern kitsch bungalow hybrids, losing their shallow plan, vertical windows, flush gables etc. They become uninteresting and we lose our vernacular buildings in the process.

They said the price of the campervan was the same as a years rent.....think they got too comfortable in it. Zero fire under their arses!

painful watch

That was referring to the mobile home. I'm talking about the Volkswagon Type 2 Camper Van they showed in a few shots. Honestly, I'd have thought that it was a rather expensive toy to be keeping when you're trying to build a house.

@MisterAnarchy replacing a small kitchen can be a cheap enough thing to do with second hand units off Adverts/Donedeal and reclaimed wood for the doors etc. if you're doing the work yourself which was what it looked like he'd done. Can only imagine you'd do it on a rental if what was there was absolutely awful but it wouldn't be a big outlay.

Ireland is a small place so it’d be hard to think the couple or their friends wouldn’t see posts on here. That said, we all know people who have opinions of their own & maybe have their heads in the clouds when it comes to practical application of expectations.

From the outset, it was clear that even if the old stonework cooperated, the build was going to be involved & pricey. Doing it without any kind of forward planning would surely only add to it’s complexity. While we all love to get in behind the dreamers & the optimists, there has to be an injection of reality at some point. It was a stressful watch.

It slightly annoyed me that they signed up for this programme yet seemed annoyed with Hugh, with his experience, offering them advice when they had zilch experience. I wonder if they are living in the house now.