- 18 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00A few generations ago, it was normal for families to build their own homes.
00:05Today, that notion is something most of us would never consider.
00:09Aoife, will you be comfortable driving the dumper?
00:13But that's not to say it can't be done.
00:17Excited! Nearly ready to go.
00:19Are you ready to build your first wall?
00:21Yep.
00:22Okay, Phil. One, two, three.
00:24I'm Harrison Gardner, and in this series I'll meet some brave homeowners
00:28who are about to take matters into their own hands.
00:32We'll have a giant hole in our front garden, and we're absolutely terrified.
00:37There's no going back now.
00:40With almost no experience, limited funds, and zero illusions.
00:47Another day, and less dollars.
00:50Right now it just feels like a bit of an insanity project.
00:54They are about to face the challenge of a lifetime.
00:57Whoa!
00:58But I think, with some solid advice, and a helping hand or two, anything is possible.
01:04I'm full of hope and optimism.
01:06Clearing the way for fresh beginnings, isn't it?
01:08This is our first room.
01:10It's a bit early for the grand tour, Jess.
01:12Yeah, yeah. He's living his best life in there.
01:14So, forget what you think is normal.
01:17And consider this.
01:19If you can't afford to have your house built for you, there is another way.
01:24Oh, wow. What a space.
01:26It's gorgeous.
01:27Yeah.
01:28It's class.
01:29Finally.
01:30Good tears.
01:31Yeah. It's lovely.
01:32Build your own.
01:34If I could do one standing and talking.
01:35You ready to go?
01:36Mm-hmm.
01:37Hi, everyone. Today I'm going to talk through...
01:39Building your own home can be a bit of a balancing act. After all, life is a juggle at the best of times.
01:53Lovely.
01:54Yeah?
01:55Yep.
01:56Okay.
01:57But that prospect doesn't faze entrepreneurs Sean and Jess.
02:02Sean's had a number of start-ups. We have two companies together.
02:05We love the process of creating something and bringing it to that end product and seeing how it grows along the way.
02:14We've always wanted a space that's kind of our own and that creates kind of an essence of, like, not only productivity but, like, relaxation.
02:22Yeah.
02:23Because we do so much work from home.
02:30Now, they're ready to embark on their next venture together and turn this former parochial house in County Limerick into their dream home.
02:39When we were looking for a property, we were looking for something that we could bring back to life.
02:45A turnkey property, it doesn't really excite me. I'd be wondering what to do once I get into the house and, you know...
02:53Sean loves the project.
02:54Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:55Loves the project.
02:57This derelict building has been vacant for a number of years now and it looks like it would be a challenge even for the most experienced of self-builders.
03:07But this couple are undeterred.
03:09I suppose the nice thing about the property is the previous owner had stripped out everything internally so there's no, like, hidden surprises.
03:16That's part of why we liked the property when we came to view it, is that it had been stripped out so we could see exactly what it was.
03:22And to somebody else that could seem really scary but to us, I suppose, that's kind of what we're looking for.
03:27Again, glutton's for punishment, I suppose, yeah.
03:28Absolutely.
03:29You know, there's a few scary aspects to the build. There's holes the size of your hand in the gable in the wall.
03:38So we need to get the wall sealed up, stop the water coming in.
03:42With warts and all on show, there is no doubt that breathing new life into this expansive house could easily swallow up their life savings.
03:5290,000 budget is probably a bit of a hope. It will be definitely stretched but I think with me doing a lot of the construction work, we'll try and keep the cost down.
04:02We would love to be within six to nine months. We feel like that might be a realistic kind of view of it but who knows what will come up.
04:16With a lot of work ahead of them, today I'm on my way to Limerick to find out how I can help.
04:21We're kind of down in the hills here and it's totally full summer. Everything is blooming and filling out the lanes.
04:30What I really need Sean and Jess to be bringing to this situation is a willingness to learn, some energy to do some work and then some adaptability.
04:41Because it's very likely that things aren't going to go to plan.
04:44Hi!
04:45How are you doing?
04:46So nice to meet you, Jess.
04:47You as well.
04:48Good to meet you.
04:49Nice to finally meet you both.
04:50Welcome to our soon to be home.
04:51Yeah, it's so beautiful. It's huge.
04:52It is. It's big. It's going to break our hearts but we're going to get there.
04:57I know, it's gorgeous. How long have you had it?
04:59We got the place in January.
05:01January.
05:02Yeah.
05:03So six months.
05:04How much did it cost? What did you pay for this? And you've got three acres as well around it.
05:07So we paid $210,000. I think we fell in love with the land first and then when we saw inside the kind of craftsmanship that's gone into it, we kind of fell in love with the building then.
05:20Yeah.
05:21And we're willing to take it with all its bumps and bruises.
05:24That's the way it should go. You can change the building. You can't really change the land. So I think you did well.
05:29Yeah. It just comes with so much character.
05:31Yeah. Should we have a look inside?
05:33Yeah.
05:34Okay.
05:38Sean and Jess' plan is to bring this building back to life and create a family home that will suit their needs.
05:45Outside, the exterior will more or less stay the same.
05:49But they intend to remove the second floor porch extension, which will give the 300-year-old house back its original form.
05:57Inside, the entire downstairs will be reconfigured into one open plan living area.
06:04A new staircase will be tucked away to the front of the house and lead to the first floor.
06:10Here, three bedrooms and a family bathroom will give them everything they need and room to grow.
06:16It's a 21st-century redesign and it makes the most of the existing footprint.
06:21But after years of neglect, they will have to strip the entire building back, both inside and out.
06:26And given its scale, I suspect they will have their work cut out.
06:31These huge windows, they are so generous. They let so much light in.
06:35And the ceilings are so incredibly high. Like, it feels so generous in here.
06:40It's so unique to find a property that feels like this, that has these kind of dimensions, this scale to it, when you're standing in it.
06:47I guess your first initial steps are going to be demolishing the rest of what's here.
06:52Yeah.
06:53I guess that's going to be a pretty big job.
06:55Yeah. There's a lot of work to do.
06:56Yeah, there is. There is. It's all work. There's nothing but work from here on out, you know?
07:01Taking on a renovation of this magnitude is not for the faint-hearted, but I'm relieved that Sean and Jess seem up for the challenge.
07:11But my fear is not the hard labour that will be involved, but rather the structural problems that have appeared over the years.
07:18So, this is the room where we have the little bit of drama. This wall was pretty dry when we first came to look at the property.
07:26Yeah.
07:27But with such a wet winter and pretty much a wet summer we had before, it's just soaked through again.
07:32There's a big hole on the gable inside. It's coming through there, probably a bit through the chimney, and there's also a cracked ridge tile, I think.
07:39I mean, obviously it's a problem. Obviously there's damp coming in.
07:43I guess the danger is that, you know, despite how well this building is built, in the end it's a stone building that they used mud mortar to put between the stones.
07:54So, instead of using lime or cement in their mortar, it's got clay in the mortar. Water would be, it's kryptonite kinda, you know?
08:01The chimney is the most likely culprit for why and where this moisture is coming in.
08:06Getting your hands on an old building like this, it's both a gift and a burden.
08:15There's a lot of things that have been done wrong over the years in efforts to modernize the building and to keep it good.
08:24And I really think that the real work here is going to be how can we incorporate everything we know now about modern buildings and the spaces we're trying to create,
08:34but keep all those good parts of it. Use the right materials that are going to make sure that this building is still here in another 150 years.
08:42Sean and Jess' occupational therapy business is busiest during the school year, so they're determined to get as much work done as they can during the summer months.
08:54So the plan today is to start this internal strip out. It's going to be dusty work because it's kind of lime and lath that we're taking down.
09:03When this place was built, the internal walls were made from traditional timber lats and tons of lime plaster.
09:12Built to last, pulling them apart is harder than it sounds.
09:17It's a pity I'm not a bit taller.
09:22Although it's physically demanding, getting stuck into this kind of work can be very satisfying.
09:28It kind of feels like it's giving the house a bit of a fresh start again.
09:31When you really strip it out and start the demolition, it kind of feels a bit more like ours.
09:38Sometimes you just need to hit things.
09:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:41I must say I'm already impressed with these novice builders. I just hope they have the stamina to stay the course.
09:48Well, carrying around a one-year-old gives you good strength.
09:52While they carry out the renovation, Sean, Jess and their one-year-old son Finn will be living with Jess' parents.
10:02It will not only help them save money, but having live-in babysitters will also help them split their time between raising a family, running a business and renovating a home.
10:13I actually thought there was too much, to be totally honest. You know, they were great to attempt this, but I thought this was going to be overwhelming.
10:21I grew up in an old farmhouse. You know, flat roofs leaking and had the cold and the cold in the bedrooms and all that.
10:29And I was thinking, oh God, who'd take on an old house?
10:31A lot of the lads' generation, they seem to want the turnkey home. They don't really want to go into a house that they have a lot of work to do in or, you know, that the bear rating isn't right.
10:43I think the lads are booking the trend that way now, definitely.
10:47Sean, always a man who wants a project.
10:50Yeah, that's it. He does love it.
10:52We knew that about him. He does, yeah.
10:53He just wanted a big project.
10:54He does, and he loves it, and it's great, the challenge of it.
10:57But then that's what it is. You are blessed, really, when you do want it.
11:00Yeah.
11:01Because you'd want to want it.
11:02I worked in Australia for a number of years in construction, so it's kind of given me a good idea of building and the stresses and pains that can come with it, but also the satisfaction of being able to build something.
11:16The little experience he has is certainly paying off, as just after a few weeks of demolition, they're ready to take down the final internal wall.
11:25It's going to be so nice for this ball to come down.
11:28Well, this is the last kind of major piece of demolition.
11:33It's so mad for something that's been up for so long. It can come down relatively easily.
11:40Boots are definitely getting dirty now.
11:43Oh, my God, it's so mad to see it, isn't it?
11:46Stop tossing now.
11:48Yeah, it looks like it could give there. Give it a good push.
11:54Oh.
11:55There's no coming back now.
11:56Although they've made great headway, I've no doubt that the endless demolition work is starting to take its toll.
12:06Do you want some coffee?
12:07I'm not allowed coffee.
12:08Mmm.
12:09So I've invited Sean and Jess to my own self-build in County Clare to show them how I blended the old and the new.
12:17This is obviously the old 200-year-old chimney that was here before.
12:21These brick walls I put in, they aren't to hold up the chimney.
12:24They were actually to create wood stores on either side so we could stack all our wood.
12:29I've done a lot of construction but not a whole pile of actually building the home and putting it together and the finished product.
12:34And that's where we need help from someone like Harrison.
12:38Another thing with these old houses is that nothing is square.
12:41So I end up making a lot of custom furniture for the house to fit into all the weird places.
12:47When I first bought this house, it was just a stone ruin and the process of turning it into a home was at times all-consuming.
12:56So before Sean and Jess head back to Limerick, I want them to play a card game that helped my family when we were in the depths of our renovation.
13:04You're going to have to make hundreds of decisions between now and when you move into that house.
13:11And some of them are going to be really big, some of them are going to be really small.
13:14This is a moment when you've got to think about the house that you actually want to live in without all the pressures that are going to be on you.
13:22I'm going to make the decision this way because this was something I valued really strongly.
13:27You've got your cards, you've had a flick through them.
13:30What I want you to do now is choose the ten cards that appeal to you the most.
13:36What things matter to you most in a home and just see what comes out.
13:41This is a good way to start a fight.
13:44If they can decide what the idea of a home really means to them, it will make the process of building their own a lot easier.
13:51Jess, you go first.
13:54Okay, so the proximity to nature I think is up there at the top is that we are in such a beautiful setting.
14:02Yeah.
14:03That was probably one of the biggest things, space, being around nature.
14:06The self-sufficiency, like I wouldn't go as far as off-grid.
14:10Yeah.
14:11But definitely self-sufficient in, you know, producing some of our own power and, you know, having our own polytunnel.
14:18Yeah, absolutely.
14:20Absolutely love a playful household.
14:22I love being in a hammock.
14:24Like literally it's my happy place.
14:26Yeah.
14:27And storage is so important.
14:29I think it's really interesting, the play one and the storage one, they're both fun ones to have in mind at all times.
14:35Because in a way they're at odds with each other.
14:38One is all practical, one is storage, one is how to tidy everything up.
14:42Right?
14:43But you might be able to mix these two things together very cleverly.
14:47It doesn't always have to be practical and it can't always just be playful, right?
14:52Sean is very much still at, okay, we have a house and we're building it.
14:56Yeah.
14:57And I'm like living in it.
14:58Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:00It's great to hear Jess dreaming about living in their new home and what they're aiming for.
15:10But they're only at the start of this journey.
15:13It's late summer and I'm back in Limerick to help Sean reveal what lies beneath the concrete render that wraps the entire building.
15:20Let's just try and find out what's under here and how big a job it's going to be to take this render off.
15:25I'll start here, you start there and we'll work towards each other.
15:45I think that was a draw.
15:47I mean, how satisfying is that?
15:49Yeah.
15:50Look at the size of that stone.
15:52How are they even lifted those?
15:53I know, that's mental.
15:55The entire house has to be stripped of all this and then re-plastered again.
16:00So just a little bit more to go.
16:02Just a tiny bit, a tiny bit further to go, yeah.
16:04We'll be out of here in no time.
16:06The point of this whole process is to get this cement off, which is trapping moisture inside the walls, right?
16:13And then the plan is to re-plaster over the top again with something lime-based.
16:19Yeah.
16:20It'll keep the house dry by allowing it to get wet and dry out again and get wet and dry out again.
16:25We looked at getting guys to do it, but you're talking 200 euros a square metre for lime.
16:30Wow.
16:31Huge.
16:32Crazy.
16:33You're talking 40, 50,000 just for the external, not to mind inside.
16:35Huge.
16:36Oh, well, let's do it ourselves then.
16:37Yeah.
16:38It's easier.
16:39I'm impressed with how much of this job Sean is willing to take on.
16:44But I guess with money tight, they have no other option.
16:56It's just non-stop.
16:58Every second I have really, I'm out here.
17:01Right now it just feels like a bit of an insanity project.
17:04I've sent plenty of frustrated texts to Jess now over the last few weeks when I've been
17:09doing this.
17:10Yeah, it's like anything.
17:11It just takes a while.
17:12Getting used to doing the lime mixes and, you know, is it wet enough or is it too dry?
17:17But then you do feel a lot of satisfaction because you're seeing progress the whole time.
17:23No, no.
17:24No, no.
17:25No, no.
17:26No, no, no.
17:27That's not my doing on the buckets.
17:28I'd love to be doing more out there.
17:32But Finn's at that age that, like, he can posher around but it's not that safe.
17:36You're gonna give me another bit.
17:39You kind of have that little bit of guilt that, like, you're not around as much as you'd
17:43like to be.
17:44But I love the work.
17:45It's just tough going.
17:46I've definitely spent more time with that can go in the last few months than I have
17:49with Jess or Finn.
17:51Sometimes I don't know how he's doing that work.
17:56Labouring, you know, it's just so physical.
18:00I don't know how his body is still withstanding the amount of work.
18:09After months of what must have been back-breaking work, I'm back on site to see the fruits of
18:14Sean's labour.
18:15How are you, Sean?
18:16Hey, Harrison.
18:17You've been busy.
18:18Yeah, busy.
18:19Looks a bit different from the last time you were here.
18:22Absolutely.
18:23I can't believe you've chipped so much of it off.
18:27Man, it looks incredible.
18:28Yeah, it's getting there.
18:29Should we have a look inside?
18:30Yeah, sounds good.
18:36Whoa!
18:37Yeah, it's all open.
18:38Unbelievable.
18:39It's so beautiful.
18:40Yeah.
18:41I just love the light in here that gets in and bounces off the walls.
18:46It's almost chapel-esque, isn't it?
18:48It is, yeah.
18:49With the height of it and all the light coming in.
18:54You've got this beautiful arch up here now, which I know was always there, but it's now such a feature.
18:59Now it's in the centre.
19:00Yeah.
19:01You'd never see that in a new build.
19:02Definitely some of that arch and some of the stonework on that side will be kept, and probably the old windows there.
19:07Beautiful.
19:08Feels so good in here.
19:09Yeah.
19:10Compared to last time when everything was boxed in and very tight.
19:15I love this point of the building so much when you've pared everything back and you can just see how it was originally built, you know?
19:23Yeah.
19:24You've done huge work.
19:25Yeah, my body feels like it anyway.
19:31Seeing the building in its raw state like this is truly mesmerizing.
19:35And although most of it will need to be covered up, I'm relieved they've decided to keep the original stone archway as a feature.
19:42But before Sean gets too carried away with the finishing touches, there is one job he still needs to get boxed off.
19:50There was water coming into the house on this gable end from somewhere.
19:55Possibly the ridge tile, possibly this chimney cap here, any one of these chimney flues.
20:03They're all cracked and you can see some of them are literally just being held on by gravity.
20:09So we're going to recast the whole thing.
20:13Even if it wasn't the problem, it's not a bad thing to do.
20:17Because we want to move on with confidence and make it warm and livable and beautiful.
20:25Don't stand under me.
20:26So take a few steps back and fill the buckets up over there.
20:30Nice to kind of be ticking these things off as we go.
20:33It's great to have like just one other piece put out of the way that could potentially be causing the leak in the house as well.
20:39Yeah, he makes it look easy.
20:44Sean's working me hard.
20:46It's nice to help him make some progress today though.
20:49I think he's been doing never-ending demolition and bits of today actually feel a little bit like building rather than destroying.
20:58Feel free to send a beer up next time.
21:11For the past five months, self builders Sean and Jess have been tirelessly stripping this old parochial house in County Limerick back to its bare bones.
21:20And after months of demolition, today they are finally ready to start rebuilding.
21:29The first piece of the new house, I just hope I have enough of them.
21:34I can't say I love the look of concrete blocks, but when it comes to the steel, we need something to hold the steel.
21:40It's definitely the first step in the right direction, I think, where we're going to be seeing a big change.
21:45The plan is to build an internal block wall that will form the framework for a new staircase.
21:53Building with blocks is not my favourite form of construction, but I have to admit it's hugely satisfying as you get to see the results pretty quickly.
22:02It's looking good. It's an art in itself really.
22:06But at the same time, I hope I don't do something wrong here, you know, that we'll have a crooked wall in our house.
22:13She's a better block there than I am. I'm the one that's kind of slow at doing it.
22:18She's well able to get stuck in.
22:20Straighten it up.
22:22I definitely think it would be easier if the blocks weren't as heavy.
22:24Maybe five done. I don't know how many to go.
22:27I'm enjoying it more than I thought.
22:30I'd love to be doing this most of the day.
22:33It's really nice to start some of the structural stuff inside.
22:37And extra hands do make for lighter work, even if it's just to kind of say, I think that does look right.
22:43To give, you know, Sean a bit of confidence that it's not just all him.
22:47So down the line, if I'm like, I'm pretty sure that looks a bit crooked, then, you know, he's not to blame.
22:51Huge milestone.
22:55It's like the first big step, I suppose, towards putting the house back together.
22:59Then we can start getting the steels in and the first floor can go in and then we can start putting the bedrooms in.
23:03But you can never tell until you kind of start adding each layer and each layer and each layer until how something's actually going to end up feeling and looking.
23:09It's been a couple of months since I was last in Limerick, but with the block work complete, I'm excited to see how this cavernous building is taking shape.
23:26All right.
23:28What's going up? Sean.
23:29Welcome back.
23:30How are you doing?
23:31Oh, good. I'm good.
23:32Nice to see you. Looking great.
23:33It's a bit of a change since the last time you were here.
23:35Yeah, those steels are beautiful.
23:37Yeah, no, it worked out really well. You didn't mention my block work though.
23:40Well, sorry, the block work looks amazing as well.
23:43It's such a nice day to see how the light comes in.
23:46Yeah.
23:47Like, what's that space upstairs going to be?
23:49A bedroom.
23:50That's a bedroom up there.
23:51Yeah.
23:52It's just nice seeing the, like, morning light coming into that space too, all of these back windows there.
24:00With the steels in and the block wall built up, we can now begin to rebuild the first floor.
24:05It's really important that we get these joists at the right level and level to themselves and each other.
24:134605.
24:15Because they're determining the ceiling for the ground floor and the floor levels for the first floor.
24:22So, this is an important moment.
24:24Beautiful.
24:25Using lengths of 9 by 3 set 16 inches apart, the joists will form a solid base for the first floor.
24:38With over 60 of them to install and without a machine on site, I have a feeling this job may take a while.
24:46You good?
24:47Yeah.
24:48Woohoo!
24:52Beautiful.
24:53We have a first floor-ish.
24:57No, it's really coming together though.
24:58Mm-hmm.
25:00And it's nice to see some timber.
25:02Yeah.
25:03I mean, this will keep you busy for a while now.
25:05Let's throw another one up.
25:13Sean and Jess have been renovating their house for six months now, and I'm sure at times it's been hard to juggle the build with family life.
25:22Are you able to climb up?
25:24Yay!
25:26It is busy.
25:27It's really busy.
25:28And there are times that we're wrecked.
25:30Can we go crash into the balls?
25:31Yeah.
25:32OK.
25:33Ready, steady.
25:34Woo!
25:36It's a balancing act.
25:38We understand that Sean has more skill set to do this.
25:43We also have a small E and we've got businesses and so we have to juggle all of those.
25:47You can't let one go, you know, because of the house, so we're really trying to find that balance, I think.
25:52Trying not to anyway.
25:53Yeah.
25:55Bang, bang, bang.
25:56Finn has been so lucky here, like with the support of my parents and in general he's, you know, he's had a great time here.
26:08A process like this can feel overwhelming, but I'm impressed with how Sean and Jess continue to push through so they can finally have a home of their own.
26:16There's a few of us here.
26:17My sister is back from Australia, so yeah, it's great.
26:20It's a new year and I'm back in Kilmalik to help them install their first set of rooms.
26:29Nice.
26:31Wow.
26:32Hello.
26:33Hey.
26:34Hey.
26:35How's it going?
26:36Oh, good.
26:37Oh, good.
26:38You've done a lot.
26:39Very busy.
26:40Yeah, you've got a first floor.
26:41Yeah.
26:43All right.
26:44Wow, this feels amazing.
26:46This is our last chance to walk around and try and block out the spaces.
26:51You know, it's a bit of fun, but it's also big decisions.
26:54We have a bedroom here, which will be a spare bedroom.
26:57So you come in here.
26:58So open the door.
26:59Into the main bathroom.
27:01Yeah, your sink right here.
27:02And then you've got like your sink, yeah.
27:04And then toilet.
27:05Yeah.
27:06And then shower.
27:07Shower.
27:08And then like storage.
27:09Storage kind of, yeah.
27:10Yeah.
27:11So this is our first room of our house.
27:14And this is our makeshift staircase.
27:17It's a bit early for the grand tour, Jess.
27:19Yeah, yeah.
27:21Never too early.
27:22Never too early.
27:23Never too early.
27:24Should we build some walls?
27:25Let's do it.
27:31Blocking out a space is a great way to get a feel for each room.
27:35Especially when you're building it yourself.
27:38If a room feels too small, you can always change it to suit your needs.
27:45Nice to be working with timber now.
27:47But it brings us a whole new set of challenges.
27:52Lots more splinters.
27:55One, two, three.
27:58That's the light.
27:59Yeah, we're good.
28:03All right.
28:04First wall.
28:05There's your first wall.
28:07It's amazing.
28:08One down, five to go.
28:10You made that look easy.
28:12I think when you take on a project like this, there's always going to be something to be done.
28:18It does feel very slow at times and definitely tricky, but I'm enjoying it.
28:23It is nice to take that job off, even though nothing feels totally complete yet.
28:35Although it's now getting a radical makeover, from the outset, Sean and Jess were determined to preserve the essence of this 300-year-old house.
28:42To do that, they want to make sure they use the right material when they cover up all the exposed stonework.
28:50Luckily, the perfect solution is found in abundance right beneath our feet.
28:55Renowned for its durability, limestone has the metal to withstand the unpredictable Irish weather, making it the perfect material for Sean and Jess's house.
29:06And with the majority of this island sitting on a bedrock of limestone, it's a resource that we have in abundance.
29:12And that's not even the best bit. With a little bit of effort, we can turn this rock into a versatile building material, which is breathable, it's strong, and it's even more flexible than cement.
29:24Really, this is the only thing that we should be using when we're working on old stone buildings in Ireland.
29:29The process to turn limestone into a sustainable building material has been carried out in this quarry in County Carlo for 200 years.
29:44But how do they turn a solid rock into a flexible, durable building material that can make our stone buildings breathe again?
29:53To find out, I've arranged to meet technical supervisor Brendan Walsh.
29:57How are you Brendan? How are you doing?
30:00Not too bad on yourself?
30:01What have we got here?
30:02This is the mimic of the kiln, so it's essentially what the kiln operator is looking at 24 hours a day.
30:09Wow, very cool. What am I watching here? This is all the limestone coming down?
30:13Yeah, this is the limestone feeding bed.
30:14So this is the limestone coming straight from the quarry, so what's happening here?
30:18Yeah, so this is a lime kiln in this case. So a kiln is basically a production plant to convert limestone into calcium oxide, or quicklime as it's known.
30:27It's an oven?
30:28Essentially it's an oven, yeah.
30:29A huge oven?
30:30A massive oven, yeah. You can see that we're burning at 923 degrees right now.
30:35A thousand degrees, it sounds very hot, but I mean it's only five times hotter than baking a cake.
30:41Yeah, that's a good point, yeah, yeah, yeah. Still not in fancy being in there.
30:45I know, I know.
30:47So Brendan, explain to me why are we cooking it?
30:50We're cooking it to release the CO2 out of it, to make it into a reactive material. Limestone is calcium carbonate.
30:56Okay.
30:57And when you apply heat to that, you remove the CO2 out of it, and then it becomes calcium oxide.
31:01So for me to understand it very simply, you take the rock, you put it into the kiln, you cook it, it releases all of that carbon, and then when I buy that lime and I mix it up and lay my walls with it, it reabsorbs that carbon, essentially turning back into a stone again.
31:19Exactly.
31:21It's a bonding agent, essentially.
31:22Sure.
31:23So like it sticks the two bricks together.
31:24Yeah, yeah.
31:25So that's the way, and then...
31:26And it makes sense, because it's almost the same thing as the stones that you're bonding together with it, you know? It's all kind of stuff.
31:32Yeah, it's the same thing, but all we've done is put it into a fire for a while.
31:35Yeah.
31:44You're on, that's Harrison.
31:45Hey mate, how you doing?
31:46How are you?
31:47Nice to meet you.
31:48Thanks for coming today.
31:49Back on site, we're about to put a delivery of lime to good use, and use it to plaster all of the internal walls.
31:56And I'm relieved that Sean has drafted in a team of his mates to help speed up the process.
32:01So, anyone lime plastered before?
32:03No.
32:04No.
32:05Great.
32:06Okay, trowel is going to go in your dominant hand.
32:09The hawk is going to go in the other hand.
32:11Alright, so you're going to scoop it up, exactly, like that.
32:14And then you're going to spread it onto the wall.
32:17It's like spreading some butter onto a piece of bread.
32:20The key is to apply the mix evenly using overlapping strokes.
32:25But if you've never done it before, the repetitive action can be hard to get the hang of.
32:30Feeling the arms already and we're only a half an hour in.
32:33I'd say this is just beginner's harness.
32:35I'll get into it, I'll get into it.
32:36I'll get over the hump now.
32:38There are no chances we're at five.
32:40We're building three houses together, so obviously we've got some experience, but this is a bit more ambitious.
32:47You know, Sean's done so many days on this site on his own, that I think to suddenly have eight people on site at once, it's literally like getting a week's worth of work done in one day.
32:59I think it's giving him a lot of energy and it gets him a whole week ahead of schedule.
33:06Nobody wants to be the slow one.
33:08And all the lads will be pretty competitive, so we'll definitely be judging each other's work, I think.
33:13But no, I do appreciate all the lads making the effort to come up.
33:17Oh, big bosses here.
33:20It's a chance to meet people as well.
33:22We haven't had much of a social life since starting to renovate.
33:25And it's good, like, workout.
33:30To keep up momentum, Sean's mum and dad arrive, ready to get stuck in.
33:34There you go, Mary.
33:36Ready for work?
33:37This is fucking like, like spreading butter on bread.
33:44And...
33:47Fabulous.
33:49I love plastering.
33:52Always wanted to be a plasterer.
33:57Great energy here.
33:58Yeah, it's really good energy.
33:59I wish they were here all the time.
34:01No, it's good fun.
34:02You get through the work so fast as well.
34:04It does feel like we're getting a bit closer now.
34:06How are we feeling, everyone?
34:07Good.
34:08We all right?
34:09Good.
34:10Good.
34:11It's springtime in Limerick, and if all goes to plan, by the end of the day, Sean and Jess
34:24should have a brand new staircase installed in their 300-year-old house.
34:31I've modelled up this kind of complicated stairwell.
34:34Just mapping it all out here, we're able to basically see this is the most comfortable angle we'll get.
34:41But first, I need to teach Sean how to build it.
34:44So what we do is we do our mark, we bring our angle to the mark, then we can just pivot that.
34:50The secret to making a staircase is first wrapping your head around some basic geometry.
34:55So if you want to keep working your way down the piece of wood, also just in 314.
35:02Once you have figured out the height, length and depth of each step, it's just a matter of trusting your calculations.
35:09I'd be a bit nervous to be doing it off the batting on my own, but at least Harrison's here to make sure I'm not getting it wrong.
35:20Marking out and cutting a series of triangular notches creates the stringers, which can then be fixed in place, ready for the steps to go in.
35:27Looks pretty good.
35:36Once in place, you simply make each step to fit the framework.
35:39We've got our tread, we've got our riser.
35:41And there's your stair.
35:45We need ten.
35:47Just nine to go.
35:48I'll leave you to it.
35:50Sean's been working pretty much on his own for ten months now.
35:54And although he's a lot to show for it, I'm sure the process to get to this stage has taken its toll.
36:01I enjoy, like, most of it.
36:02Some of it's just been gone on for too long and it's just a bit of a slog.
36:07But definitely eager to get in, you know, and kind of have a day off.
36:12So if you want to stand here, I'll pass them to you.
36:15With the treads assembled, it's now just a matter of slotting in each step one at a time.
36:22That's what we want.
36:25And there is nothing quite like seeing something you have just made come together in front of your eyes.
36:31Stairs. I should take off my shoes. Dirty on my stairs.
36:37One more.
36:40Last one.
36:46Looks like a staircase.
36:48Not bad for your first set of stairs, Sean.
36:50I'm pretty happy.
36:51Should be.
36:52It's definitely going to make life easier.
37:01Getting the staircase in is a huge milestone.
37:04And it's given Jess the boost she needed to start imagining what their finished home will look like.
37:08I have a few mood boards.
37:11I think Sean is actually allergic to me.
37:14I keep sending him being like, actually, I really like this kitchen design, so.
37:18But it is really exciting that we're even thinking about the interior.
37:23A lot of the stuff we like is that kind of Mediterranean vibes.
37:27What we got married in, like a Mediterranean farmhouse.
37:29So, yeah, hopefully we can create that in the house.
37:33A kitchen is hard to envisage because that will come down to skill as well, you know, and what's doable.
37:38I think it would be lovely to be able to reuse or use reclaimed wood.
37:42That kind of rustic feel, obviously, plays down to kind of, we can achieve that, I suppose, when you're using more kind of reclaimed materials.
37:48So, I'm hoping we might end up with something that looks quite rustic and Mediterranean, so we'll see.
37:59Today, Jess and I are on our way to pick out some timber for their kitchen worktop.
38:04Jess wants to use Irish wood that's been reclaimed.
38:07Lovely to meet you. This is Harrison.
38:09Harrison, how are you? Nice to meet you.
38:10And I'm excited to help her pick out the perfect slab.
38:14This is just a beach one we're just after doing now.
38:16Beautiful.
38:17This will probably be in the killing in about two weeks' time.
38:19It came down during Storm Dara.
38:23Choosing the right piece is a big decision.
38:26After all, it will become the centrepiece of their kitchen where they're going to spend most of their time.
38:32This one is cedar.
38:33Okay. Beautiful.
38:34You've got a couple of soft spots in this, so you probably have to fill the likes of that with resin.
38:37Okay.
38:38What's that there?
38:39I also have some ash here.
38:40Okay.
38:42That is beautiful.
38:44Love the grain, love the character in it.
38:46Yeah.
38:47The kitchen's a big deal for you guys, right?
38:48Yeah, it's a big deal.
38:49Back from the first day I met you, the kitchen was almost the whole point of it.
38:55We love cooking, love coffee, love breakfast, you know.
38:58And then it's open planned, so it really is kind of like the visual focal point of the house.
39:03Definitely an option.
39:04What else have you got?
39:05So we've got oak inside.
39:07Okay.
39:08Oh yeah.
39:09Will we take out the bigger one?
39:10Yeah, let's have a look at it.
39:11The oak.
39:12Jess may not be convinced by what she's seen up to now.
39:16I imagine this was difficult.
39:18Let's just say we're at the physio every few weeks.
39:20But this huge piece of oak seems to have caught her eye.
39:25Oh wow, that is beyond stunning.
39:29So this thing is over a hundred years old.
39:31But yeah, this was reclaimed from a boat building, Connemara.
39:34Yes.
39:35It was being used for a Galway hooker boat.
39:37These are like hen's teeth, like you just can't find all the trees.
39:41Oh my god, it is beyond that colour.
39:43It's just...
39:44It's so beautiful to be able to see that that was the tree.
39:47Oh my god, the width, yeah.
39:48You know, this was the body of the tree.
39:50You would have struggled to hug it.
39:51Yeah, I think he's probably kept the best to last.
39:55It's really stunning.
39:56Oh my god, wow.
39:57Jess, I feel like you've forgotten about the ash over here.
40:00I've forgotten about it.
40:01And the cedar over here.
40:02You're not even looking at them anymore.
40:04No, I love this piece.
40:05Is this the one?
40:06Yeah, this is definitely the piece, yeah.
40:07Is it this actual piece of wood?
40:09This piece, if Ian's going to give it to us.
40:12If he'll part with this beauty, we promise we'll respect it.
40:16Yeah.
40:17It'd be well used.
40:18Probably won't be sad to be lifting it around your workshop anymore.
40:25Is it nice to be thinking about your kitchen?
40:26Yeah, it is nice, actually.
40:28And now it's more like how the house feels and looks,
40:31and, you know, the inside, which is really exciting.
40:33Yeah.
40:34I can't actually believe we're here.
40:35Does it feel like you're jumping the gun a little bit?
40:36A little bit, yeah.
40:38I'd say Sean is like, I just knocked the porch,
40:40and we're here deciding on what goes in the kitchen.
40:42Okay.
40:43It's been more than a year since I first came to Limerick to meet Sean and Jess,
40:56and today I'm on my way to see the culmination of all their hard work.
41:01There it is.
41:02That is a beautiful thing to see.
41:06Looks like it's been resurrected.
41:08The old parochial house has been restored to its former glory.
41:14With its perfect proportions and lime-washed walls, it now commands your attention.
41:21And I can't wait to meet the self-builders who painstakingly brought it back to life.
41:29Hi.
41:30Hi.
41:31Hi.
41:32It's Jess.
41:33How are you doing?
41:34Welcome.
41:35Great to see you.
41:36Look at your home.
41:37How are you doing?
41:38How are you?
41:39Good.
41:40Look at this.
41:41I know.
41:42Nice house.
41:43Yeah.
41:44It's come a long way since the first time you were here.
41:45It's come a long way since the last time I was here.
41:47Yeah.
41:48This lime-wash looks amazing.
41:49This porch is a lot less imposing than it used to be as well.
41:53It was labour-intensive getting rid of the top porch, but you know what?
41:56It's worth it now that we have all the beautiful detail.
41:59Good thing Sean loves labour, huh?
42:00Yeah.
42:01Yeah.
42:02I have a fairly good threshold for pain at this point.
42:04Yeah, after all of that.
42:05It's incredible.
42:06I mean, this is the first time I've seen a front door that looks so, you know, beautiful
42:11and finished and ready to welcome someone in.
42:15Should we go through this front door?
42:16Yeah, after you.
42:17Nice.
42:20I'm in awe of what they've achieved.
42:22Sean and Jess have managed to turn a derelict building into a warm and welcoming family
42:28home.
42:30Wow.
42:31Look at this.
42:33Big change since you were last year.
42:35Massive change.
42:36It's a whole different place.
42:38Yeah.
42:39You did it.
42:40I know.
42:41I know.
42:42I'm still kind of in shock, to be honest.
42:43I can't get over how much space is in here.
42:45Yeah, you're so right.
42:46It doesn't feel boxed in at all.
42:47It's the high ceilings too, I think.
42:48Yeah.
42:49Make it feel that much bigger.
42:50Yeah.
42:51True.
42:52The kitchen is amazing.
42:54Yeah.
42:55And this counter.
42:56Jess.
42:57I know.
42:58This was that very special piece of wood.
43:00Yeah.
43:01That you picked out.
43:02Picked out.
43:03Brought from Connemara.
43:04I just love it.
43:05It looks amazing.
43:06Amazing, isn't it?
43:07Way better than I could have even imagined.
43:08Yeah.
43:09Yeah.
43:10It just fits so well.
43:11Very fitting for this house.
43:12Yeah.
43:13That's the same timber then as well.
43:14Oh yeah.
43:15Yeah.
43:16The window seat.
43:17Yeah.
43:18That's exactly where you're going to drink your morning coffee.
43:19Yeah.
43:20Sit with the sun shining on you.
43:21Yeah.
43:22We're so pleased with that area.
43:23It's gorgeous.
43:24This is really beautiful.
43:25Yeah.
43:26Keeping that old bit of the house in here, the arch, the stone you've left exposed there.
43:32I love it.
43:33There's just so much history and story in it as well.
43:35You know, you're celebrating all the work that someone else did before you as well and bringing it back to life.
43:42Well done.
43:43What a space, guys.
43:44It's amazing.
43:46From the outset, Sean and Jess were adamant they wanted to celebrate the history of this house.
43:52But they also wanted to create a 21st century home that would work for them.
43:56A home that would be sustainable, functional, but also playful.
44:00Oh, wow.
44:02It's so beautiful.
44:04The swing.
44:05Yeah, it's really come together.
44:07Jess, you were talking about this right from the beginning.
44:09Yeah, and I think it actually fits really well in this room.
44:12I love it.
44:13It's so beautiful, guys.
44:14The walls look amazing.
44:16They suit the house so well.
44:18You haven't even painted it.
44:20It's not like you've got it.
44:21No, it's much warmer, isn't it?
44:22Yeah.
44:23No, it's gorgeous.
44:24And I love that you can kind of see the speckles on it.
44:27It's just so textural.
44:29It's beautiful.
44:30It looks kind of like sandstone.
44:31That's exactly it, yeah.
44:33How many hours of your life, Sean, have you spent on that wall, do you think?
44:38Countless, like, too many.
44:40It was pretty daunting, but I think I was kind of blind to the pain that was ahead as well.
44:45It was just because there was so much lime went into it, trying to level it when you're
44:50a total novice at lime plastering.
44:52But I think it's such a credit to you that, in a way, these walls look like they've been here forever.
44:57They suit the house so well.
44:59You should be very proud of yourself.
45:01Yeah.
45:02A lot of scale I'm going to forget any time soon.
45:04I did so many reps of it.
45:06Yeah.
45:07I love it, guys.
45:08I could stay here forever.
45:10From the staircase that draws you in to the upstairs that opens up and provides views out into the fields beyond,
45:24the whole house is full of clever design and imbued with character.
45:29The rooms feel modern, yet respectful of what was already here, giving it a timeless quality
45:35that I'm sure will provide their young family with everything they need for years to come.
45:45It is very impressive that we're here 15 months later sitting in a beautiful kitchen.
45:50What have you spent on the renovation?
45:53Do you have any ideas?
45:54Oh, yeah.
45:55It's about 115.
45:56Amazing.
45:57And that's like obviously our furnishings as well.
45:59That includes furnishings.
46:00Because we furnish the place as well, which is...
46:02Guys, that's amazing.
46:03Yeah.
46:04You've saved yourself probably 20 years of a mortgage.
46:07Yeah.
46:08In having a payoff that's worth every cent.
46:11I think it's just having somebody like yourself to go, this is how you can do it.
46:15You can save yourself thousands of euro just by, you know, mixing the mortar.
46:19It makes a huge difference.
46:20It's been great.
46:21A learning curve.
46:22Yeah.
46:23But did you think it was going to take this long?
46:25It took longer than we hoped, obviously.
46:27We'd hoped to be in here at the start of summer.
46:29But it's not a modern building.
46:30You have to really take each step at a time.
46:33It's just slow work when you're on your own.
46:35Yeah.
46:36And there's no point in trying to rush it.
46:37Was that hard?
46:38Yeah, incredibly hard, I would say.
46:40On the dreary days during winter when you've got gale force winds coming through.
46:45And it was tough those days.
46:47To be honest, I never doubted that he would get it done.
46:50Sean just took it in his stride.
46:52So it was kind of amazing, really.
46:54Did you ever doubt yourself, Sean?
46:56I never doubted that I would get it done.
46:59You're kind of afraid of that fear creeping in.
47:02Afraid that my mindset would get to a point where I'm so burnt that it's never going to get done.
47:08Yeah, absolutely.
47:09And it really feels like Jess held the rest of the world.
47:14Held the rest of your guys' world together while you were here.
47:18Yeah.
47:19There's no balance.
47:20Balance is out the window.
47:21Yeah, really hard to get a balance.
47:23It's just playing on your mind the whole time you're working out here.
47:26Or when you're at home and you're hanging out and sitting down on the couch with the faint of watching a movie.
47:30You feel like you should be out here getting the job done.
47:33Like I'd have the same guilt about I'm not out of the house helping but like you can't make three of yourself.
47:39So you just have to kind of really remember this is my role right now.
47:43And look, like there's going to be sacrifice for something this amazing.
47:47I mean, it was huge.
47:49It was so much work.
47:50But how does it feel right now sitting here today?
47:53Yeah, it's amazing.
47:54It's incredible, really.
47:55Like what an achievement.
47:57You can't not have a home.
47:58You can't live with your parents forever.
48:00They're great.
48:01I suppose it would be lovely now to have our own family life.
48:04You know, routines and get back cooking in the kitchen here with our new range, Sean.
48:11Yeah, I am looking forward to getting back to some cooking.
48:14Well, I'll come back for dinner next time.
48:16Yeah.
48:17Absolutely.
48:18Absolutely, Sean will be cooking.
48:20Nice.
48:21You know, taking on a renovation like this can be all consuming.
48:31And I've no doubt when Sean and Jess first decided to do it all themselves, they had no idea how much work was ahead of them.
48:38But even with family pulling one way and business pulling the other, they've proven that if you're willing to learn a few new skills and stay utterly focused on the end goal, that it's possible to rise to even the greatest of challenges.
48:55I've no doubt when they finally take stock of everything they've achieved, they'll look around and feel proud, not just of what they've built, but of the home that's going to serve them for years to come.
49:05We'll be right back to you next time.
49:06Peace out.
49:23For you.
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