About The House (s6/e15)

Building Story – O’Sullivan/Daly (Final Visit)
This week, takes us to the town of Blackrock in Co. Cork. This is our third and final visit here for the series. The house we are here to see is a 19th century terraced town house. Nigel and Amanda, both from Cork, are recently married and this is their first home together. Houses like these are dotted all around the country and are rightly considered national treasures. However behind the pretty façade, many of these buildings are suffering from years of neglect, damage and even bad workmanship. This one is no exception. Nigel is an architect and he wanted a project that would challenge him; he has certainly found what he was looking for! Both Nigel and Amanda decided that rather then trying to patch up the old house, it would make more sense to pull the whole thing down and start again. They are re-building the terraced house to match in with the other houses on the street but they added a very contemporary extension at the back that will incorporate a barrel vaulted roof structure with glazed panels on either side for maximum light gain.

When we visited Nigel and Amanda for the second time, the original structure had been removed and they had begun working on the contemporary rear end of the house. Nigel main contractor had also started on the barrel roof.

The original façade is now replaced and you would never guess what lies behind it. All structural work is now finished and the services are in. Nigel and Amanda have had broadband installed and they tell us why they felt that was a good idea for them. They also decided to go down the road of wireless home technology. They are having a music system and wireless lighting system put into the house and we take a look at the benefits of having this done at the wiring stage of a new house build. We also taking a look at the tiling they are having done in the bathroom. We talk to Amanda and Nigel about there experience on this build. It’s been very hectic for them and they have run into a few problems along the way. But now that they can see the light at the end of the tunnel we ask the million dollar questions; has managing such an ambitious project themselves been a positive experience for them and would they do it all over again?

Home Learning – Creating a stimulating environment for young people
Many young children spend a large proportion of their time in the home and it is the first environment in which they start to learn about the world around them. We all know the importance of making our home safe for children but how do we make then stimulating? Learning in the home begins right from the time the new baby arrives home from the hospital. The home environment is the centre of their world until they reach crèche or school going age. We speak to a parent/child coach about the importance of creating the right learning environment for young toddlers and pre-schoolers.

As children grow older, there needs change and they are stimulated in different ways. We visit The Ark, Ireland first cultural centre designed specifically for the needs of children between the ages of 5-12. We speak to the project architect and he offers the viewers tips used in the Ark that can be transferred to the home.

When kids become teenagers their needs change even more and they become more complex. We visit the home of a leaving cert student to see how technology among other things can enhance their learning abilities. We speak to Brian Mooney, the education correspondent from the Irish times He tells us how the use of computers have revolutionised study and home learning for teenagers and opened up new opportunities for them.

Show wrap
As Christmas approaches, Duncan and Angie say wish all our viewers the best for the season. They re-cap on the year gone by and look forward to another exciting season of ‘About the House’.