Home upgrade makes a splash

PADRAIG Whooley’s love of the sea is reflected in his voluntary role as sightings coordinator of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

But RTÉ viewers will watch tonight as Padraig and his wife, Lorraine, experience an interesting sea change – to their family home in west Cork.

The major transformation to their cottage at Rossmore, near Clonakilty, is featured in the programme, Room to Improve.

The series’ resident architect Dermot Bannon assisted Padraig and his wife, Lorraine Dufficey, in the redesign of the two-bed cottage.

They purchased their home for €265,000 four years ago.

It was cramped and claustrophobic and the tiny kitchen had one drawer and three presses.

By the couple’s own admission, their living room was freezing and the bedrooms dark.

Apart from all that, there was another good reason why they wanted to improve their home.

“We’d like to have a family in the future, so we need to make it a bit bigger,” said Lorraine, a pilates instructor.

RTÉ provided the expertise of Mr Bannon free, but the couple had to fork out more than €100,000 to pay for the renovations. Dermot had to completely gut the old cottage, double its size and somehow elevate it – so Padraig and Lorraine could finally appreciate the magnificent views.

From the very first day of construction, there were problems: extra windows were needed, the joists supporting the roof had to be replaced and a soakaway drain was found where it shouldn’t be.

* Viewers can see for themselves what the transformation was like on RTÉ One at 8.30pm.