A new BBC Northern Ireland series is set to follow people across the country as they aim to bring historical buildings back to life with exciting restoration projects.
Restoration Rescue is a four-part series that follows award-winning architect Patrick Bradley as he meets those who are taking on the challenge of restoring the buildings of our past.
Across Northern Ireland, the landscape is scattered with buildings falling into ruin but thankfully there are people out there on a mission to bring them back to life.
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A description for the show reads: "Patrick journeys with our contributors as they experience the highs and the lows of a restoration project encountering everything from problems with planning, to damp issues, to the soaring cost of building supplies, as they strive to create dream homes.
"While Patrick has the professional experience in designing homes for clients, taking him out of that role and allowing him to journey with the property owners was a real eye opener."
In the first episode, Patrick meets a couple in east Belfast who are looking to future-proof their lives by downsizing from a large family house to a small 19th Century gate lodge, with plans to restore and extend it into their dream property.
While building work on the gate lodge gets underway, Patrick finds out more about what life would have been like for those that lived there and about the history of Craigavon House, the larger property that the gate lodge once served. He discovers more about the big house's most famous owner, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, James Craig.
Patrick said: "My experience on the show was refreshing to say the least. Whilst I have built my career on being a professional architect, it was an incredible experience to see the other side.
"To have the homeowners open up, be raw and real, vulnerable even, it has given me insight into what my own clients have experienced during their builds.
"Seeing the process of the builds and the emotions, anxiety and problems that come whilst renovating these old buildings, but also the pure joy and delight of the homeowners once completion, was surreal."
Restoration Rescue starts Tuesday 31 January on BBC One Northern Ireland & BBC iPlayer, 10.40pm
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