This week sees the restoration of a historic building in the heart of Westport Co.Mayo, dating back to 1770. Empty for years, the building was damp, water-damaged, and largely unloved. Purchasing Grove House for €117,500 the home is a whopping 10,500 sq. ft. with a further 3,500sq ft. in the basement, so this restoration is no small task. Changing times have meant changing purposes for the building, from private home it became a bank, then a boarding school, and most recently it was flats. Having created an apartment on the top floor, living on site means that Karen can project manage the restoration, but with very little heat in the huge home, a dwindling budget and surprising complications along the way, this becomes an incredibly challenging restoration. Their ambitious aim is to complete two floors of this house, and to create a ballroom and bar to use as a civic space.