Galway firm turns Offaly dad's garage into a workshop for DIY SOS
Asked for a few shelves for the Harte family build in Walsh Island, Ballinasloe storage firm RackZone gave Damien Harte's much-loved garage in Walsh Island a full workshop fit-out instead
WHEN Damien and Hazel Harte were looking for a home in Co. Offaly, Damien fell for the big shed in the garden. It was one of the main reasons he loved the house. It became his garage and his pride and joy.
On Sunday 25 October, the family's home in Walsh Island, featured in the series finale of DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland on RTÉ One.
The couple have three children. Each child has different additional needs. Over ten days in September, volunteers, tradespeople and suppliers came together to make the house work better for them. Most of the work was in the house. Out in the garden, Damien's garage got a makeover of its own.
Indiepics, the company that makes the show, first asked RackZone for some shelving and storage boxes. The Irish-owned firm, based in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, offered to fit out the whole garage instead.
On Friday 4 September, RackZone arrived on site to start the challenge. A modular workstation now runs along the back of the garage. It has cabinets, drawers and a pegboard wall for tools. Longspan shelving lines the side wall and interlocking PVC tiles cover the floor.
On the shelves, smaller items went into foldable crates, attached lid containers, euro containers and tilt bins. Wall-Zone accessories keep tools on the wall, where Damien can see them and reach them.
Ciaran Duffy, Director of RackZone commented: "That garage is Damien's pride and joy. It is one of the main reasons he fell in love with the house so it deserved more than a few shelves. It was a privilege to work on it. Most garages we see end up with everything on the floor. You lose half the space and you spend more time looking for something than using it. So we got it all up off the floor and onto the walls and shelves. Every item has a home now and Damien has a proper workspace he can enjoy. Our team were delighted to be part of it."
DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland is presented by Baz Ashmawy. Each build aims to make a big and lasting difference to a family's life.