Dick & Dom star Dominic Wood stuns fans with a very different career 20 years after hit children’s show

It’s not unusual for one-time celebrities to take on demanding challenges as a way of reinventing themselves. 

Reality TV shows like I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here – which just crowned Danny Jones of noughties band McFly King of the Jungle – Strictly Come Dancing and Celebrity Big Brother put former stars through their paces in return for a second shot at fame. 

But while reality TV might seem like the obvious path for those hoping to make a comeback, one popular presenter from the early 2000s decided to pursue an entirely new enterprise – and has acquired an impressive following as a result. 

Dominic Wood – one half of presenting duo ‘Dick & Dom’, whose BAFTA-winning children’s CBBC show Dick & Dom in Da Bungalow ran for five series until March 2006, has relaunched himself as a DIY expert. 

Active on Instagram and TikTok under the name @the_houseofwood, Dom, 46, has amassed more than 500,000 followers across social media platforms, capturing the attention of users by documenting his home renovation project in clips that are at once informative and amusing. 

Dom’s new endeavour dates back to the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 when he and his wife, Sandi, bought a 1930s property in Surrey for their young family to live in. 

By the time they moved in, social distancing regulations meant it was impossible to hire the builders and tradesmen that people normally rely on when it comes to renovations and home improvements. 

In his first Instagram post published on June 28, 2020, Dom explained this predicament and, in true children’s TV presenter style, asked for input from the audience.

The caption to a series of images taken from the estate agent’s brochure explains: ‘With no one able to work myself and Sandi had to do as much as we could on our own. It was hard work on top of homeschooling and losing work BUT we like a challenge and THIS was a challenge.

‘The house had obviously been lived in and loved but needed some updating. These are the pics from the estate agents brochure. What would you do first?!?’

More than 220 posts later, Dom’s Instagram grid not only tells the story of the step by step transformation of the family home but is a treasure chest of tips for aspiring DIYers.

Projects range in size and complexity with relatively straightforward tasks such as creating a chopping board out of a piece of wood at one end of the spectrum and more involved jobs like redoing the staircase – ‘Hard and VERY messy work’, according to Dom – at the other. 

On TikTok, the former presenter, who still DJs with double act partner Richard ‘Dick’ McCourt, 48, at summer festivals and student unions, typically attracts tens of thousands of views with his instructional videos.

But, as informative as they are, the clips are also entertaining, with Dom completing tasks at whirlwind speed (thanks to editing) while a Joe Wicks-style voiceover narrates the steps taken. 

Cameos by the family’s dog and the addition of bold remixes of well known hits only makes the clips more compelling. 

Racking up 2.8 million views, one video posted on January 18, 2022 takes viewers through one of the biggest home improvement projects: redoing the hallway and, specifically, the staircase. 

The minute-long TikTok clip shows Dom removing the carpet from the staircase using a utility knife before he sands the exposed wood and prepares it for painting. 

In the caption to the Instagram post showing the same job, he writes: ‘As you know we moved in during lockdown 1 so we were lucky enough to get any carpet. A runner wasn’t a option though as everywhere was shut! 

‘Over 2 days I’ve worked really hard stripping back the stairs, sanding, filling, punching in nails and painting. Hard and VERY messy work!!!!’

And, when the new staircase is revealed at the end of the clip, it’s obvious his hard work paid off.

While Dom’s bitesize DIY tutorials are watchable for their striking transformations, it’s his down-to-earth attitude that seems to endear viewers.

His happy-go-lucky ‘have a go’ approach, which sees Dom teach himself the basics of a job before giving it his best shot, appears to appeal to social media users who are similarly motivated to fix up their houses but are perhaps daunted by the task at hand. 

In another video, which has been viewed one million times on TikTok, Dom tackles the radiator. 

Aware that the weight of the radiator was resting on water pipes, ‘which could have ended in a right old mess’, he fitted some supports tp redistribute the weight. 

Having taken on his first plumbing task, Dom is particularly relatable as the voiceover admits: ‘Took me weeks to pluck up the courage to do this job. Glad I did it.’

A third video takes viewers through the process of building garden planters with bricks, from mixing the cement in a cement mixer to laying the bricks evenly. 

And, alongside the numerous practical tasks, Dom makes fun additions to the new home, the most exciting of which is undoubtedly the garden tree swing. 

The nostalgic fan comments harking back to his former life as a children’s presenter also make Dom’s social media presence especially enjoyable. 

One fan commented: ‘So much less work when you lived in a bungalow’.

Another chimed in: ‘Sorry… stairs? Thought you lived in da bungalow?’

While a third, turning the spotlight on one of Dick & Dom in Da Bungalow’s most popular games, ‘Bogies’, wrote: ‘BOGIES!!! You are smashing it mate’.