Dominic Chinea shows off aftermath of Storm Goretti as BBC The Repair Shop presenter shares damage to home

A record-breaking gust of 99mph was recorded at St Mary’s Airport in the Isles of Scilly, while some unofficial reports from Cornwall suggested winds may have reached as high as 123mph.

At the height of the storm, more than 150,000 homes lost power across the South West, Midlands and South Wales. By Friday afternoon, around 50,000 properties, mostly in Cornwall, were still without electricity.

Mr Chinea, who recently relocated from rural Kent to a farmhouse in Cornwall, took to Instagram to show followers the impact of the storm on his new home.

The image he shared revealed significant damage to the roof, with numerous tiles torn away by the wind.

Overlaying the photograph, the metalwork expert reassured fans of his safety, writing: “Made it out of the storm, can’t say the same for the roof.”

The damage comes just months after the presenter announced he had begun extensive renovation work on the property, including plans to restore an adjacent agricultural barn.

Mr Chinea has been documenting the ambitious project on his YouTube channel, where he previously admitted the scale of the work ahead felt both “terrifying” and “daunting”.

During early tours of the site, he highlighted issues including structural wear, damp and long-standing weather damage.

The Grade I-listed barn, which sits on the two-acre plot surrounding the farmhouse, is intended to become a working space and potential rental property, with Mr Chinea previously suggesting it could eventually be listed on Airbnb once restored.

Before relocating to Cornwall, Mr Chinea lived in Kent in a 17th-century former post office, a historic property notable for having no foundations.

Over the years, he shared regular glimpses of the home and its expansive garden online, documenting how he and his wife sympathetically renovated the building while navigating strict planning restrictions.

A master metalworker and self-taught engineer, Mr Chinea rose to prominence in 2017 as a core specialist and co-foreman on the BAFTA-winning BBC series The Repair Shop.

He became known for his meticulous restoration work, breathing new life into everything from rusted signage to classic vehicles.

In recent years, Mr Chinea has expanded his television career by relocating to Cornwall to film his own five-part series, Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop, which is due to air in 2026.

The series follows his move west as he builds a new life, undertakes major engineering projects and transforms the historic barn into a functioning workshop.

While Mr Chinea has stepped back from his regular role on The Repair Shop to focus on this new venture, he continues to collaborate with former co-stars on heritage projects, including work on historic stone structures.

He also pursues personal engineering challenges, such as building a racing car powered by a First World War aircraft engine.

Despite the scale of the storm damage, Mr Chinea’s background makes him uniquely equipped to take it in his stride.

He has frequently described himself as a “temporary custodian” of history, a mindset that brings both responsibility and emotional weight when restoring historic buildings.

True to his ethos of “repair over replace”, Mr Chinea has also spoken extensively about using sustainable and reclaimed materials.

He is expected to source traditional Cornish slate to repair the damaged roof, ensuring any restoration remains sympathetic to the property’s heritage.

Though Storm Goretti has delivered an early and dramatic test of his new life in Cornwall, Mr Chinea’s calm response suggests the challenge is simply another chapter in a restoration journey he is well prepared to face.

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