Funny Houses/Flats to rent

redbel05

redbel05 wrote: »

http://touch.daft.ie/dublin/apartment-share/dublin-1/4-ulysses-house-green-street-dublin-1-dublin-904758/

I remember a very naive me thought it would be a great moneysaver to live in a place like this when I first moved from Donegal to Dublin for college. You never realise how the true worth of personal space until you spend a month living cheek by jowl with 5 strangers in an apartment really only suitable for 2 double beds.

Jaysus, poor feckers still in bed in the bedroom photo. In comes someone with a camera and puts on the bedroom lights.

Been close to violence experiencing that in a hostel never mind your home.

The last placed I lived had a shower in the bedroom. It was literally plonked in between two wardrobes. It's one of the reasons I rented that room!

I'd live in that place (above) easily enough. Only sharing with one other housemate, and a living room each, in a fairly nice part of the city with great public transport. The price is a little steep, but is unfortunately the market rate.

Back in the heady days of 2011, I rented a spacious, one-bedroomed apartment in Harold's Cross for 640 euro per month. I assume it would be leased these days for at least 1,000 euro pm.

jmayo

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Gonna chuck a blanket and some pillows in the bathtub and rent it out as an ensuite. Handy €650 a month.

What about putting your cushion in ?

cisk wrote: »

Jaysus, poor feckers still bed in the bedroom photo. In comes someone with a camera and puts on the bedroom lights.

Been close to violence experiencing that in a hostel never mind your home.

Jaysus that is bad.

retalivity

redbel05 wrote: »

http://touch.daft.ie/dublin/apartment-share/dublin-1/4-ulysses-house-green-street-dublin-1-dublin-904758/

I remember a very naive me thought it would be a great moneysaver to live in a place like this when I first moved from Donegal to Dublin for college. You never realise how the true worth of personal space until you spend a month living cheek by jowl with 5 strangers in an apartment really only suitable for 2 double beds.

The apartment is also right above the Capel, one of the more delightful pubs in the north inner city.

Elliott S

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I'd live in that place (above) easily enough. Only sharing with one other housemate, and a living room each, in a fairly nice part of the city with great public transport.

Well yeah, I think most people could live there if it was only with one other person. It's the amount of people crammed in, not the place itself.

mzungu

redbel05 wrote: »

http://touch.daft.ie/dublin/apartment-share/dublin-1/4-ulysses-house-green-street-dublin-1-dublin-904758/

I remember a very naive me thought it would be a great moneysaver to live in a place like this when I first moved from Donegal to Dublin for college. You never realise how the true worth of personal space until you spend a month living cheek by jowl with 5 strangers in an apartment really only suitable for 2 double beds.

Better off just booking a dorm in a youth hostel and be done with it. That's basically what that living arrangement amounts to. Must be like a sardine can when everybody is at home.

Elliott S

mzungu wrote: »

Better off just booking a dorm in a youth hostel and be done with it. That's basically what that living arrangement amounts to. Must be like a sardine can when everybody is at home.

Last February, three friends and I went on a UK city break for a long weekend and relived our early 20s college trips by sharing a hostel room. It was... intense. Never again. One weekend was enough and we knew each other. How in the mother of janey could anyone stick this as their living arrangment?

Jrop

The poor feckers living like that, I dread to think what would happen if there was a fire.

ChikiChiki

The state of accommodation is ultimately the reason why I'm leaving this country. Its sad but its a fact. I feel helpless and want my own place to rent but at a price which is reasonable and of good quality. Ireland doesn't offer that for young professionals trying to get a start in life. I don't want a mortgage now like many of my friends who are forced to move home and save the 20% for one as they cannot afford renting and there is no value in the rental market.

With many rental properties and new builds being snapped up by outside investors and hedge funds who up until recently had charity status meaning they paid little or no tax I cannot see the situation improving. This is only a relatively new phenomenon to Ireland and is driving the market crazy. Our government facilitate this.Only at the end of last year Alan Kelly introduced new legislation meaning minimum standards for apartments are even smaller at 40sqm. Who was he acting on behalf of? Certainly not the citizens.

Its just not right and makes me so angry:mad: /rant

Winterlong

retalivity wrote: »

The apartment is also right above the Capel, one of the more delightful pubs in the north inner city.

God love anyone trying to get an early night in that apartment.
If your 4 flatmates are not disturbing you then the loyal punters of the Capel will...not to mention those on the street outside.

osarusan

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Only at the end of last year Alan Kelly introduced new legislation meaning minimum standards for apartments are even smaller at 40sqm. Who was he acting on behalf of, certainly not the citizens.

40sqm is plenty for a single person, and ok even for a couple with no kids.

Here's a 37sqm apartment.

I've no issue with these being built, as long as the build quality is decent.

Michael D Not Higgins

osarusan wrote: »

40sqm is plenty for a single person, and ok even for a couple with no kids.

Here's a 37sqm apartment.

I've no issue with these being built, as long as the build quality is decent.

It looks fine because there's no stuff in it. There's zero storage space. You'd have to use those drawers in the sitting room to store some clothes but there's nowhere to hang anything. You'd probably resort to using some kitchen cupboards to store miscellaneous things.

Thinking of things in the storage cupboard in my flat, the hoover, ironing board, suitcases, etc., these are things that are too large to put anywhere in this flat without them getting in the way.

This kind of place is only good for short term rentals. We need for the focus to be on long term living. This is where the lack of supply is, not in investment apartments, but actual homes for people. 40 sq m apartments are not going to be bought as PPRs except by desperate people with no other options.

Winterlong

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

This kind of place is only good for short term rentals. We need for the focus to be on long term living. This is where the lack of supply is, not in investment apartments, but actual homes for people. 40 sq m apartments are not going to be bought as PPRs except by desperate people with no other options.

I would not agree with that.

There are plenty of legacy developments in the city that are smaller than 40sqm.
I used to own one in Arran quay, like this one for example.

http://www.daft.ie/dublin/apartments-for-sale/smithfield/125-the-chandler-smithfield-dublin-1245630/

Admittedly they are too small if you have a lot of stuff but many people live happily on their own, or as couples, in apartments of this size long term. I know people who have been in that complex for over 20 years and have no intention of moving.
Its not for everyone, but is hardly sweat shop living.

osarusan

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

This kind of place is only good for short term rentals. We need for the focus to be on long term living. This is where the lack of supply is, not in investment apartments, but actual homes for people. 40 sq m apartments are not going to be bought as PPRs except by desperate people with no other options.

I agree, but only to a certain extent. On storage, you have a fair point, but storage can be built into apartments better than that one.

'Actual homes for people' is very vague - a single person can have an actual home which is much smaller than an actual home for a family.

In my time in Japan, I lived in an apartment which was very very similar to this one, at 50sqm. It's all in Japanese but just click on the images to see them. Plenty of storage too.

I know there are cultural differences involved, but living in these kinds of apartments can be a long-term option, and a valuable one in terms of use of available space.

Michael D Not Higgins

osarusan wrote: »

I agree, but only to a certain extent. On storage, you have a fair point, but storage can be built into apartments better than that one.

'Actual homes for people' is very vague - a single person can have an actual home which is much smaller than an actual home for a family.

In my time in Japan, I lived in an apartment which was very very similar to this one, at 50sqm. It's all in Japanese but just click on the images to see them. Plenty of storage too.

I know there are cultural differences involved, but living in these kinds of apartments can be a long-term option, and a valuable one in terms of use of available space.

In fairness, 50 sq m is nearly 50% bigger than 37. And as you mention, there's a cultural thing but also a practical one, as the Japanese are used to this kind of living the apartments are more kitted out for it in terms of space management.

My point is in providing an increase in supply for the type of homes that are currently lacking, and that's not one bed apartments.

osarusan

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

My point is in providing an increase in supply for the type of homes that are currently lacking, and that's not one bed apartments.

What types of homes are currently lacking, and how many of those feeling the lack of these types of homes could actually be accommodated in a smaller space?

I know you don't have the answers to these questions (the second question at least), and of course people have a right to live in whatever size place they can afford to get, but as a place like Dublin continues to expand, I do think there will need to be a careful use of space, and I also think that there will continue to be a reevaluation of just how much space we need to live.

With the example of the 50sqm apartment I gave above, you can build a block of 30 of them (6 per floor, 5 floors high - 5 floors is the maximum you can build in Japan without including a lift) on the same space as you could fit about 4 semi-detached houses. In front of each one (or between two) was a play area with slides, swings, sand-pits.

Planned and built properly, I think people could live there much more comfortably than they imagine, but there is an attitude that they couldn't - as you said, they're 'not used to this kind of living'.

syklops

Winterlong wrote: »

I would not agree with that.

There are plenty of legacy developments in the city that are smaller than 40sqm.
I used to own one in Arran quay, like this one for example.

http://www.daft.ie/dublin/apartments-for-sale/smithfield/125-the-chandler-smithfield-dublin-1245630/

Admittedly they are too small if you have a lot of stuff but many people live happily on their own, or as couples, in apartments of this size long term. I know people who have been in that complex for over 20 years and have no intention of moving.
Its not for everyone, but is hardly sweat shop living.

Michael D's point wasnt about the actual size, it was about the lack of storage in that particular apartment. The living room is an ok size, but the bedroom is tiny with no storage in it aside from a couple of shelves. Thats the main problem with it. The apartment you linked to has an attic for storing your various miscellaneous items. The apartment Michael D was commenting on doesnt have any storage space at all.

I live in a 40sqm apartment and with a few small changes it would be grand. Just a little bit of forethought needed. Where my apartment falls down is - storage. I don't have anywhere to put my hoover so it lives beside the couch. Not ideal. I live in supposedly a 2 bedroom apartment, but the second bedroom can just about fit a single bed and a wardrobe and nothing else. To be honest, if it was my own apartment I'd get rid of the single bed and use that room as my store room, add shelves and use it for my junk, suitcases, hoover, ironing board etc.

Providing storage space needs to become front and centre for all new builds and we need to stop squeezing two bedrooms into what should be a comfortable 1 bedroom apartment. 40sqm isn't tiny, but building a 40sqm apartment and calling it a "2 bed apartment" is just silly and makes it feel smaller when the second bedroom isnt fit for purpose, and everything else feels squashed in. Instead of that second teeny weeny bedroom, I could have a walk in wardrobe, and double the size of my teeny weeny kitchen. Instantly, that would make this apartment more comfortable to live in.

Michael D Not Higgins

osarusan wrote: »

What types of homes are currently lacking, and how many of those feeling the lack of these types of homes could actually be accommodated in a smaller space?

I know you don't have the answers to these questions (the second question at least), and of course people have a right to live in whatever size place they can afford to get, but as a place like Dublin continues to expand, I do think there will need to be a careful use of space, and I also think that there will continue to be a reevaluation of just how much space we need to live.

With the example of the 50sqm apartment I gave above, you can build a block of 30 of them (6 per floor, 5 floors high - 5 floors is the maximum you can build in Japan without including a lift) on the same space as you could fit about 4 semi-detached houses. In front of each one (or between two) was a play area with slides, swings, sand-pits.

Planned and built properly, I think people could live there much more comfortably than they imagine, but there is an attitude that they couldn't - as you said, they're 'not used to this kind of living'.

Almost certainly, not all people should be aiming at a 3 bed semi d in the suburbs. That kind of thinking has led to the massive urban sprawl of Dublin in the first place. We should be building up not out.

My view however is that more two and three bed apartments are what is needed. Building small apartments with insufficient space will never entice the Irish public to switch their views from a house to an apartment if they're always seen as cramped and only suitable to short term renting in your twenties.

What's needed is proper sized apartments with proper storage rather than eking out another bedroom like syklops' case.

osarusan

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Almost certainly, not all people should be aiming at a 3 bed semi d in the suburbs. That kind of thinking has led to the massive urban sprawl of Dublin in the first place. We should be building up not out.

My view however is that more two and three bed apartments are what is needed. Building small apartments with insufficient space will never entice the Irish public to switch their views from a house to an apartment if they're always seen as cramped and only suitable to short term renting in your twenties.

What's needed is proper sized apartments with proper storage rather than eking out another bedroom like syklops' case.

Yeah, I think we're basically in agreement then.

My point is that it's not great to just look at a size (37sqm for example, or even the new 40sqm minimum limit) and say that's too small, nobody will ever want to live there long term.

A properly designed apartment might well suit somebody living alone, or even a couple, as a long term option.

I'd say it's not only 'proper sized' but also 'properly designed' that will make them a viable option.

syklops

osarusan wrote: »

Yeah, I think we're basically in agreement then.

My point is that it's not great to just look at a size (37sqm for example, or even the new 40sqm minimum limit) and say that's too small, nobody will ever want to live there long term.

A properly designed apartment might well suit somebody living alone, or even a couple, as a long term option.

I'd say it's not only 'proper sized' but also 'properly designed' that will make them a viable option.

"properly designed" you mean like "joined up thinking" and 'forethought"? Yeah Irish planners, architects and builders arent great with that. I think if an architect is designing apartments he should be made live in one of them for 6 months so he can live with the annoyance of having nowhere to put the hoover, the irritation of a kitchen thats slightly larger than a phonebox, and the inevitable indigestion that comes from eating dinner every night on the couch because a dining table wont fit in the living room.

Michael D Not Higgins

syklops wrote: »

"properly designed" you mean like "joined up thinking" and 'forethought"? Yeah Irish planners, architects and builders arent great with that. I think if an architect is designing apartments he should be made live in one of them for 6 months so he can live with the annoyance of having nowhere to put the hoover, the irritation of a kitchen thats slightly larger than a phonebox, and the inevitable indigestion that comes from eating dinner every night on the couch because a dining table wont fit in the living room.

And only a crying chair to sit on.

inforfun

http://www.huislijn.nl/koopwoning/zuid-holland/rotterdam/ellemare-35_1/details

That is the kind of place i lived in in Holland.
These things were built in the 60's.
Each main entrance is for 7 of those apartments, the 4 on the right can be converted to 3 bedrooms or 2 with a if you only need 2
The 3 on the left, have 2 or 1 bedroom(s)

See the price.... €99.500

Now i am pretty sure if something like that would be built today here in Ireland, they would built 4 on the left and 4 on the right.
In Holland they built 7 and the groundfloor left is divided into 7 storage spaces.
Built in the 60's also means they used proper materials so you dont hear your neighbour ripping one all day.

I would love to buy a place sized like that here in Ireland. But with storage and not for €300.000 built from paper mache.

syklops

Can someone explain to me the point of balconies in Ireland? I'm looking out at my balcony and thinking how little used it is. In my apartment complex your not allowed dry clothes on your balcony. During the summer a leaflet went round banning barbecues because the flooring of the balcony is wooden and so it poses a fire risk. :rolleyes: So, I'm left wondering, what is the point of the balcony. Again if this was my own apartment and I could do what I wanted with it, within reason, I'd turn the balcony into a sort of conservatory, and that way I could at least store stuff on it over the winter and be able to use the space. Or if you bricked it up, youd add an additional 3-4 square metres to the size of the apartment.

Michael D Not Higgins

syklops wrote: »

Can someone explain to me the point of balconies in Ireland? I'm looking out at my balcony and thinking how little used it is. In my apartment complex your not allowed dry clothes on your balcony. During the summer a leaflet went round banning barbecues because the flooring of the balcony is wooden and so it poses a fire risk. :rolleyes: So, I'm left wondering, what is the point of the balcony. Again if this was my own apartment and I could do what I wanted with it, within reason, I'd turn the balcony into a sort of conservatory, and that way I could at least store stuff on it over the winter and be able to use the space. Or if you bricked it up, youd add an additional 3-4 square metres to the size of the apartment.

Depends on the type of balcony really. I had a friend who used to rent in Grand Canal across from Google and the balconies there were built into the building rather than overhanging. This also meant they were concrete rather than wooden and could take a barbecue but were also sufficiently closed in to allow drying outside on a clotheshorse.

syklops

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Depends on the type of balcony really. I had a friend who used to rent in Grand Canal across from Google and the balconies there were built into the building rather than overhanging. This also meant they were concrete rather than wooden and could take a barbecue but were also sufficiently closed in to allow drying outside on a clotheshorse.

In a case like that then that sounds like a decent balcony, and the building management "allow" you to dry your clothes outside.

guile4582

the policy of not allowing one to dry clothes is backwards, considering that wet clothes drying inside add to damp issues.

if a person is respectful and not throwing clothes over the balcony and doing their best to keep the clothes out of sight, where is the harm?

i have had the security in my complex make a point of coming over to my ground floor balcony and calling in at me to take them in

"you are not allowed hang out clothes"

....ah yes..i knew there would be a drawback of paying 1800e a month for a 2 bed flat, right you are...in they come

knobheads

rant over

Michael D Not Higgins

I know they don't want to give free reign and let it turn into this, but if you can put them on a clotheshorse below the level of the railing, it should be allowed.

guile4582

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

I know they don't want to give free reign and let it turn into this, but if you can put them on a clotheshorse below the level of the railing, it should be allowed.

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/images/m1778686.jpg

i doubled up on this stuff (bamboo screen). does the trick

syklops

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

I know they don't want to give free reign and let it turn into this, but if you can put them on a clotheshorse below the level of the railing, it should be allowed.

Putting the clothes horse below the level of the railing seems like good common sense.

i doubled up on this stuff (bamboo screen). does the trick

Thats what Mrs Syklops wants to get. Tbh, I think that looks just as bad.

EmmaMurray2016

Anyone renting or even anyone who owns an apartment, can any of you hear your neighbours talk and some nights snore lol ? I've always wondered is this a majority of apartments or the last few that were fired up at the end of the boom.